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Christmas dinner 1

Christmas dinner

An oven-roasted turkey.

Christmas dinner is the primary meal traditionally

eaten on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Christmas

dinner around the world may differ and the traditions

present below can reflect the culture of the respective

country it is being celebrated in. Turkey is present in a

fair number of these meals.

Australia

Christmas dinner in Australia is based on the traditional

English version.[1]

However due to Christmas falling in

the heat of the Southern Hemisphere's summer, meats

such as ham, turkey and chicken are sometimes served

cold with cranberry sauce, accompanied by side salads or roast vegetables. Barbecues are also a popular way of 

avoiding the heat of the oven. Seafood such as prawns, lobster and crayfish are common, as are barbecued cuts of 

steak or chicken breasts, drumsticks and wings. In summer, Australians are also fond of Pavlova, a dessert composed

of fruit atop a baked meringue. Fruits of the season include cherries and mangoes. Introduced by Italian Australians,

Panettone is widely available in shops, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne.

Austria

Christmas cuisine in Austria is similar to that of Germany. Christmas Eve is the celebration of the end of the

pre-Christmas fast. Christmas Eve is historically the day that the tree is decorated and lit with real candles, so that

the Christkindl may visit. Christmas Day is a national holiday in Austria and most Austrians spend the day feastingwith their family. Fried carp, Sacher torte and Christmas cookies (lebkuchen and sterne) are eaten, and many other

chocolate delicacies including edible Christmas ornaments. Christmas dinner is usually Goose, Ham served with

Gluhwein, Rumpunsch, and Chocolate Mousse.

Brazil

In Brazil, the Christmas meal is quite a feast,( served in the evening on the 24th of December) offering large

quantities of food, such as a wide variety of dishes which include fresh vegetables (including Couve a Mineira  – 

Kale, highly seasoned with garlic), luscious fruits[2]

and Brazil nuts. Accompanying these are bowls of zesty,

colorful rice and platters filled with ham and fresh salad (sometimes cold potato salad is also served) served with

roast turkey. Also some parts of Brazil feature roast pork, roast Chicken and fish. Other Christmas items include a

variety of desserts such as lemon tart, Nuts pie, chocolate cake and also Panettone.

Canada

In English Canada, Christmas dinner is similar to that of its colonial ancestor, England. Traditional Christmas dinner

features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables and raisin pudding for dessert.

Eggnog, a milk-based punch that is often infused with alcohol, is also very popular around the holiday season. Other

Christmas items include butter tarts and shortbread, which are traditionally baked before the holidays and served to

visiting friends, at various Christmas and New Year parties, as well as on Christmas Day.

In French Canada, traditions may be more like those of France. (See Réveillon)

Other ethnic communities may continue to use old world traditions as well.

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Christmas dinner 2

Czech Republic

A traditional Christmas meal in the Czech Republic is fried carp and potato salad which are eaten during Christmas

dinner in the evening of 24 December. This tradition started after excessive increase of fishpond cultivation in the

Baroque era. Many households also prepare a great variety of special Christmas cookies to offer to Christmas

visitors. These are prepared many days prior to the feast and take a long time to decorate, with the remainder usually

ending up on a Christmas tree as a decoration.

Denmark

In Denmark, the traditional Christmas meal served on December 24 consists of roast pork with crackling, goose,

duck, or just duck and goose. The meat is served along with potatoes (some of which are caramelised, some roasted),

red cabbage, and plenty of gravy. It is followed with a dessert of Risalamande, rice pudding served with cherry sauce

or strawberry sauce, often with a whole almond hidden inside. The lucky finder of the almond of which is entitled to

an extra present, the almond gift. Christmas drinks are Gløgg and traditional Christmas beers, specially brewed for

the season. These usually have a high alcohol content.

