Christmas Food Around the World: 20 Festive Dishes
Every December, kitchens turn into workshops. Venezuela wraps hallacas as a family assembly line, Sweden glazes its julskinka, the Philippines eats bibingka warm after the dawn mass. Here are 20 festive dishes from 20 countries, each with an authentic recipe.
-
Hallacas
VenezuelaMaize dough with a stewed filling, wrapped in banana leaves. The whole family works the line.
Discover Hallacas, the festive heart of Venezuelan cooking. Soft, golden corn dough is spread over banana leaves, filled with a richly seasoned stew of meat, olives and spices, then tied into neat parcels and simmered until …
-
Stollen
GermanyHeavy fruit bread with a marzipan core, dusted white. Dresden bakes it from October.
There is something deeply comforting about a freshly baked almond stollen, its buttery crumb scented with vanilla and ground nuts and finished with a snowy dusting of icing sugar. This is a traditional East German (DDR) recipe, …
-
Bibingka
PhilippinesRice cake baked in banana leaf with salted egg, eaten after the dawn mass.
Discover Bibingka, the festive treat that fills Filipino kitchens with the warm scent of coconut every Christmas season. This soft, gently baked rice cake balances mellow sweetness with the rich aroma of coconut milk, and is …
-
Bûche de Noël
FranceA rolled sponge iced to look like a log, from the days when a real one was burned.
Bring a touch of festive elegance to your table with Bûche de Noël, the classic French yule log that turns any Christmas gathering into something memorable. A light sponge rolled around a silky chocolate cream and finished to look …
-
Julskinka
SwedenA whole ham cured, boiled and glazed with mustard and breadcrumbs. The centre of the Swedish table.
Meet Julskinka, the tender Christmas ham that takes pride of place on every Swedish festive table. A joint of good pork is gently simmered until succulent, then finished with a fragrant mustard crust and a warm hint of cloves. It …
-
Panettone
ItalyMilan's tall sweet bread, raised on natural leaven over 36 hours and hung upside down to cool.
There is something magical about pulling a golden, dome-topped Panettone from the oven, its airy crumb studded with jewel-like fruit and the whole kitchen filled with the scent of citrus and vanilla. Born in Milan and now beloved …
-
Tamales
MexicoMasa steamed in corn husks, made in batches of hundreds at a tamalada.
Discover Tamales, the soulful national dish of Mexico. These neat little parcels of corn dough, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and gently steamed, carry centuries of history in every bite. Filled with savoury pork, tender …
-
Mince Pies
EnglandSweet spiced fruit in pastry. They held actual meat until the Victorians dropped it.
Few treats capture the spirit of an English Christmas quite like Mince Pies. These little pastries hide a richly spiced filling of dried fruit, nuts and a generous splash of brandy beneath a tender, buttery crust. Each bite brings …
-
Melomakarona
GreeceOlive-oil biscuits soaked in honey syrup and covered in walnuts.
Discover Melomakarona, one of Greece's most cherished festive treats. These tender, spiced honey biscuits are soaked in fragrant syrup and crowned with chopped walnuts, filling the kitchen with the warm scents of cinnamon and …
-
Bigos
PolandSauerkraut and several meats, reheated over days. Better each time it goes back on the stove.
Bigos is sauerkraut, fresh cabbage and several kinds of meat cooked down over days. It is reheated repeatedly, and each reheating is held to improve it. Polish households make it in enormous pots at Christmas and eat it into …
-
Risalamande
DenmarkCold rice pudding with almonds and cherry sauce. One whole almond hides in the bowl.
Discover Risalamande, the creamy dessert that sits at the heart of a Danish Christmas. Cold, softly set rice pudding is folded through with whipped cream, fragrant vanilla and chopped almonds, then crowned with a glossy spoonful …
-
Kutia
UkraineWheat berries with poppy seed and honey, the first of Ukraine's twelve Christmas Eve dishes.
Meet Kutia, a dish that carries the very soul of Ukrainian culture in every spoonful. Traditionally prepared for festive occasions such as Christmas Eve, it is a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Cooked wheat mingles with …
-
Verivorst
EstoniaBlood sausage with barley, served with lingonberry jam and baked potato.
Verivorst is blood sausage filled with pearl barley, and Estonians eat it at Christmas with lingonberry jam. The barley is what distinguishes it from blood sausages elsewhere: it gives a loose, grainy texture rather than a smooth …
-
Joulutorttu
FinlandStar-shaped puff pastries with prune jam in the middle.
Few things say Christmas in Finland quite like Joulutorttu. These star-shaped pastries appear on every festive table from the first Advent candle onwards, their buttery pinwheel points folded around a dark, sweet spoonful of prune …
-
Vánočka
CzechiaBraided sweet bread with raisins and almonds. Czech bakers plait it in three tiers.
Meet Vánočka, the golden, plaited Christmas bread that graces festive tables across the Czech Republic. This beautifully braided sweet bread is enriched with raisins and almonds, gently spiced, and finished with a snowfall of …
-
Olivier Salad
RussiaPotato, egg and pickle in mayonnaise. No Russian New Year table is set without it.
Meet Olivier Salad, the creamy, colourful centrepiece of every Russian celebration table. This much-loved classic brings together tender diced potatoes, carrots, peas and crunchy pickles, all bound in a rich, velvety dressing. …
-
Cozonac
RomaniaSweet bread rolled with walnut paste, baked in every Romanian house at Christmas.
Meet Cozonac, the pride of Romanian festive baking. This airy sweet bread is famous for its feather-light crumb and its very good swirls of filling. Think toasted walnuts, rich cocoa or fragrant poppy seeds. Traditionally baked …
-
Hangikjöt
IcelandLamb smoked over sheep dung and birch, boiled and served cold with white sauce.
Discover Hangikjöt, the smoked lamb that sits at the very heart of Iceland's festive table. Gently cured over birchwood and served in thin, fragrant slices, it carries a depth of flavour you will not find anywhere else. Paired …
-
Natilla
ColombiaA firm custard set with cornflour and panela, cut into squares and eaten with buñuelos.
Meet Natilla Colombiana, a silky festive custard that sits at the heart of a Colombian Christmas. Set to a gentle wobble and perfumed with cinnamon and cloves, it turns a handful of everyday ingredients into something that feels …
-
Panetón
PeruPeru adopted panettone from Italian migrants and now eats more of it than most of Europe.
Discover Panetón, the fragrant sweet bread that lights up Peruvian Christmas tables. This airy, buttery loaf is generously studded with dried fruit and nuts, giving each slice a wonderful texture and a warm, festive aroma. Though …
Disagree with our order? The only valid rebuttal is cooking — start with another ranking or browse all 194 countries.