Traditional Christmas Special Foods In India And The World That You May Not Be Aware Of

It’s Christmas Eve already and here are some amazing Christmas special traditional food ideas that can make your Christmas feast special this year. Merry Christmas to all. 

Christmas tree decoration, check. Christmas lighting, check. Christmas cards, check. Gifts by Secret Santa, check. Christmas still remains incomplete without the Christmas special traditional foods that we all eagerly await the entire year. The best part of the winter has come and on this Christmas Eve, Silver Talkies brings you a list of yum, mouth-watering Christmas goodies from across India and the world. Can’t think beyond fruit cake, Christmas pudding or cookies? There are lots of other lesser-known traditional dishes that can make spread the aroma of Christmas around your home and make even a confined Christmas warm and merry.

Traditional Christmas Foods In India

Gujia or Goan neureos: A traditional Christmas special sweet snack from Goa, these are fluffy, crunchy pastry shells that are filled with the rich and appetising sweet mixture of coconut or khoya and dried fruits and nuts.

Kulkuls or sweet curls: Popular throughout India during Christmas time, especially in Goa and Mangalore, this is a variation of the Portuguese dish, filhoses enroladas. It takes hours and a lot of manual labour to roll these snacks out, then frying and sugar-coating them. In olden times and even now in traditional homes, Kulkul making is a family activity just before Christmas.

Coconut barfi or coconut fudge: This is a common Indian sweet dish and forms an integral part of several Indian celebrations, not just Christmas. Made of coconut and cardamom, it is sweet, fudgy and very delicious.

Marzipan shapes: Marzipan which is originally a paste made of almonds, sugar and egg whites is a traditional Christmas dish in India that gives you a chance to play with your creativity. It could be made in the shape of various fruits and flowers and coloured with edible food dye.

Guava cheese: Passed on from generation to generation in most Indian families during Christmas, guava cheese is best made with fresh guavas. It is a chewy fudge-like sweet that wins everyone’s heart.

Bebinca layered dessert: Once again from Goa, this is a layered pudding made of coconut milk, ghee, eggs, sugar and flour. Traditionally, the pudding has 16 layers although it can be tried with fewer layers. This is a time-consuming recipe as you have to cook each layer before adding the next.

Chocolate walnut fudge: A Christmas tradition across the world as well as in India, chocolate walnut fudge is a must-have for all chocolate and nut lovers.

Christmas Food Traditions Around The World

Now that we are aware of the traditional Christmas foods in India, let us take a look at traditional Christmas foods from across the world. If you are a foodie, give it a try and go international this Christmas from the safe comfort of your home.

Japan’s Christmas Fried Chicken

Crispy fried chicken is an essential part of the Christmas celebrations in Japan. In fact, about 3.6 million Japanese families eat Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Eve and they often need to reserve their meal at KFC outlets two months in advance. The Christmas fried chicken comes with a Christmas cake and this combo is a must-have in all Japanese households.

Lithuania’s Kucios

Served on Christmas Eve, Kucios originally consists of nine dishes and takes about a week’s time to get prepared. The entire spread excludes meat, dairy and hot food with fish, bread and vegetables served in a tomato, mushroom or onion based sauce and cranberry pudding.

Israel’s Latkes

Latkes are fried potato pancakes cooked in oil and are an integral part of the Hanukkah tradition in Israel that goes back to the Middle Ages. Other traditional dishes that are enjoyed in Israel during Christmas are fried donuts and fritters.

Germany’s Christmas Goose

The German Christmas feast is traditionally focused on the Weihnachtsgans, the Christmas goose. A tradition dating back to the Middle Ages again, the goose is often stuffed with apples, chestnuts, onions, and prunes, then spiced with mugwort and marjoram and is served alongside red cabbage, dumplings, gravy and sauerkraut and finely cut, fermented raw cabbage.

United Kingdom’s Christmas Pudding

This dessert is a key Christmas tradition in England, Ireland and some parts of the US. Dry fruits and raisins are an important part of this pudding that is made of suet, egg, molasses and spices. Christmas pudding is set alight with brandy immediately before it is served.

Hungry already? It’s time to overload the feast table this Christmas!

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