Finland

Joulupöytä (translated "Christmas table") is the name of the traditional food board served at Christmas in Finland,

similar to the Swedish smörgåsbord. It contains many different dishes, most of them typical for the season. The main

dish is usually a large Christmas ham, which is eaten with mustard or bread along with the other dishes. Fish is also

served (often lutefish and gravlax or smoked salmon), and with the ham there are also different casseroles usually

with potatoes, rutabaga or carrots. The traditional Christmas beverage is either alcoholic or non-alcoholic mulled

wine (glögi in Finnish).

France

In France and some other French-speaking countries, a réveillon is a long dinner, and possibly party, held on theevenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on the word réveil

(meaning "waking"), because participation involves staying awake until midnight.

Germany

In Germany, the primary Christmas dishes are roast goose and roast carp, although suckling pig or duck may also be

served. Typical side dishes include roast potatoes and various forms of cabbage such as kale, brussel sprouts and red

cabbage. In some regions the Christmas dinner is traditionally served on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve.

In this case, dinner on Christmas Eve is a more simple affair, consisting of sausages (such as Weißwurst) or

macaroni salad. Sweets and Christmas pastries are nearly obligatory and include Marzipan, spice bars ( Lebkuchen),

several types of bread, and different fruitcakes and fruited breads like Christstollen and Dresdener Stollen.[3]

Honduras

In Honduras, tamales are traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve evening. Turkey has become popular in the last few

years.

Iceland

The Christmas dinner is eaten on Christmas Eve at 18:00. The main dish varies much between families. The most

common is probably Hamborgarhryggur , which is a kind of Gammon steak. Other common dishes are roast game

like reindeer, ptarmigan and smoked lamb, (hangikjöt) and a great variety of steaks such as Duck, Turkey which arealso eaten by many on Christmas Day or at other occasions during the Christmas period.

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Christmas dinner 3

India

In India most traditional feasts are based on those of The United Kingdom. Roast duck, roast chicken, fruit cake, and

plum cake are common dishes.

Lebanon

The Lebanese, mostly Christians but also Muslims, celebrate Christmas dinners. The feast, usually on both the night

of the 24th and lunch of the 25th, is a big one. Some have the leftovers from the dinner prior at the lunch the next

day. Family gets together at both meals. Roast turkey is the most common choice of meal, chicken, kebabs, and other

meals are common. At midnight the Christians are seen to go to mass at church.

Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine

In the areas of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (e.g., Lithuania, Poland), an elaborate and ritualised

meal of twelve meatless dishes is served on the Eve of Christmas (24 December), Ukraine and Belarus (6 January).

This is because the pre-Christmas season is a time of fasting, which is broken on Christmas Day.

Mexico

In Mexico the Christmas dinner, eaten on Christmas Eve evening, varies with region. Common dishes are various

fruits (oranges, lime, tropical fruits) and salad (composed of several ingredients including jícama, beets, bananas,

and peanuts). In several states, however, stews are made: either pozole, made of pork or beef and hominy in red chile

sauce; or menudo made with beef tripe and hominy also in chile sauce. In the center of Mexico, bacalao (codfish)

and romeritos (rosemary) prepared with mole are popular dishes. In the north of Mexico the most traditional

Christmas dish is tamales served with sauce over them and sometimes cream and a bit of crumbly fresh cheese. For

dessert, atole (a thinned hot pudding) with buñuelos (fried flour tortillas sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon), or

buñuelos soaked in sugar (piloncillo) and cinnamon water, are served. There are also sweet tamales: corn with raisins

or sweet beans, or strawberry flavored. Stuffed turkey or ham are also common.

Netherlands

Christmas dinner in The Netherlands is a bit different from customs in neighbouring countries. One typical Dutch

tradition is that of 'gourmet,' an evening long event where small groups of people sit together around a gourmet-set

and use their own little frying pan to cook and season their own food in very small portions. The host has prepared

finely chopped vegetables and different types of meats, fish and prawns/shrimps. Everything is accompanied by

different salads, fruits and sauces. The origin of gourmet lies most likely in the former Dutch colony Indonesia.

