I was sitting here planning our family’s Christmas dinner {which we actually eat on Christmas Eve}, I started to write down all of the classics: turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. I don’t know why, but I just kind of wondered if those “traditional” holiday meals are only a tradition here in the U.S. of A? Wouldn’t you know it, they are. I hit google {HERE and HERE} to find out what other countries serve, and some of them were so surprising, I decided I’d better share:
- Germany serves roasted goose and red cabbage.
- England looks a lot like our traditional fare: turkey, stuffing, but they add Christmas pudding.
- Italians opt for fish, fried eel being the highlight, served along side pasta dishes.
- In Poland, they typically serve borscht and dumplings.
- In Iceland {this one made me laugh out loud}, they feature puffins and roasted reindeer. {It’s a bummer and funny all at the same time}.
- In France, the holiday is more about the food than the gift-giving. It is all roasted chestnuts, wine, foie gras, oysters, and salmon, and turkey. They end the meal with a Christmas cake called la buche de Noel.
- In Romania, they feature pork and beef aspic.
- In Australia, you’d find a plate of grilled shrimp, ham and maybe some roasted veggies.
- In India, they serve chicken and lamb.
- In Mexico, you’ll get hand-rolled tamales.
- Zimbabwe features roasted ox.
Obviously, this is a short list, and there are a tons of other cuisines I missed, but I thought the difference was really cool. It totally shows that our traditions started with what we can easily get during this time of year. I guess that makes our ancestors the pioneers of the “eat local” movement. 🙂
I know some of you probably celebrate with food based on your heritage? So, what “traditional” foods have to grace your Christmas table? {Fair warning: I might want recipes.}
~Mavis
Shelle says
These are so interesting to read! We raise our own beef, so our family’s traditional Christmas Dinner (also done on Christmas Eve) is Prime Rib. We add mashed or baked potatoes and roasted veggies. It’s simple, but a meal we all look forward to and very much a tradition for us.
Kristina says
My Swedish grandmother used to make lutefisk, but I have too much regard for you to give you that recipe. Bllech. The pickled herring was good, though. And the saffron buns and the pepperkakker cookies. Tamales have definitely become part of the Christmas tradition where we live, but they’re fiddly to make. It’s always a treat when one of the nearby schools has a tamale sale fundraiser, then I buy them by the dozens.
Sarah says
We make Swedish meatballs, grit (rice porridge) eat lefse on Christmas Eve and have prime rib on Christmas.
Kari says
I took cookies to an 80-yr-old friend today who is from Hungary. He is planning a dinner of salmon to celebrate Christmas, much different from our usual ham dinner. I love to hear these different traditions!
Leanna says
German – sauerbraten, red cabbage, potato pancakes and green beans.
Nora says
Sorry, but are you German? This might be traditional in your family but is by no means representative except of the red cabbage.
Roasted goose as Mavis pointed out, red cabbage or maybe kale in the northern parts, dumplings from cooked and/or fresh potatoes. This is tradition!
Plus a lot of regional specialities and a lot of families eat potato salad and Wiener sausages on one of the three holidays.
Lori says
It is traditional in our family (Leanna is my sis in law). :). The whole family looks forward to this yummy meal. And, at least on her hubby’s side, we are English-Irish, Texas & Arizona desert rats. Just a lovely meal that has evolved into our preferred tradition. Cause we’re wacky like that 😉
Mandy says
We have always had my Dad’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Simple but then no one has to spend the day in the kitchen. Serve with a salad and a glass of wine and it’s perfect. A bonus is the house smells amazing from the sauce simmering all day. So yummy!
Joanna says
Christmas dinner is always ham, from our Finnish/German/Scandinavian heritage. With pickled herring and red cabbage. Other than that, veggies will rotate. This year it’s carrot souffle, corn casserole, roasted broccoli, and peas& onions.
Sue R. says
Minnesota wild rice soup on Christmas Eve and Scandinavian treats. Christmas Day is raclette (Swiss/French) to include other family influences.
Mable says
It is the one time of the year I make beef Wellington. We serve it on Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day we go to the movies and have popcorn for our meal.
Lisa Millar says
Australia – never had shrimp in our family thats for sure!!
Often it was roast lamb or chicken with all the roasted vegies. (and ham)
Ruby usually roasts a turkey.
Because its summer, my favourite Christmas dinners were cold meats and a variety of salads. It meant no-one was stuck in a kitchen sweltering on a 40 deg C day (104F) cooking a hot dinner.
Desserts in our family have ranged from steamed puddings, to trifles to Pavlovas.
I will be cooking several pavlovas in the next couple of days.
