Author: Maria Alfano
Is the traditional Christmas dinner getting a little humdrum? Are you bored of the same old, same old? Why not spice it up with some not-so-traditional Christmas dinner ideas that will have everyone licking their fingers…literally? We scoured the globe to bring you some delectable Christmas dishes and traditions from different countries that you, your family, and guests will be sure to enjoy as part of your Christmas dinner.
Whether you prefer meat, fish, or veggies, there is something that will delight you as you explore these amazing dishes and indulge in some new flavors. The typical American Christmas dinner consists of stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato pie. While I thoroughly enjoy all those dishes, I could go for some menu sprucing up! How about you? Join me on this adventure as we explore the cultural Christmas customs from around the world.
Planning Christmas dinner for family and guests can be exhausting and downright overwhelming, especially if the same group of people attends the holiday event each year. Of course, some foods like your Christmas appetizers or Christmas baking are a huge hit. Those staples should definitely stay on the menu. However, if you are looking to provide a new and unforgettable experience, keep reading.
Not A Traditional Christmas Dinner – How To Make It Memorable
I for one love traditions…but with my own twist. When I was growing up my parents had us open our Christmas gifts after midnight mass on Christmas Eve, They didn’t have a Santa Clause back in their day in their motherland. So, we didn’t really recognize Santa until we started going to school. With my own children, the tradition of Christmas Eve gifts evolved into them sleeping under the tree, waiting for Santa to come to visit our house.
Christmas Eve was spent at my parents’ house and Christmas Day we spent at home. Both days were (are still) filled with love laughter and a boatload of food – leftovers for days. Having said that, our traditional Christmas dinners have evolved over the years. As the family grew and the children grew older, palettes became more sophisticated, healthier habits were introduced, the Christmas meal was adapted to meet these new needs.
What can you do to create an unforgettable not-so-traditional Christmas dinner for all who are invited? This post will bring you 15 traditional dishes from all over the world that you can easily introduce or adopt as a new standby going forward.
Armenia
Armenia lies between Russia and Europe and is formerly part of the Soviet Union. Armenians follow the Julian calendar so they celebrate Christmas on January 7th instead of December 25th. The Armenian Christmas dinners consist of “ghapama”. If you love pumpkin pie, you will fall in love with this feast of roasted pumpkin stuffed with rice, raisins, nuts, and honey. Use is to replace your mashed potatoes or sweet potato pie. Put your own twist on it by switching out the raisins with cranberries or other dried fruit. Not a fan of nuts, try sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead.
Barbados
The Caribbean island of Barbados is rich in culture and Christmas traditions. There are 3 dishes every family indulges in for Christmas – great cake, jug jug, and ham. Ham decorated with cloves and slices of pineapple is roasted to perfection. Jug jug is a play on the Scottish haggis and is made from green peas, cornflour, and spices. Great cake is a rich and decadent cake made from dried fruits and soaked in plenty of wine or liquor. This is not your typical brick-style fruit cake. The dried fruits include prunes, figs, apricots, and any other dehydrated fruits that are available. You don’t want to be driving after eating a slice of this cake. Some local bakers prefer to cover the cake in royal icing to make it look prettier.
Czech Republic
Christmas Eve is the time for big celebrations in the Czech Republic. What better way than to eat a large platter of chicken fried carp (fish) and potato salad. Breakfast is also important on this day. Vánočka is a sweet bread made with raisins and almonds. Mmmmm! Can you picture a slice of this bread lightly toasted with some cinnamon raisin cream cheese or slathered in butter?
Dominican Republic
Dominicans enjoy large celebrations on Christmas Eve with a feast fit for kings. La Noche Buena (translation – the good night) meal includes roast pork and pasteles. Pasteles are the perfect side dish. These are meat pies wrapped in cornflour and shrouded in banana leaves before being steamed. If you like tamales, you will love these Christmas appetizers. The most popular beverage is the jengibre. This ginger-flavored drink goes with any meal during the holidays. If you are having a drop-in and serving finger foods instead of a sit-down meal, imagine roast pork sliders and mini pasteles. Both would be so easy to eat with one hand.
Ethiopia
Melkam Gena! Merry Christmas! Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on Jan 7th. This represents the day the 3 kings arrived at the stable to meet Jesus for the first time. Christmas tables are lined with ‘wat’ which is spicy stewed meat with vegetables, and ‘injera’ which is flat sourdough bread. Wat is served in a waterproof basket and the flatbread is used as a utensil to scoop up the stew. Think outside the box to serve meals in something other than a bowl. Use a basket, a pumpkin, or your old cookie tins.