The Dutch also enjoy more traditional Christmas-dinners, especially meats and game like roast beef, duck, rabbit,

and pheasant. This generally served with different types of vegetables, potatoes and salads. In recent years, traditions

from Anglo-Saxon countries have become increasingly popular, most notably the UK-style turkey.

New Zealand

The Christmas customs of New Zealand are largely identical to the United Kingdom. Christmas dinner consists of 

roast turkey, roast vegetables, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Alternatively, roast ham may be offered as a main

course. Desserts are commonly mince pies, Christmas pudding, trifle and brandy butter. Enjoyment of non-British

Christmas foods, such as stollen from Germany, Bûche de Noël from France, and panettone from Italy, was virtually

unheard of in New Zealand until the late 1990s and is still rare today. Due to New Zealanders celebrating Christmas

in the summer, it is also common to barbecue, and eat seasonal fruit such as cherries and strawberries. Pavlova is

also popular.

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Christmas dinner 4

Norway

The most common dish is svineribbe (usually just ribbe), pork belly side prepared with seasoning, for proper

crackling. Usually it is consumed together with sauerkraut, redcurrant sauce, flatbread and a few shots of akevitt (to

wash down the rather greasy meal). In the western parts of the country, pinnekjøtt, mutton ribs, is by far the most

popular Christmas dinner. The traditional lutefisk is also still eaten by some, but it is more commonly eaten at other

occasions during the Christmas period.[4]. For dessert rice pudding is very popular, served with a raspberry sauce.

Philippines

The Christmas dinner in the Philippines is called  Noche Buena, and is held towards midnight of December 24. This

usually comes after the entire family has attended the late evening Mass called the  Misa de Gallo ("Mass of the

Rooster"). The centrepiece of the Noche Buena is often the hamón or Christmas ham, which is usually a cured leg of 

pork ham. This is usually served with Queso de Bola, literally a ball of edam cheese, covered in a red wax. Other

ubiquitous dishes are pasta and for dessert, fruit salad. The dinner would usually be accompanied with tsokolate or

hot cocoa, which is made with pure, locally-grown cacao beans. Some families prefer tsokolate prepared from tablea

or tablets of pressed cocoa powder that is either pure or slightly sweetened. Most of the food served on Noche Buena

are fresh and usually prepared during the day of Christmas Eve. [5]

Middle-class and affluent families tend to prepare sumptuous feasts which sometimes includes any of the following:

lechón or spit-roasted pig; lumpia; escabeche; adobo; rellenong manok or stuffed chicken; roast turkey; mechado

(beef stew); kaldereta (spicy beef stew); paella; and other traditional fiesta dishes. Families that are not as affluent

would opt for a more economical   Noche Buena; the organising of even a simple gathering despite financial

difficulties reflects the importance in Filipino culture of familial (and by extension communal) unity over most other

concerns.

This importance placed on the family is also found in all socio-economic classes and ethnic groups in the Philippines

in that during the  Noche Buena, most if not all members from branch or extended families in a clan are always

expected to appear at the celebrations. Relatives living abroad, especially OFWs, are highly encouraged to returnhome for the occasion, as it is the most important holiday of the year for many Filipinos. Most families prefer to

exchange Christmas presents right after the dinner, in contrast to the Western custom of opening presents on

Christmas morning.

Peru

On Christmas Eve (Noche Buena), the extended family join together for a dinner of roast turkey, stuffed with ground

beef and peanuts and decorated with fresh slices of pineapple, and white rice seasoned with garlic. Roast potatoes

and uncooked sweetened apple puree are often served as well. The main desert is panettone. It is usually

accompanied by a cup of thick hot chocolate. Less common deserts include a special marzipan made out of Brazil

Nuts (due to the scarcity and expense of almonds in Peru) and assorted bowls with raisins, peanuts. At midnight, a

toast is made, and good wishes and hugs are exchanged. A designated person runs to put Child Jesus in the Nativity

scene. Then, the family members take their seat on the dining room while singing Christmas Carols.

