What do you eat at Christmas?

Here is a typical meal in Spain

Silhouette Spain with Flag
Silhouette Spain with Flag.

First course: Sopa de Galets (Soup)

Sopa de galets for Christmas dinner
Sopa de galets

Cooking the broth for this soup requires five or six hours the previous day.

Second first course: Canelons

Canelons for Christmas dinner
Canelons

This is the thing that you always say “Well, one more can’t hurt”. But it’s a trap when you realise you’ve eaten six of these.

Second courseCapó farcit (Stuffed chicken with meat, nuts, fruit…)

capo farcit for Christmas dinner
capo farcit

A wonderful romesco, a sauce with red bell peppers, tomato, hazelnuts, garlic and onions slowly roasted.

zarzuela for Christmas dinner
zarzuela

Some people instead of the capó prefer roasted lamb or zarzuela, a dish of seafood and tomato.

Desserts:

  • Codonyat, a confiture made with quince and sugar. It’s delicious with cheese.
codonyat for Christmas dinner
codonyat
  • Crema Catalana: a dessert similar to Crème brûlée
crema catalana for Christmas dinner
creme Catalana
  • Torrons: a confection made of honey, sugar, almonds and egg whites
    • Soft:
Torrons soft for Christmas dinner
  • Hard
Torrons hard for Christmas dinner

And for the final toast, Cava (our champagne) and Neules, a thin layer of flour, sugar and eggs rolled and roasted.

Neules for Christmas dinner

The trick is that they make them with chocolate too. They are addictive.

Neules with Chocolate for Christmas dinner

Germany

Germany

one typical meal in Germany. There are several, depending on region and tradition.

Christmas Goose

Christmas goose for Christmas dinner
(Image source: Weihnachtsgans — Beilerei)

Goose is a Christmas Eve dinner, which is eaten before the Bescherung (giving and receiving of presents). It takes a lot of preparation and hours of waiting for the goose to happen.

The dessert is always different: pudding, ice cream, small cakes, not so small cakes. Germany starts eating the Christmas dinner way before the actual day.

Sweden

Flag of Sweden

Christmas in Sweden works as a cultural refuge. That is: What was once common is preserved as special for Christmas. That goes for the name as well.

Julegris (Christmas pig)

Sweden used to be a poor country with a hard climate not suited for agriculture. People mostly ate porridge, bread and fish. If there was a party they would slaughter a pig.

If you were lucky, you had a pig to slaughter at Christmas. Then everything from the pig was to be processed. On Christmas, you are served a smorgasbord (called julbord) with everything you had produced from your pig. Christmas was celebrated for at least 14 days. Sometimes 20 days. You spend those days with eating julbord at different families.

Julbord

A proper julbord should include all dishes that people use to do from a Julegris in premodern Sweden and some compulsory fish preserves:

  • marinated salmon
  • pickled herring
  • smoked salmon

And then add some more meat. Just so that it does not look to poor (it is Christmas, come on):

  • Smoked reindeer
  • Egg decorated with caviar (preferred from Kalix)
  • Meatballs
  • Sausage

That would be all for a julbord. Wait! There should be some vegetables. Let’s add:

  • Red cabbage or kale
  • Some salad with beetroot
  • boiled potatoes
Julbord for Christmas
A proper Julbord (just hope we did not miss something that is required for an authentic Christmas)

Julmust

A  special Christmas soda: Julmust! It is compulsory to like it and drink it all through the season: 4 weeks before Christmas and 13–20 days after. Never drink it out of scope. That would be beyond the pale, uncivilised, uncultivated.

Julmust for Christmas dinner
Julmust: it is not a kind of Coca-Cola surrogate but rather a beer derivate with no alcohol but a lot of sugar

Italy

Italy
  • Normally you start with some appetizer, with various affettati, mascarpone, patè and other assorted foods
various affettati for Christmas dinner
  • For the first course, rigorously lasagna
lasagne for Christmas dinner
  • For the second course, roast beef with potatoes
roast beef with potatoes for Christmas dinner
  • Fruit and for dessert two staples: tiramisù and panettone
tiramisu for Christmas dinner desserts
panettone for desserts on Christmas dinner

So, what do you eat for Christmas? Do share it in the comments section below. 

What do you eat at Christmas dinner?

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6 thoughts on “What do you eat at Christmas?”

    1. Thank you. The festive season is a time to celebrate with family and friends. Tis the season to be jolly Fa la la la la, la la la la..Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Christine. Turkey makes a delicious main course. May your Christmas sparkle with moments of love, laughter and goodwill, and may the year ahead be full of contentment and joy. Merry Christmas!

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