Finland
Finland has many traditional Christmas recipes which include meat like pork or sweets filled with plum jam and, and gingerbread cookies. One dish stood out the most. Lanttulaatikko is a rutabaga casserole made with mashed turnips, black molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. This is the perfect replacement for mashed potatoes or sweet potato pie. Make it savory and replace the ginger and cinnamon with garlic powder and chili flakes. Either way, this is an excellent vegan dish.
Guyana
This tiny country in South America is bustling with excitement during the Christmas season. Two traditional Christmas foods include pepper pot and roasted garlic pork. Both are served with rice. Pepperpot is a stew made from the not-so-popular cuts of beef like the shank and the tail. The meat is stewed off and on for several days in a bath of cinnamon, cloves, and peppers. Today, a pressure cooker will do the same trick in a fraction of the time. Who could resist a cup of hot stew on a cold winter’s day!
Hungary
Hungary has two Christmas traditions, one for Christmas Eve and one for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve people generally do not eat meat. Instead, they eat breaded and fried carp. Christmas Day is a feast of turkey, duck, pork, or any other meat. What is not missed on either day is the poppy seed roll. This delicious sweet treat will be sure to delight even the pickiest eater at your Christmas table. Replace the old yule log with this awesome dessert.
Italy
By now most people know that Italy enjoys the feast of the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve. They serve so many different kinds of fish that there is no room left on the table. Everything from seafood salad, squid ink pasta, lobster, and deep-fried seafood is on the menu. Their desserts are what I want to explore. Two very popular desserts are panettone and torrone. Panettone is a tall sweet bread with raisins and candied orange peel. Today there are so many varieties from plain to chocolate chips and everything in between. A slice of panettone goes great with the expresso after dinner. But, what about for breakfast. A slice of this delicious bread makes the perfect alternative for french toast. Torrone is a mixture of hazelnuts covered in nougat or honey rolled into a log and flattened. Enjoy this anytime over the holidays.
Japan
Nothing made me smile more than when I learned of this Japanese tradition of eating a bucket of good old-fashioned KFC for Christmas dinner. They may be onto something. Why spend all that time and effort on making a big meal, when you can pick one up already made for you?
Morocco
Harira is a very popular dish served during Christmastime in Morocco, This is a hearty dish made from chickpeas, lentils, and other beans. The vegan or vegetarian in your life will enjoy this. For meat lovers add lamb or beef. Serve with a side of couscous.
Poland
Christmas dinner in Poland is quite the spread. Traditionally there are 12 dishes served which represent the 12 apostles. The meal consists of red borscht (red beet soup) with dumplings, mushroom soup, carp, herring, pierogi, braised sauerkraut, and cabbage rolls. Dessert is a big part of this feast and included are Kutia (wheat berry pudding), gingerbread, poppyseed cake, and dried fruits.
Romania
In Romania, the traditional Christmas dinner consists of among other things aspic and cozonac. Aspic is a pork stew made from the hock and knuckles of the pig. This stew is cooked slowly for 2-3 hours. When left to coll, the aspic makes an awesome shredded pork jelly roll. Carrots are generally added to the soup. Cozonac on the dessert of choice. This sweet bread is filled with raisins, fruit, chocolate, or other deliciousness.
South Africa
There is nothing like enjoying a day at the beach. South Africans celebrate the holidays by the water feasting on seafood, duck, turkey, or roast suckling pig with a side of yellow rice and raisins. For dessert, they indulge in Malva or lekker pudding. This sweet treat is more like a sponge cake made with apricot jam and caramelized texture. I can’t wait to try this dessert on for size! This replaces my pumpkin pie for dessert.
Venezuela
Like most Latin countries, Venezuela serves its share of hallacas (tamales), beef, pork, and chicken at a traditional Christmas dinner. And, they also serve Pan de Jamón. This is savory bread with bacon, ham, raisins, and olives. baked right into it. Instead of stuffing with the turkey, serve a roll of this freshly baked bread instead. Who could resist bacon, anyways! Prefer to serve this for breakfast? Go right ahead. Slice it up. Warm it up. Serve with your morning beverage or a cup of egg nog.
In Summary
There are so many traditional Christmas dinners that we can adopt from beautiful countries all around the world. Who says you have to be stuck with the old turkey and fixings every year. Try something new by switching out one of the least favorites for a new one. You will be the talk of the town when you make a marvelous meal that leaves them licking their chops. This post was all about finding ways to make a traditional Christmas dinner not so traditional anymore. And, it will be so memorable, your guests will be talking about it until net Christmas.
We would love to hear from you. Which one of these did you try? Do you have another non-traditional food you serve at your Christmas table?
