Christmas Recipes
Across the Christian world the Christmas table is the year's most anticipated meal, and every country keeps its own version. Here are authentic Christmas dishes from around the globe, from Iceland's layered Vinarterta and Denmark's risalamande to Guatemala's tamales colorados, Colombia's natilla, and the slow-simmered pepperpot of a Guyanese Christmas morning.
42 recipes
Æbleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls)Zealand (Copenhagen), Denmark · medium · 45 minLight, round buttermilk pancake balls scented with cardamom, turned in a special cast-iron pan until golden all over, served hot with icing sugar and jam, with gløgg in the weeks before Christmas.
Æbleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) Arroz con GandulesSan Juan, Puerto Rico · medium · 1 hRice cooked with pigeon peas, sofrito, and pork in one pot, forming a prized crust, Puerto Rico's national dish.
Arroz con Gandules Bajan Sweet Bread (Barbados Coconut Bread)Bridgetown, Barbados · easy · 1 h 55 minA dense, crumbly, loaf-shaped Barbadian coconut bread packed with grated coconut and raisins, scented with almond and spice, with a sugar-glazed crust, sliced and eaten with tea.
Bajan Sweet Bread (Barbados Coconut Bread) Bermuda Cassava PieHamilton, Bermuda · advanced · 3 h 10 minBermuda's essential Christmas dish: a sweet, spiced cake of grated cassava enclosing a savoury layer of chicken, baked slowly and basted with stock until set.
Bermuda Cassava Pie Bermuda Rum CakeHamilton, Bermuda · medium · 3 h 20 minA dense, buttery cake soaked in dark Bermuda rum, the island's signature celebration dessert.
Bigos (Hunter’s Stew)Masovia (Warsaw), Poland · medium · 14 h 40 minSauerkraut and fresh cabbage slow-cooked with assorted meats, mushrooms, and prunes, Poland’s national stew, better each day.
Bigos (Hunter’s Stew) Bolo PretuWillemstad, Curaçao · advanced · 10 h 10 minA dark, dense fruitcake of rum-soaked fruit and browning, the celebration cake of Curaçao and the Dutch Antilles.
Bolo Pretu Brunede Kartofler (Danish Caramelised Potatoes)Zealand (Copenhagen), Denmark · medium · 2 h 50 minSmall boiled potatoes, peeled and chilled, then rolled in a golden caramel of melted sugar and butter until glossy and brown all over, the Christmas Eve side for roast duck and pork.
Cappelletti in BrodoCity of San Marino, San Marino · advanced · 2 hLittle hat-shaped filled pasta floating in a clear, rich broth, the festive first course of San Marino.
Cappelletti in Brodo Flatkaka (Icelandic Rye Flatbread)Reykjavík, Iceland · medium · 55 minThin, soft rounds of rye and wholemeal dough made with boiling water, charred on a scorching dry pan, dipped in water and stacked, then buttered and eaten with smoked lamb.
Flatkaka (Icelandic Rye Flatbread) Fougasse MonégasqueMonaco, Monaco · medium · 1 h 5 minA sweet anise-and-orange-blossom bread topped with nuts and tiny red-and-white sweets, Monaco's festive bake.
Fougasse Monégasque FrituleDalmatia, Croatia · easy · 40 minLittle rum-and-citrus doughnut balls studded with raisins and dusted with sugar, a Croatian festive fritter.
Fritule Grey Peas with BaconRiga, Latvia · easy · 1 h 10 minNutty grey peas simmered soft and tossed with crisp bacon and fried onion, Latvia's unofficial national dish.
Grey Peas with Bacon Guyanese PepperpotDemerara (Georgetown), Guyana · medium · 2 h 50 minMeat slow-simmered in cassareep, cinnamon, and hot pepper until glossy black, the Amerindian-rooted Christmas classic.
Guyanese Pepperpot HavregrötSkåne, Sweden · easy · 12 minWarm oat porridge topped with lingonberry or blueberry and a splash of cold milk.
Havregröt Janssons Frestelse (Jansson’s Temptation)Skåne, Sweden · easy · 1 h 20 minA creamy gratin of matchstick potatoes layered with sweet onions and Swedish spiced sprats, baked in cream and milk until golden.
Lanttulaatikko (Finnish Swede Casserole)North Karelia, Finland · easy · 2 h 5 minMashed swede enriched with cream-soaked breadcrumbs, egg, dark syrup, ginger and nutmeg, baked slowly until the top is patterned brown, the Finnish Christmas casserole served beside the ham.
Lanttulaatikko (Finnish Swede Casserole) Lengua a la Vinagreta (Uruguayan Beef Tongue in Vinaigrette)Montevideo, Uruguay · medium · 6 h 30 minBeef tongue simmered for hours until meltingly tender, peeled, sliced thin and chilled under a sharp vinaigrette of garlic, parsley, pepper, onion and chopped egg, a cold starter of the Christmas table.
Lengua a la Vinagreta (Uruguayan Beef Tongue in Vinaigrette) Marineeritud Kõrvits (Estonian Sweet Pickled Pumpkin)Tartu, Estonia · easy · 40 minCubes of yellow pumpkin simmered in a spiced sweet-sour syrup with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger until glassy but still firm, the sparkling orange side for roast pork and blood sausage on the Estonian Christmas table.
Marineeritud Kõrvits (Estonian Sweet Pickled Pumpkin) MulgikapsadTartu, Estonia · easy · 2 h 15 minSauerkraut braised with pork and pearl barley until soft, sweet, and deeply savory, southern Estonia's pride.
