Written Christie Crawford
Clarksville, TN – Spending Christmas in another country is always a delight when you get to participate in another tradition and try new and eclectic foods.
It may be prohibitive for you to jet to Rome to attend Pope Francis’ Midnight Mass or take a cruise to Mexico to celebrate Feliz Navidad. But you can always add a dish or two from another country to spruce up your Christmas food fare this year.
Tired of turkey, eggnog and the same old Christmas cookies? Consider adding some international flair to your holiday menu this year with these ideas from five countries that will add a little global influence to your table.
Mexico
Our southern neighbor is no different when it comes to making food a big part of the celebration, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the Mexican Advent season known as Las Posadas. Wrapping tamales in lieu of presents might be what you would see at a typical Christmas Eve dinner known as Noche Buena.
It wouldn’t be uncommon to join in tamaladas which are family parties to make batches of the wrapped corn-husk dishes. Along with tamales, you might find as part of the late night feast, pozole, a hominy soup made with pork or chicken, seasoned with garlic and chili ,or bacalao, dried salted cod, as part of the holiday spread.
United Kingdom
Like their American cousins, turkey is a traditional mainstay at the British Christmas table, although you might find it surrounded with sausages in lieu of stuffing. You might also find mince pie, which originates from the 13th century when crusading Knights of Templar brought back spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon from exotic lands.
These are sold at corner markets and even Starbucks locations beginning in December to start off the festive season. My Canadian grandparents always made sure we tasted a little “Across the Pond “ each holiday with mincemeat pie and plum pudding with hard sauce.
Italy
To ensure the tradition of keeping the body pure for the holiday, seafood and vegetables are served at La Vigila or on Christmas Eve. The Feast of the Seven Fishes, hailing from Southern Italy and most popular in Italian-American kitchens, consists of seven fishes, the Bible’s most repeated number.
It can be adapted by adding a simple dish of clams linguine or shrimp cocktail to your normal menu. Lunch instead of dinner on Christmas day is the norm, with many pasta dishes and desserts galore, including panettone, a dome-shaped bread loaf studded with raisins and canned citrus peel, easily found here in the United States.
France
A holiday French table would not be complete without escargot, caviar, soufflé or gratin dauphinois, sliced potatoes layered with garlic, cream, and cheese. But Christmas in France ends with a spectacular 13 dessert spread, to replicate the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples. Cheese boards, tarts and the glorious Bûche de Noël also known as a yule log; a buttercream log-shaped cake with meringue decorations is among the sweet fare.
Greece
Roasted lamb is generally the centerpiece of the traditional Greek dinner, although turkey is becoming more common after fasting before the big day. You might also find pork stuffed cabbage rolls known as yiaprakia and the Greek version of Christmas cookies, melomakarona.
Made from cloves, cinnamon and orange, the cookies with their unusual taste are dipped in a spiced honey syrup and dipped in nuts. This is one my favorite Christmas cookies and I usually carry a tin back in my suitcase from my Greek travels. Here’s how you can make them.
