Christmas is the season of spreading love all around us, not just by the words we say but also the things we do. The age-old traditions of Christmas include decorating Christmas trees and going around singing Christmas carols. But one of the most beautiful tradition of Christmas is the preparation of traditional Christmas delicacies loved by all age groups. Below is a list of the most popular Christmas dishes world-wide:
Christmas Cake or Christmas Pudding:
This is the most conventional and one of the most popular dishes prepared for Christmas. It is a fruit cake. It has a wide variety of ways of preparation ranging from spongy to heavy. It could be round, square or oblong. Along with fruits, the texture of the cake could also consist of marzipan, chocolate, vanilla or coating with sugar icing. As per the old tradition, Christmas cake or Christmas pudding is eaten on Christmas Eve by the whole family together.
Christmas Turkey:
In the past for many decades, the people of United Kingdom had a tradition for Christmas to eat the goose or the head of a boar. However, this tradition slowly changed to eating a turkey after the bird was introduced as a delicacy in the 16th century. It is served by stuffing cranberry sauce and bread crumbs along with roasted potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, Brussels sprouts, peas and parsnips into it.
Eggnog:
Eggnog is a sweetened beverage prepared for Christmas in countries like United States and Canada. It is prepared with sugar, milk and cream. Beaten eggs are also added to the preparation that gives it a frothy texture. Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are used to add to flavor further. Liquors such as rum, whiskey, brandy are often added to the mixture to add to the taste.
Rice Pudding:
This is a Christmas dish that is found in almost every area of the world, it is the method of preparation that differs from country to country and person to person. It includes ingredients like rice, milk, spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg etc), beaten eggs (optional) and some sweetener or flavorings may also be added.
Chocolates:
For decades chocolates have been regarded as the most ideal treat for any occasion. For an occasion like Christmas, chocolates just add to the magic and sweetness that Christmas brings along. Chocolates may form the icing on a Christmas cake or could just play a part as the dessert for a Christmas dinner. Chocolate based drinks also serve as an ideal beverage for Christmas and other occasions.
Baath Cake:
Baath cake is an old delicacy (originally prepared in Goa, India) now enjoyed world wide especially for Christmas. It is richly prepared with ingredients like coconut, milk, eggs, butter, semolina and sugar that add to its splendid flavor. It is also known by names like coconut cake, semolina cake etc. The specialty of this dish is that it is not only mouth-watering but also nourishing.
Milk Cream:
Milk cream is yet another delicacy prepared for occasions like Christmas. The preparation of milk cream is simple and made with milk, water, ground nuts, butter and sugar. They are finally molded into many different shapes and sizes.
Bibinca:
Bibinca is a Christmas dish; however it is available all year round in certain places. It was primarily a dish prepared in Goa in India. Made with sugar, coconut milk, flour and ghee, it traditionally consists of 16 layers. It is baked in a special clay oven with hot coals over it for its preparation. It is quite popular in countries like Portugal, Mozambique and Philippines. Traditionally in some countries before serving this dish, margarine or butter is spread over it and finally sugar is sprinkled.
Pavlova:
It is a meringue based sweet dish prepared with the help of whipped egg whites and sugar. Research states that this dish originated from New Zealand and was named after a female Russian ballet dancer. It is decorated with cream and fruits like raspberries, strawberries, bananas, kiwifruit etc.
Pumpkin Pie:
Pumpkin pie, a North American dessert, is eaten especially during winters. It is specially prepared for Christmas. This dish is also prepared for the celebration of Thanksgiving and Halloween. For the preparation of a traditional pumpkin pie, pumpkin custard is baked in a single pie shell. Its color can range from orange to brown and it seldom has an upper crust. Finally it is flavored with spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.
Glogg:
Glogg, that is also known as mulled wine, is a Swedish beverage traditionally prepared especially during the winters in Christmas. This drink is heated and then spiced and served as an ideal drink to beat the cold that Christmas brings along. Basically Glogg is a sweetened wine prepared with spices.
Marzipan:
Marzipan is a Christmas sweet that has been popular worldwide for years. It is primarily a confection and therefore is prepared using sugar and almonds. In certain places, cashews are used as a substitute to almonds. Usually marzipan is molded into sweets. They are also used for icing on cakes for Christmas. Sometimes molded marzipan is stuffed with chocolate.