Natilla ColombianaAntioquia, Colombia · easy · 35 minA firm, sliceable cinnamon custard set with cornstarch and sweetened with raw-cane panela, Colombia's Christmas sweet.
Natilla Colombiana Pan de Jamón (Ham Bread)Caracas, Venezuela · advanced · 2 h 15 minA soft, lightly sweet enriched loaf rolled into a spiral around smoked ham, bacon, green olives and raisins, the Venezuelan Christmas bread.
Pan de Jamón (Ham Bread) PavlovaCanterbury, New Zealand · medium · 1 h 35 minA cloud of meringue, crisp shell, marshmallow heart, piled with cream and summer fruit. The dessert two nations claim.
Pavlova PernilSan Juan, Puerto Rico · medium · 14 h 30 minPuerto Rico's holiday centrepiece: a bone-in pork shoulder seasoned to the core with garlic, oregano, and adobo, slow-roasted until tender with crackling cuerito.
Pierogi Ruskie (Potato & Cheese Dumplings)Lesser Poland, Poland · medium · 1 h 10 minTender dumplings stuffed with potato and farmer's cheese, finished in butter with golden onions.
QuesilloCaracas, Venezuela · easy · 6 h 25 minA dense caramel-topped custard set with whole eggs and condensed milk, the Venezuelan flan of every celebration.
RisalamandeZealand (Copenhagen), Denmark · easy · 1 hA cold almond rice pudding folded with whipped cream and cherry sauce, the Danish Christmas dessert with a hidden almond.
Rosolli (Finnish Beetroot and Herring Salad)North Karelia, Finland · easy · 2 h 20 minDiced beetroot, potato, carrot, gherkin, apple and onion layered with pickled herring and egg, served cold with a pink dressing of whipped cream tinted with beetroot vinegar, from the Finnish Christmas table.
Sarma (Sour Cabbage Rolls)Šumadija (Belgrade), Serbia · medium · 3 h 10 minSour-cabbage leaves rolled around spiced meat and rice, braised low over smoked ribs, the dish that anchors every Serbian slava.
Sarma (Sour Cabbage Rolls) SarmaleTransylvania, Romania · medium · 4 hFermented sour-cabbage leaves rolled around minced pork and rice, layered with smoked meat and slowly braised, served with polenta and sour cream.
Sarmale Scottish Shortbread (Petticoat Tails)Scotland (Moray Coast), United Kingdom · easy · 1 h 30 minPale, crumbly shortbread of one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour, pressed into a round, cut into petticoat-tail wedges and baked slowly, for tea and Hogmanay.
Scottish Shortbread (Petticoat Tails) SernikLesser Poland, Poland · medium · 1 h 35 minA dense, rich baked cheesecake made from Polish twaróg curd cheese, a cornerstone of every celebration table.
SheqerparePristina, Kosovo · medium · 50 minSoft semolina cookies soaked in sugar syrup until melting, a popular sweet across Kosovo and the Balkans.
Sheqerpare Spaghetti alle VongoleCampania, Italy · medium · 35 minSpaghetti tossed with clams, garlic, white wine, and parsley, the Bay of Naples in eight ingredients.
Spaghetti alle Vongole Stoofpeertjes (Dutch Red Wine Stewed Pears)Gelderland, Netherlands · easy · 3 h 20 minHard Gieser Wildeman cooking pears stewed for hours with red wine, sugar and cinnamon until they turn deep ruby red, the sweet side for game, stews and winter stamppot.
Stoofpeertjes (Dutch Red Wine Stewed Pears) Štovēti Kāposti (Latvian Caramelised Stewed Sauerkraut)Riga, Latvia · easy · 2 h 10 minSauerkraut stewed slowly with smoked pork belly, onion, carrot and caraway, then finished with golden caramelised sugar until sweet, sour and darkly glossy, the Latvian winter side for pork, sausages and potatoes.
Surkål (Norwegian Sweet and Sour Cabbage)Vestland (Bergen), Norway · easy · 1 h 5 minFinely shredded white cabbage simmered slowly with caraway, grated apple and a splash of vinegar, then balanced with sugar, the pale sweet-sour cabbage that sits beside the Christmas ribbe.
Surkål (Norwegian Sweet and Sour Cabbage) Tamales ColoradosSacatepéquez (Antigua), Guatemala · advanced · 2 h 30 minSoft corn masa tinted with a red recado of tomato, chile, and toasted seeds, wrapped around pork with an olive, and steamed in banana leaf.
Tamales Colorados Tarteletter med Høns i Asparges (Danish Chicken and Asparagus Tartlets)Zealand (Copenhagen), Denmark · easy · 1 hCrisp puff pastry cases warmed in the oven and filled to overflowing with poached chicken and white asparagus in a creamy butter-and-flour sauce, a classic Danish starter for Christmas lunches and family parties.
TemblequeSan Juan, Puerto Rico · easy · 3 h 25 minA wobbling coconut pudding set with cornstarch and dusted with cinnamon, a light Puerto Rican holiday classic.
TourtièreQuébec, Canada · medium · 1 h 40 minThe Québécois meat pie of the Christmas réveillon: ground pork and beef bound with mashed potato and warm spices, baked in a double crust.
Tourtière VínartertaReykjavík, Iceland · medium · 2 daysA striped layer cake of thin cardamom shortbread and spiced prune filling, an Icelandic Christmas heirloom.
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