What Do People Eat at Christmas Around the World? The Most Famous Christmas Recipes

The Christmas menu is one of the great protagonists of the December festivities and we know it well: our typical recipes are many and very varied, the result of ancient traditions that change each state, but which in all cases is handed down with love from generation to generation. Precisely for this reason you are familiar with U.S. Christmas recipes, even those that do not belong to your place of origin, but perhaps you know less about the traditions of other countries in the world. Have you ever wondered what is served abroad on Christmas tables? We will take you to discover some of the most typical and curious Christmas recipes in the world.

Christmas in England: The Luck of Christmas Pudding

The absolute star of British tables is the dessert that everyone waits for at the end of the meal: it's called Christmas pudding, and it's a particular type of pudding prepared with dried fruit, rum, cinnamon, candied fruit, raisins and breadcrumbs. It is said that it must contain 13 ingredients, like the apostles, but the real reason why everyone wants it is that inside, by tradition, a coin (usually chocolate) is hidden that will bring good luck to whoever finds it in their portion. Before getting to the Christmas pudding, there are other delicious and typically English recipes, from the Cornish pasty, a typical English meat pie made with veal, potatoes and onions that are wrapped in a layer of puff pastry, to pigs in blankets, sausages wrapped in slices of bacon, up to various sauces including blueberry sauce to accompany potatoes and vegetables. The main course is usually stuffed turkey, but in some areas this is replaced by roast beef or a stew braised in stout beers (such as Guinness), accompanied by baked potatoes cooked in butter.

Christmas in France: Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Bûche de Noël

The French are famous for their refinement and at Christmas they are no exception: it is impossible to establish a single Christmas menu, because the preparations vary so much depending on the region, but there are some dishes that are common to everyone. One of the most popular is the coquilles Saint-Jacques, a large mollusc that is baked au gratin and served in its own shell. Cheese fondues and soups are a must, as are savory pies filled with vegetables, such as the famous quiches and in particular the quiche lorraine, the most famous, which also includes eggs, crème fraîche and bacon, or the Alsatian, with the addition of onions. Among the sweets, however, the Bûche de Noël is never missing, a Christmas log usually covered in chocolate that resembles the shape of a log of wood, a symbol of good luck in ancient times when, during Yule, the celebration of the winter solstice, a tree trunk was burned as an offering to the gods, to ensure a good harvest for the coming year. And in Paris? The capital always stands out with a Christmas table where escargot, snails, oysters, salmon and foie gras pâté are never missing.

Christmas in Spain: From Soups to Stuffed Turkey

We remain in Europe by peeking into Spanish tables, where just like in other neighbouring countries the recipes vary from one region to another and, depending on the different Comunidad the main meal can be dinner on the 24th or lunch on the 25th. What unites Christmas in Spain more than any other dish are soups: in Catalonia the escudella is a must, a soup made with potatoes, cabbage and various types of meat, in which galets (shell-shaped pasta) are cooked, while in the Madrid area they eat cocido, a soup made with chickpeas, vegetables, potatoes, veal and pork. Next up is almost always stuffed turkey, the leftovers of which, baked and covered in béchamel sauce, are recycled into Spanish cannelloni, or lamb, in particular lechazo de Castilla y León, a lamb with a protected designation of origin, which is cooked in a wood-fired oven. There is also no shortage of seafood dishes, especially cod, and desserts, ranging from the famous Jijona nougat  to the casadielles of Asturias.

Christmas in Germany: Goose, Dumplings and Mostly Sweets

Christmas in Germany includes a meal as lavish as the best American tables. The main dish in many regions is martinsgans, a roast goose stuffed with chestnuts, apples and onions, which is served with red cabbage, while in other areas the menu is centered around klöße, large potato dumplings. Other dishes never fail to include roast suckling pig, boiled white sausages and above all christstollen, a bread made with walnuts, raisins, lemon and dried fruit. But if there is one dish that is the star of the German Christmas holidays, it is desserts: there are dozens of them, each tastier than the last, but among the unmissable ones, the lebkuchen stand out, glazed and spiced biscuits, the christbaumgebäck, a dessert in the shape of a decorated Christmas tree, and the dresden stollen,  originally from Dresdama and widespread throughout Germany, a leavened pastry, soft and very fragrant, enriched with candied fruit, flaked almonds, rum and various aromas.

Christmas in Norway: Would You Dare to Try Smalahove?

Scandinavian countries are famous for their great Christmas celebrations, which begin as early as mid-November with rites, decorations and markets of all sorts, but also for something else: the strong, indeed very strong, flavors of some particular preparations. And could one of these specialities be missing at Christmas? In Norway, in some areas, smalahove, a sheep's head, is brought to the table, which is boiled, steamed and in some cases smoked, or lutefisk is preferred, which is cod cooked in the oven (or rather stockfish, which is not exactly the same thing ). Also unmissable are ribbe and pinnekjøtt, roast pork and lamb respectively, usually served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. As for sweets, there are many, but the icons of Christmas are the gingerbread house, to be made at home together with the family, and the småkaker, seven different types of Christmas biscuits that must all be made at home and then eaten together on Christmas day.