Poland

Christmas Day is a national holiday in Poland and most Poles spend the day feasting with their family. The

Christmas meal is quite a feast, served in the evening on the 24th of December, offering large quantities of food.

This Christmas Eve meal is called Wigilia. After the first star appears in the sky, everyone shares the Christmas

wafer (oplatek) and wishes good things for the coming year. Then supper begins. The meal is meatless, honoring

Catholic tradition. Many households also prepare a great variety of special Christmas dishes, typically numbering 12

in honor of the 12 apostles. Dishes include: stuffed carp, fried carp, herring in wine sauce, herring in cream sauce,

fruit compote, vegetable salad, soup (beetroot, mushroom, or fish), peas and carrots, boiled potatoes, mushroom

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Christmas dinner 5

cream sauce, sauerkraut, and makowiec (poppy seed rolled cake). Most households leave an empty plate at the table

for an unexpected guest. Straw or hay is usually on the table to symbolize the manger. In the modern days a lot of 

people put also money under the tablecloth to attract wealth in the new year. During the season, pierniczki, or honey

ginger cookies, are baked.

PortugalIn the land of dried and salted cod, traditional Christmas dinner could not escape the norm. Traditionally, in Portugal

the family gets together around the table on Christmas Eve to eat boiled dried-salted codfish accompanied with

boiled cabbage, boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, chickpeas, onions, parsley, etc.. All accompanied with generous

amounts of olive oil. There are variations across the country and, less traditionally, roasted turkey can also be served

either for dinner on the 24th or for lunch on the 25th.

Slovakia

Christmas dinner in Slovakia is celebrated on 24 December, dinner takes part at around 5 to 6 pm.

The traditional dinner includes oplátky (thin waffles with honey or garlic), cabbage soup with mushrooms and

sausage (sometimes with dry plums), carp or other fish with potato salad, apples and Christmas biscuits and

opekance.

United Kingdom and Ireland

Christmas dinner in both the United Kingdom and Ireland is usually

eaten in the afternoon on the 25th of December.

The dinner usually consists of roast turkey (although other poultry such

as goose, chicken, duck, capon or pheasant are alternatives), sometimes

with roast beef or ham or, to a lesser extent, pork. Served with stuffing,

gravy and sometimes forcemeat; pigs in blankets; cranberry sauce or

redcurrant jelly; bread sauce; roast potatoes (sometimes also boiled or

mashed); vegetables (usually boiled or steamed), particularly brussels

sprouts and carrots; with dessert of Christmas pudding (or   plum pudding), sometimes mince pies or trifle, with

brandy butter and/or cream.

Christmas pudding

In England, the evolution of the main course into turkey did not take

place for years, or even centuries. At first, in medieval England, the

main course was either a peacock or a boar, the boar usually the

mainstay. The turkey appeared on Christmas tables in England in the

16th century,

[6]

and popular history tells of King Henry VIII being firstEnglish monarch to have turkey for Christmas.

[7]The tradition of 

turkey at Christmas rapidly spread throughout England in the 17th

century,[6]

and it also became common to serve goose which remained

the predominate roast until the Victorian era.[8]

(it was quite common

for Goose "Clubs" to be set up allowing working class families to save

up over the year towards a goose before this).[9]

A famous Christmas

dinner scene appears in Dicken's   A Christmas Carol (1843), where

Scrooge sends Bob Cratchitt a large turkey.[10]

The dessert of a British Christmas Dinner may often be Christmas

pudding, which dates from medieval England.[11]

Trifle, mince pies, Christmas Cake or a Yule Log are also

popular.

[12]

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Christmas dinner 6

United States

Most Christmas customs in the United States have been adopted from those in the United Kingdom.[13]

Accordingly,

the mainstays of the British table are also found in the United States: roast turkey (or other poultry), beef, ham, or

pork; stuffing (or 'dressing'), squash, roasted root vegetables, brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes are common.

