Tantalising Traditional Christmas Foods From Around The World
As much as we love pigs-in-blankets, Brussels sprouts, and plum pudding, we also love learning about food from other countries. So let’s take a look at some foreign Christmas favourites you might not be familiar with.
Risalamande - Denmark
The main ingredients of this festive treat are rice pudding, whipped cream, vanilla, and almonds. While hot rice pudding is common throughout the year, risalamande, served cold with a warm cherry sauce, is usually seen as a Christmas dish. On Christmas Eve, a whole almond is added to the dessert and a small prize given to the person who finds it - not unlike the coin in the Christmas pudding.
Beigli - Hungary
Somewhere between a cake and strudel lies beigli, an utterly delectable Christmas treat from Hungary. There are two traditional fillings for these yeasted dough rolls - walnut and poppy seed. The fillings are not combined but baked in separate rolls which are then sliced and served together.
Porkkanalaatikko - Finland
Moving away from the sweet treats, let’s take a look at porkkanalaatikko - Finnish carrot casserole. This traditional Christmas dish consists of a mash of carrots and rice (or barley) baked in an eggy custard and flavoured with nutmeg. While it may seem like a side dish to us, not unlike sweet potato casserole, it’s usually served as a main course.
KFC and Kurisumasu Keiki - Japan
In 1970, a KFC-franchisee overhead some foreigners complaining that they couldn’t get turkey in Japan for the Christmas celebrations, and suggested a “party barrel” allowing chicken to replace the traditional turkey. It was wildly popular, and as the holiday became more widely celebrated as a secular holiday in Japan (where Christians make up less than 2% of the population), the tradition of having KFC for Christmas was ingrained in the culture.
And if you find yourself in Japan with a hankering for Christmas cake, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Instead of the dense, boozy fruitcake we know and love, they eat kurisumasu keiki - a light sponge layered with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
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