5 traditional Christmas dishes from around the world
What's the story
December is not only the month to indulge in good food, go for exciting vacations, and sip on delicious hot chocolate but it is also the time for Christmas celebrations where you get to spend time with your loved ones at the dinner table over endless chitchats. Different countries celebrate Christmas with varying delicacies. Here are five traditional Christmas dishes from around the world.
Buttery and flaky
Kolaczki cookies in Poland
A cream cheese cookie, Kolaczki cookies are popular in Poland during Christmas. These buttery and flaky pastry-like sweet treats are made with sour cream or cream cheese and stuffed with fillings of raspberry or apricot jam. They are usually available in diamond, square, or rectangle shapes. These delicious cookies are folded and topped with confectioner's sugar immediately before serving.
Sponge cake
Bûche de Noël or Yule Log in France
A popular Christmas dessert in France, Bûche de Noël is a sponge cake that is traditionally made with chocolate buttercream and garnished with meringue mushrooms, marzipan holly, and berries. The cake is designed like a wooden log since logs were traditionally burnt on Christmas Eve with wine sprinkled on them. The cake is sprinkled with confectioner's sugar to resemble snowflakes on a Yule log.
Rich aroma
Christmas pudding in the United Kingdom
Traditionally served as a part of Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom, this dried fruit pudding with a rich aroma is made with cinnamon, ginger, nuts, and dates. The dessert originated in medieval England and later several innovations came up to make it more flavorful and interesting. In the UK, each family member stirs the pudding thrice to make a wish.
Sweet fruit bread
Stollen from Germany
A popular Christmas dessert in Germany, Stollehn, Christollen, or Weihnachtsstolle is a sweet fruit bread made with dried fruits, nuts, rum, spices, and candied fruits and coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar. It resembles a fruit cake and is usually long and flat in shape. You can slice the bread into small pieces and serve it with honey, jam, or butter.
Fishy affair
Feast of seven fishes in Italy
Also called Festa Dei Sette Pesci, this traditional feast of seven fishes is a must-have Italian dinner during Christmas Day. This seven-course meal includes several seafood dishes made with calamari, octopus, carp, clams, mussels, shrimps, and fried eel. A traditional tiramisu or Italian panettone is also served at the end of the meal. This tradition is also followed in America.