10 Traditional Christmas Foods from Around the World

According to SHAHEDNEWS, Traditional Christmas foods vary across the globe. Join us as we explore 10 of the most popular Christmas dishes from around the world.

1. Germany

Christmas in Germany is incomplete without stollen. This bread, made with dried fruits and nuts and dusted with powdered sugar, is a holiday staple. One popular variety is weihnachtsplätzchen, meaning Christmas cookies, while another famous version is lebkuchen, similar to gingerbread and often paired with fennel-flavored cookies.

The main Christmas dinner menu in Germany includes roasted goose, carp, venison, roasted leg of meat, and potato salad, accompanied by a spicy wine called glühwein.

2. Italy

Different regions in Italy serve unique Christmas dishes, but the most iconic is the "Feast of the Seven Fishes." This includes seven types of seafood, each symbolizing biblical references.

Common dishes include linguine pasta with lobster or clam sauce, calamari, shrimp or fried fish, octopus salad, baked cod, stuffed calamari with tomato sauce, and codfish. For dessert, Italians enjoy sweet breads like pandoro or panettone.

3. France

In France, Christmas Eve dinner is a lavish affair featuring various gourmet dishes. Popular items include stuffed turkey, roasted goose, oysters, smoked salmon, foie gras, and roasted chicken.

For dessert, the Bûche de Noël (a chocolate yule log cake) is a must-have treat.

4. Sweden

In Sweden, Christmas dinner is served buffet-style, called Julbord. Guests can help themselves to a variety of foods, desserts, and drinks.

The Swedish Christmas menu includes meatballs, ribs, sausages, ham, rye bread with orange zest, pickled herring, cabbage, beets, and various cheeses. White-fleshed fish is also a common choice, with rice pudding known as Julgröt, often containing almonds, served as dessert.

5. Poland

In Poland, Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally meat-free. Twelve dishes, symbolizing the Twelve Apostles, are served.

Staples include carp with potato salad, pickled herring, dumplings known as uszka, fish fillet rolls, cabbage rolls, mushroom soup, salads, and potato dumplings.

6. Norway

In Norway, traditional Christmas dishes include smoked or salted lamb ribs (pinnekjøtt), pork sausages seasoned with ginger, nutmeg, garlic, and mustard seeds (julepølse), small sausages (sossier), and lutefisk.

Sides include sweet and sour red cabbage salad, often served with a non-alcoholic Christmas beer called juleøl.

7. New Zealand

In New Zealand, popular Christmas dishes include ham, pork pies, Christmas pudding with sausage, and turkey.

The standout dessert is pavlova, a crispy meringue crust topped with ice cream, pomegranate seeds, and strawberries.

8. Japan

Believe it or not, in Japan, it’s customary to eat KFC fried chicken on Christmas. People place their orders two months in advance to secure this popular holiday meal.

For dessert, Japanese Christmas cakes, adorned with whipped cream and strawberries, are a festive favorite.

9. South Africa

In South Africa, Christmas falls in the middle of summer, so barbecue and grilled dishes are common. Roast beef, duck, turkey, sweet pork, yellow rice, vegetables, and meat-filled pastries are popular.

Desserts include Malva, a sweet sponge pudding.

10. The Philippines

A whole roasted pig, known as lechon, is the centerpiece of Filipino Christmas celebrations. Other traditional dishes include noodle dishes with vegetables and meat, goat meat stew, veal stew, and ham.

For dessert, they serve bibingka, made from rice flour, butter, coconut milk, and sugar, and puto bumbong, a dessert of sweet purple rice and coconut.