If you are not familiar with them, think giant meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit – usually raspberries, but whatever is available (Strawberries this year)
Terri Trepanier says
I make my Puerto Rican “typical” Christmas dinner: Roast pork with Puerto Rican spices and lots of garlic, rice with pigeon peas and Pasteles (google it!). Dessert is either flan or apple crisp (not very Puerto Rican!!). Yummmmmm…..
Crystal says
I would love your pork recipe 🙂
Jeri says
We used to go to the in-laws for brunch and would get home mid afternoon, too late to cook a turkey or anything fancy. Besides, we all wanted to take a nap. This is how the tradition in our home is to have Costco frozen meat lasagna (can’t be stouffers or any other brand – just kirkland) Ceasar salad kit, and garlic bread for dinner. We no longer have brunch with the family, but my grown children would be horrified if we had anything but our traditional meal for Christmas. And for dessert? Costco comes through for us again! I’m ok with it. Nobody has to spend the time in the kitchen away from the festivities!
Sara says
On the Scandinavian side of the family we add in pickled herring, lefse and we have a cheese/meat/crackers platter with gjetost.
On the Italian side we don’t do the fish, although we used to. Now we have roast and ravioli. Must have pizzelle and biscotti on the cookie tray.
Kari says
We made lefse yesterday! We usually make and enjoy it the week leading up to Christmas, but by Christmas it is all gone!
Melissa says
My Italian family doesn’t do the traditional fish or eel either (yuck!) but we have homemade ravioli and homemade Italian sausage and meatballs in a very long simmered red sauce with all the pork rib bones left in the sauce to flavor it and get so tender the meat falls off when you eat them drenched in sauce – yum! Wouldn’t be Christmas without it 🙂
Melissa says
And of course you’re right about pizzelle and biscotti and the other ones my grandma always makes are Italian knot cookies (anginetti I think?) and those fried ribbons of dough called by a bunch of different names but I think cenci? Italians like our sweets not so sweet, and firm or crunchy enough to almost break a tooth lol
Mel says
I come from a family that did not really cook, and they also were not particularly rooted in traditions. I’ve very slowly been trying out different dishes that are both practical and special to add to the standard fare and turn into traditions. My mother served hot cider with cinnamon sticks, and I’ve kept that but dressed it up with orange slices and other mulling spices. I’ve also kept ham as an easy main course, and I’ve added a turnip gratin that my parents and husband love. This year, I grew our own turnips for it. We have sort of standard other sides (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes in brown sugar sauce, cranberry sauce, applesauce) with that, and I’m still “interviewing” for the role of salad (kale and butternut with apple cider dressing this year). I tried to make biscuits a tradition, but they cook at a different temperature than all the other stuff, and my brother complains about them hitting the table 10 minutes behind everything else, so I’m working on making rolls in advance and reheating them. I’m doing a mini dessert bar (mini pies instead of whole ones, along with cupcakes, fudge, and cookies) for the first time this year, and I’m trying out monkey bread for Christmas morning.
mandy says
My Grandma always made ravioli to go with a turkey or ham. It’s funny how people say “oh, you know we’re just having the regular”. That can vary so much. We’ve done goose a few times when my son, brother, dad or uncle got lucky with a big one. She always made a Christmas flag salad too. I don’t like jello, but I like this salad. It’s green jello, then a layer of cream cheese pineapple and things, then red jello on top. So good…Our favorite snack is salame and cream cheese roll ups. We’ll add a slice of pepperoncini or olive when we want to be fancy. I need to bring the ravioli back, this year’s not an option though as I broke my index finger in my car door. I need to gear up to make the ravioli this next holiday season.
Best of the season to you Mavis 🙂
Kathy says
Hungarian foods, as both set of grandparents are from Hungary. Layer cabbage, stuffed cabbage (NO tomatoes), kolach, mashed taters. Ham but no turkey.
Deserts are Hungarian coffee cake kifli, lots and LOTS of cookies!
Cheryl says
I’d love the recipe for kolache, grew up on them….LOVE LOVE LOVE!!
drags59 at yahoo dot com
C Browne says
My family has a Christmas Eve meal of Sausage Strata and Christmas morning French toast. (It’s all about breakfast foods here!) Christmas day we have Chinese, (because it’s the only restaurant open on Christmas) and we are tired of cooking through the whole season. And yes, we pay homage to “The Christmas Story” by singing “Deck the Halls” .
Lilypad says
We are Jewish so our tradition is to eat at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas.
Julia says
Even though we are not Italian I have served lasagna for Christmas Day dinner for many years. I used to make my own but we have a wonderful family run Italian restaurant on our block that I pre order oor dinner from. So we will have Lena’s lasagna as well as penne pasta with a sharp cheese sauce and of course crusty Italian bread!!! My mom will bring her traditional cranberry ice as a palate cleanser and the rest if the folks will bring dessert.
Helen in Meridian says
My Grandma Weeks used to make cranberry ice, too.