Common desserts include pumpkin pie, plum pudding or Christmas pudding, trifle, marzipan, pfeffernusse, sugar

cookies, fruitcake, apple pie, Gooseberry Pie, carrot cake, bûche de Noël, and mince pies. In the south, coconut cakeand sweet potato pie are also common.

The centerpiece of a sit-down meal varies on the tastes of the host but can be ham, roast beef, or goose, particularly

since turkey is the mainstay at dinner for the American holiday of Thanksgiving in November, around one month

earlier. Regional meals offer incredible diversity. Virginia has oysters, ham pie, and fluffy biscuits, a nod to its very

English 17th century founders. The Upper Midwest includes dishes from predominately Scandinavian backgrounds

such as lutefisk and mashed rutabaga or turnip.[14]

In some rural areas, game meats like elk, opossum or quail may

grace the table, often prepared with recipes that are extremely old: it is likely that similar foodstuffs graced the tables

of early American settlers on their first Christmases.

References

[1] Cameron Brown Christmas Facts, Figures & Fun (http://books.google.com/books?id=6w6u6YTsDdcC&pg=PA69&dq=Australian+

Christmas+dinner&hl=en&ei=sOkTTbftIMKYhQfkzoi3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&

ved=0CEIQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Australian Christmas dinner&f=false) AAPPL, 2006

[2] http://www. essortment. com/food/christmasaround_sdbo.  htm

[3] Holiday Traditions — Germany (http://www. californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-germany.  htm). Retrieved 1 July 2006

[4] http://www. sifo.  no/files/file61281_bugge-helt-enkel-tjul.pdf 

[5] Filipino Culture - Surviving Christmas in the Philippines (http://www.thepinoywarrior. com/2011/11/ 

surviving-christmas-in-philippines-1.html)

[6] Davis, Karen (2001) More than a meal: the turkey in history, myth, ritual, and reality (http://books. google.  com/ 

books?id=NxHN2RKmI3gC&pg=PA54&dq=Turkey+-+Christmas+16th+century+England&hl=en&

ei=srEXTYDwMJGzhAfpk-S2Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Turkey -Christmas 16th century England&f=false) Lantern Books, 2001

[7] Whittaker, Andrew (2009) Britain: be fluent in British life and culture (http://books. google.  co. uk/books?id=7Hf7NBTjNvEC&

pg=PT313&dq=henry+VIII+-+eat+Turkey&hl=en&ei=8qcXTdWHEd2qhAfc8_G2Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&

ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=henry VIII - eat Turkey&f=false) Thorogood Publishing, 2009

[8] Victorian Christmas (http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/VictorianChristmas. htm) Retrieved 1 December 2010

[9] Goose Clubs in Victorian England (http://www. stentiford.org/Issue_24/More Christmas Pages/3Dec3art1. htm) Retrieved 1 December

2010

[10] Charles Dickens (1843) A Christmas carol in prose, being a ghost story of Christmas (http://books.  google.  com/ 

books?id=MlMHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA156&dq=scrooge+sent+a+turkey&hl=en&ei=vNAXTaaWPMq1hAfZv5i3Dg&sa=X&

oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false) p.156. Bradbury & Evans

[11] Broomfield, Andrea (2007) Food and cooking in Victorian England: a history (http://books. google.  com/books?id=fJ_JDp9OgJEC&

pg=PA149&dq=christmas+pudding+england&hl=en&ei=xzAVTc3WNoqWhQePsJW3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&

resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=christmas pudding england&f=false) pp.149-150. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007

[12] Muir, Frank (1977) Christmas customs & traditions p.58. Taplinger Pub. Co., 1977

[13] Holiday Traditions — England (http://www.californiamall.  com/holidaytraditions/traditions-england.  htm). Retrieved 1 July 2006.

[14] Holiday Traditions — United States (http://www. californiamall.com/holidaytraditions/traditions-america.  htm) Retrieved 1 July 2006.

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