Although the Americanised oven-roasted turkey remains a pop culture epitome of the festive season, different countries have credited their own unique recipes, feasts and traditions when celebrating Christmas.
Here are some interesting Christmas foods eaten around the world:
1) Roast turkey from the United States. For the Americans, the holiday season is kicked off in spirit with thanksgiving, sharing an oven-roasted turkey that has been toiled on for over five hours in the kitchen. This is common in many households over Christmas.
2) Vitel Toné, from Argentina, is a dish of sliced veal covered in tuna sauce and sprinkled with capers.
Brought over by Italian immigrants, this has become a classic element in celebrating the festive season.
It is usually served cold as an appetizer and with hard-boiled eggs, pickles or olives, which are sometimes added to the dish.
3) Janssons frestelse, from Sweden.
A popular celebration food, this dish is a potato casserole baked with onions, bread crumbs, fish (either anchovies or sprats) and cream.
It forms part of the conventional Swedish feast, otherwise known as a smörgåsbord.
Potatoes are usually cut into thin strips, or shoestring size, and layered into a baking tin with the other ingredients.
4) Bibingka from the Philippines.
This is a sweet type of rice cake typically made and eaten over Christmas. Due to the Spanish occupation of the island and the subsequent influence of Catholicism, the Philippines is among the few countries in the east who observe traditional Christmas from both religious and conventional aspects.
Bibingka is made with rice flour, coconut milk and eggs, and is then baked in banana leaves.
5) Kurisumasu Keiki, the Kentucky fried chicken Christmas special in Japan.
This is an interesting spin-off of KFC’s very successful marketing campaign in the 70s.
In a desperate ploy to sell western-styled food to consumers, KFC advertised a meal combo around a Christmas theme, though Christmas is not traditionally observed in Japan. The fast-food chain is now well known to provide a Christmas feast special each year to consumers who simply enjoy the food.
The meal combo includes an iconic bucket of fried chicken, a variation of sides and a one-of-a-kind Christmas cake.