Christmas in Italy: Many Regional Variations

In Italy, Christmas is celebrated with elaborate meals that vary by region but share a love for rich, flavorful dishes. On Christmas Eve, many Italians observe the "Feast of the Seven Fishes," a tradition that includes multiple seafood courses like baccalà (salted cod), fried shrimp, clams, and calamari. This meal, which emphasizes fasting before Christmas Day, often features simple yet delicious flavors. Christmas Day itself is all about indulgence, with families enjoying hearty dishes such as lasagna, tortellini in brodo (small pasta stuffed with meat or cheese, served in a flavorful broth), and roasted meats like lamb, beef, or sometimes a stuffed turkey. For dessert, the two stars are panettone and pandoro, both sweet, fluffy cakes. Panettone is studded with candied fruits and raisins, while pandoro, originating from Verona, is a light, vanilla-flavored cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Christmas in Oceania: English Tradition and a Local Touch

Australia and New Zealand have a very particular way of celebrating Christmas, which falls in the warm months, changing the classic winter image you are used to. Especially in Australia, most people organize a barbecue based on fish and seafood for Christmas, while in both countries there is no shortage of traditional English foods, such as roast turkey, gingerbread and mince pies. In New Zealand, however, in addition, it is not Christmas without pavlova served on the table, a meringue decorated with strawberry cream and kiwi that has become the dessert symbol of the country.

Christmas in Russia: Blinis, Caviar and Olivier Salad

Russia deserves a chapter all its own because, as with many other occasions, it holds very particular traditions. First of all, the Orthodox Church follows a different calendar, the Julian one, and therefore the dates are slightly out of step with ours: Orthodox Christmas is on January 7th and, consequently, New Year falls between January 13th and 14th. Before the holidays, by tradition, the faithful observe a 40-day Lent in which they eat only lean foods (socelnik) and this means that at Christmas time food is abundant in quantity. Christmas Eve dinner consists of 12 courses (in reference to the 12 apostles) that do not include meat or fish, but instead include buckwheat blinis , corned beef tongue, usually accompanied by horseradish sauce, homemade pickles, beetroot salad and the inevitable Russian salad which in Russia is called Oliver salad , after the chef who invented it in the mid-19th century, Lucien Olivier. The rest is eaten on Christmas Day, in particular kulebiaka, a suckling pig with buckwheat polenta, and sterliadj zalivnaja, boiled sturgeon accompanied by a sauce of fried onions, mushrooms and carrots, while desserts always include kut'ja, a kind of sweet porridge, prianili, a dessert made with apples and spices or ricotta cake.

Christmas in the Philippines: Noche Buena with Rice and Street Food

The Philippines is an exception in the Asian continent because it is the only predominantly Christian country: about 90% of the population is Christian, of which a good 80% is Catholic. And Christmas is taken seriously by everyone, with spectacular celebrations that last as long as possible. As early as September, you can start to see lights on the streets, celebrations and events, a great celebration that culminates in the “Noche Buena”, the evening of December 24. Many recipes prepared for the occasion are of European origin, especially Spanish, such as hamon, a type of sweet ham, and lechon (roast pork), but rice also has ample space: it is used as an accompaniment, as a type of soup/risotto called arroz and also in desserts, including the famous bibingka, a rice-based cake and puto bumbong, another dessert also made of steamed rice, seasoned with butter and coconut flakes and brown sugar. At this point your bellies will be full, you will say. But no: at the end of the big dinner of the night, after the traditional mass, Filipinos pour into the streets to eat the local street food dishes, an unmissable stop on the Christmas celebrations.

Christmas in Brazil: Panettone and Farofa in Costume

Brazil is a bit like Australia: Christmas doesn't mean cold and snow like we do, but it means heat and sea, even a swim in a swimsuit if the temperatures are high enough, which happens quite often. This, however, doesn't mean that people eat less, on the contrary. Brazilian cuisine, just like its culture, is an incredible mix of European and local traditions that gives its best during the Christmas holidays. Among the typical dishes, specialties of German origin stand out, such as stollen, or Italian, such as panettone and lasagna, but also native preparations such as chicken farofa and chester, a sort of large turkey meatball, but also roasted vegetables, rice, ham, potato salad. And for dessert there is the bolo de Natal (Christmas cake): made with eggs, flour, sugar and milk and then baked, or in some areas, fried.

Christmas in India: Chicken, Rice and Lots of Spices

The Christian religion, in India, is certainly a minority, but there are groups of Christian faith who love to celebrate Christmas adding to the tradition and in any case India, since independence from the United Kingdom, recognizes and protects religious diversity, so Christmas day is considered a national holiday, like other important religious celebrations. Christmas decorations, such as colored balls and lights, are placed on enormous banana trees or large mango trees outside the houses and on the table stand out some great classics of tasty traditional cuisine. Usually as a first course, biryani is chosen, which during the rest of the year is a single course: it is a dish composed of rice, chicken, lamb, pork or fish, all flavored with a mix of numerous spices. Tandoori chicken is also never missing , chicken thighs and drumsticks marinated for 24 hours with yogurt, tandoori paste, garlic, ginger, salt and lemon juice, and then cooked in the oven, while for dessert kheer is a must, similar in appearance to English pudding but flavored with rose and cardamom.