Non Traditional Christmas Dishes
Traditional Christmas dinner in the US typically consists of turkey and sides finished off with apple pie. Green bean casseroles, sweet potatoes, and stuffing (or dressing) grace the tables across all of North America. While many may find comfort in the routine of traditional foods, a growing number of ambitious, yet amateur cooks are opting for less than traditional dinners for the holidays. An effective way of finding this variety is to turn to the holiday dishes of different cultures.
The United Kingdom is the most similar in flavors to what is seen on North American dinner tables. Roasted goose, duck or pheasant are common alternatives to turkey in the UK. Plum pudding and mince pies are staples of Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner tables. The tradition of serving plum pudding dates back to medieval times when families would make plum pudding with 13 ingredients to symbolize Christ and the 12 apostles. Plum pudding is also a wonderful tradition that gets the family involved in the cooking process. According to custom, family members all take turns in stirring the pudding from east to west, in honor of the three wise men.
Paella is a common rice dish served in all regions of Spain. Paella typically consists of white rice, vegetables, meat, seafood and beans. Considered the national dish of Spain, this rice dish is common during the holidays all over the world. Filipino custom focuses on serving their paella with Christmas ham and the hotter climate of Australia find that barbequed meat is the star ingredient in paella.
Photo by Katarzyna Bienias
Italian holiday dinners are similar to everyday dinners, just more elaborate. Soups, consisting of pasta, meat and vegetables precede the second course which is a chicken or seafood dish depending on the region. The final, main course is lamb served with sweet side dishes and followed by numerous pastries and desserts.
Mexican holidays embrace the pizzazz of the culture. The traditional soup served on all Mexican holidays is menudo. Menudo a spicy soup, consisting of tripe and hominy as the main ingredients. Tripe is the lining of cow stomach and when cooked is quite chewy. Menudo is simmered for over 3 hours, which turns the chewiness into a more delicate texture. Hominy, also called nixtamal, is a dried maize kernels. Hominy is also popular in posole, another Mexican soup that consists of pork and chicken. Standard in Mexican cuisine is the use of lime, chili peppers, chili powders, onions, and cilantro.Traditional South American Christmas dinners are served on Christmas eve night. Although turkey is common in Brazil, Argentina and Columbia, many families are turning to churrasco for formal dinners. Depending on what country you are in, churrasco can mean barbeque, a specific type of dish or a thin skirt steak. To bring the flavors of South American cuisine to your table, try a grilled skirt steak topped with chimmichuri and hearts of palm. Chimmichuri is a mixture of chopped parsley, olive oil, garlic and vinegar.
The next holiday meal you plan, consider mixing it up a bit. Try some new flavors and celebrate the way other cultures celebrate. Dinner doesn’t have to be the same every year. Mixing it up is not only tasty, but can be a wonderful opportunity to learn how other cultures celebrate their holidays.