Christmas food

A list of Christmas dishes as eaten around the world.

Belgium

Cougnou (or cougnolle), sweet bread in the form of the infant Jesus

Canada

Apple cider
Yule Log
Candy canes
Christmas pudding
Eggnog
Fruitcake
Pumpkin Pie
Gingerbread, often in the form of a Gingerbread house or Gingerbread man
Ham
Pâté à la viande
Roast turkey
Tourtière
Shortbread
Stuffing

Czech Republic

The traditional meal (served as the dinner on the Christmas Eve) consists of fish soup and fried fish (most often, carp) served with potato salad. It should be the first food consumed that day.

Before the Christmas holidays, many kinds of sweet biscuits are prepared.

Denmark

Apple dumplings (Æbleskiver) sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberry marmalade
Boiled potatoes
Brown sauce (Brun sovs)
Browned potatoes (Brunede kartofler)
Christmas beer (Juleøl)
Glogg (Gløg)
Rice pudding with almonds (Risalamande) served with cherry sauce (kirsebærsauce)
Roast duck (Andesteg) served with apples and prunes
Red cabbage (Rødkål)

Finland

Freshly salted salmon (Graavilohi)
Rosolli salad of pickled herring and boiled vegetables (Rosolli)
Baked ham with mustard (Kinkku)
Turkey (Kalkkuna)
Raw-pickled slightly salted salmon (Kylmäsavuohi)
Carrot Casserole (Porkkanalaatikko)
Potato Casserole (Perunalaatikko or tuuvinki)
Swede pudding, rutabaga casserole (Lanttulaatikko)
Liver Casserole (Maksalaatikko)
Mixed fruit soup or prune soup (Sekahedelmäkiisseli, luumukiisseli)
Rice pudding or rice porridge with cinnamon, sugar and cold milk or with mixed fruit soup (Riisipuuro)
Glogg or mulled wine (Glögi)
Prune jam pastries (Joulutortut)
Gingerbread, sometimes in the form of a Gingerbread house or Gingerbread man (Piparkakut)

France

Bûche de Noël
Foie gras
Nougat noir au miel
Kouglof traditionnel
Ganzeltopf
Berauwecka

Germany

Pfeffernüsse
Glühwein
Lebkuchen
Christstollen
Hexenhäuserl
Springerle
Plätzchen

Italy

Panettone (Milan)

Japan

Christmas cake – Different from a U.K. Christmas cake or American fruitcake, the Japanese Christmas cake is usually sponge cake frosted with whipped cream, and topped with strawberries.

Contrary to popular myth and KFC advertisements, chicken karaage (fried chicken) is not a traditional Christmas meal in Japan. The Christmas holiday in Japan is akin to the Valentine’s Day holiday in countries like America, often celebrated by couples with meals in upscale restaurants. As such, there is no specific traditional meal.

Lithuania

12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper plays the main role in Lithuanian Christmas tradition. Thus the traditional dishes are served on December 24th.

Poppy milk (aguonų pienas)
Slizikai (šližikai’)
Auselės (Deep fried dumplings)
Herring with carrots (silkė su morkomis’)
Herring with mushrooms (silkė su grybais’)

New Zealand

Pavlova

Norway

Gløgg (drink)
Julepølse
Lutefisk
Pinnekjøtt
Svineribbe

Poland

Kutia

Serbia

Fish soup (for the Christmas Eve)
Koljivo
Česnica

Spain

Turron

Sweden

Köttbullar – Swedish meatballs
Julskinka – Christmas ham
Inlagd sill – Pickled herring (you usually have all different kinds of sill as well)
Julbord – Christmas smorgasbord (julbord really means all the dishes you eat at christmas together)
Rödkål – Sweet and sour red cabbage
Julmust – A traditional very sweet stout-like, Christmas soft drink
Glögg – Mulled wine
Knäck – Christmas toffee
Prinskorv – Small sausages
Revbensspjäll – Meat on bones
Pepparkaka – Gingerbread
Gravad lax – Graved salmon
Julost – Christmas cheese
Julgröt – Rice pudding

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the traditional meal consists of roast turkey or goose, served with roast potatoes and other vegetables, followed by Christmas pudding, a heavy boiled pudding made with dried fruit (traditionally plums) and flour.

Brandy butter
Chocolate yule log
Christmas cake
Christmas pudding
Dundee cake
Mince pie
Roast turkey
Snap-dragons
Stuffing
Gravy
roast beef
roast duck
roast goose
Brussels Sprouts