Lauren says
One of the things about Australia is that we come from all over the world and lot’s of us only 2 or 3 generations ago, it isn’t unusual to have dishes from all over the world on the Christmas table. Seafood often features because of the weather, it’s actually being forecast to be 40 degrees C (104 f) in South Australia for Christmas day and no we don’t have Shrimp here, it’s a prawn. 🙂
Lisa, can i come for Christmas the weather looking more my style in Tassie! I just need to get my shade cloth up over the veggie garden 🙂
Lisa Millar says
haha – sure thing! We will be rolling in raspberries in a couple of weeks (just to tempt you properly) – But I will probably make you weed something!
I am pretty sure you won’t get heat exhaustion here!! Quite a pathetic start to summer when you have to keep lighting the fire at night every other day!
Enjoy your ‘real’ summer and stay cool!!!
Andrea says
Gumbo is the traditional Christmas Eve meal in Louisiana. It stems from the Cajun French culture of the area. A big pot serves all those who may drop in to wish good tidings. Potato salad and fresh French bread accompany. Most serve chicken and andouille gumbo with rice and file’. Dessert includes homemade fruitcake, divinity fudge, pralines, and pecan pie.
Rebecca says
Our traditional Christmas Eve menu features crab cakes and ham. We are in Maryland, so seafood has always been a part of the Christmas Eve family party. Christmas Day is usually turkey and dressing with all the other trimmings.
Margery says
Christmas eve is Polish so no meat, and we don’t eat 13 dishes unless we gather with extend family. But we don’t eat till the youngest sees the first star in the sky and we have potato soup, perogies , veggies and ice cream for dessert along with some Polish cookies. We don’t like fish here but many of my other family members eat fish, I was happy as a kid when some aunt’s married Italians and we added cheese pasta dishes to the menu. Christmas day we have roast beef, peas, mashed potatoes, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding.
Stacie says
Our menu varies. Last year we did a smoked ribeye roll with potatoes, green beans and rolls. This year we’re having tamales and fajitas. We live on a big cattle ranch in South Texas, so we will have beef fajitas and we order the tamales from a great Mexican food restaurant in town. Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake will be for dessert this year.
Nancy says
Christmas Eve my family always had fruit soup first and then just snacky foods – cheese, crackers, salami, veggies and dip and so forth. Christmas morning is always homemade gingerbread with whipped cream, and a typical “Thanksgiving Day” dinner in the early to late afternoon. Then, I married an Italian, and we had to add the “Feast of the Seven Fishes” to our Christmas Eve celebration. I did, however, insist on retaining the fruit soup tradition. We also have a New Year’s special dinner – of Ham and homemade ravioli.
Lauralli says
We always have cinnamon rolls after seeing what Santa brought–though my kids are now 23,20,13–if you don’t believe, you don’t receive! 🙂 Then we open gifts. After the gift opening we have a huge brunch–ham, biscuits, (and gravy sometimes), hash browns, eggs, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, scones, cheese grits. No other meal plan for the day because I’m too tired! I’ve never understood the whole “Thanksgiving again” meal that seems a lot of other people do.
Cynthia Cunningham Platon says
Lauralli, I’m thinking that you’re southern?
Conni says
We have continued our tradition of a birthday cake for Jesus for 45 years (now the grandchildren blow out the candles!) on Christmas morning. The preferred recipe is a healthy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (on the side), accompanied by the rare treat of bacon or sausage, real or vegetarian, and o.j. or sparkling cider.
The evening meal changes every year, depending on who can be present. I just finished putting together and freezing two large vegetarian lasagnas. DONE!
Merry Christmas to all!
Erin says
We have the usual turkey, but we substitute Cajun dirty rice for the stuffing and top it and the turkey with a rue-based gravy that is to die for! For dessert it is lemon buttermilk pie, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
Veronica says
I grew up with Christmas Eve dinner being oyster stew, French bread, and Cesar salad. My in-laws served hoagies when they lived in New Jersey and now serve tamales and enchiladas in Texas.
Christmas day is a brunch spread that we eat on all day: hot crab dip, glazed ham, lox, pistachios, pecans, quiche (this year), crossants, tea breads, frosted sugar cookies, milk chocolate fudge, clementines, baby carrots, cheeses, crackers, orange juice, champagne and mimosas (for those who drink), etc.
Jen@FrugalSteppingStones says
We always had traditional American food, but my mother’s side is Sicilian and we would also have a little pasta,meatballs,and family sauce with the turkey. My father’s German mother would have German potato salad (THE best potato salad to me) with vinegar/bacon/onion to serve with the ham. My husband’s family is Polish and would serve the traditional fare along with sausages cooked in sauerkraut, pierogies, and pizzelles, which I can’t stand. They are flavored with anise.