Find out what people eat for Christmas in countries around the world, learning about some of the rich and varied holiday food traditions!
One of the most fascinating things to me is holiday traditions and how much they vary or stay the same as you cross continents. While I love — and am used to — the little traditions my family came up with, I also enjoy educating myself and my children on different cultures and practices worldwide, which prompted me to investigate what people eat for Christmas around the world.
Christmas is a time when families come together to celebrate their religious beliefs, or even just the spirit of warmth and togetherness. More than 2 billion people in over 160 countries celebrate Christmas in their own unique ways, and one of the most popular ways to celebrate any holiday or get-together is food!
If you’re also curious about the unique dishes that have become traditions around the globe for people celebrating Christmas, here are some of the most interesting and distinct.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of what people eat for Christmas around the world, of course, but it should give you a flavor of some popular Christmas meals and dishes globally!
NORDIC COUNTRIES
Swedish Christmas dishes: Swedes like to celebrate Christmas by indulging in rich foods. Spreads would include filling and decadent dishes such as seafood, meats, and sweets such as gingerbread cookies and saffron buns, often served buffet style.
Christmas dinner in Denmark: Traditionally, the spread will consist of roast pork and duck, boiled potatoes, red cabbage, and gravy. Risalamande, a Christmas dessert, is rice pudding topped with cherry sauce with a hidden almond inside. The family member who finds the almond gets a prize or extra present.
Norwegian Christmas foods: The most popular Christmas dinner in Norway is ribbe (bone-in pork ribs), lutefisk (cod cured in lye), as well as boiled cod, pinnekjøtt (dry-cured ribs of lamb), and roast ham and turkey.
EUROPE
British Christmas Pudding: This dessert is not a pudding in the American sense, but rather a dense, sticky sponge cake akin to fruit cake. Originating in medieval England, this recipe is also called Pottage, Plum Pudding, Figgy Pudding (as is referenced in the carol “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”), and Frumenty. It contains mixed dried fruit, candied fruit peel, citrus juice and zest, and is topped with a brandy sauce.
German Christmas foods: Common traditional German Christmas dinners include various rich dishes such as roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage, dumplings and stewed kale. Most spreads will contain stollen, a traditional fruit bread pastry dating back to the 14th Century that was originally made to sell at fairs and festivals. The unique shape of this bread is often considered symbolic of Baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloth, making it the perfect Christmas dish. This bread contains spices, nuts, and dried or candided fruits, and is topped with powdered sugar.
Traditional Italian Christmas dishes: Italian Christmas dinner dishes consist of large amounts of fresh seafood. This Roman-Catholic custom remains strong today and is affectionately referred to as the Feast of the Seven Fishes. A common dish found in Italian Christmas spreads is a fish stew, which may also be found alongside seafood linguini, salted codfish, deep-fried calamari, baked stuffed lobster, octopus salad, and more.
Traditional Christmas Foods in France: French Christmas dinners are elaborate and festive, often featuring multi-course meals consisting of oysters, smoked salmon, caviar, snails, roast bird, and gratin dauphinois (sliced potatoes cooked in creamy sauce and coated in cheese). In Provence, there is a Christmas tradition of 13 desserts (les treize desserts) to represent Jesus and his twelve disciples — you will find fruits, candies, nuts, and pompe à l’huile, a bread made with olive oil and orange blossom water.
Irish Christmas foods: A traditional Irish Christmas dinner looks a lot like what we might consider normal in North America. It consists of roast turkey and stuffing, clove-studded ham, goose fat potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts, sweet carrots, parsnips, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, gravy, and more.
LATIN AMERICA
Mexican Christmas appetizers: Christmas in Mexico will provide you with a variety of traditional appetizer options. Pozole is a spicy stew — its ingredients vary by region but typically include red chiles, pork, and hominy. You may also find red or white versions of this stew. Empanadas are mini meat pies that have made their way into the world of bite-sized Mexican appetizers as well. And don’t forget that tamales are a long-standing Mexican Christmas tradition.
Brazilian Christmas foods: Brazil celebrates Christmas late night on Christmas Eve with a feast and festivities that may last into the early morning hours. Expect to find turkey, “bolinhos” — a salted cod balls that are deep fried until crunchy — fresh salads, dried fruits, and cold potato salads containing sweet ingredients such as apples and raisins. You may see these served alongside bowls of rice that are seasoned with fresh garlic.
Related: Try these Cuban-inspired guava thumbprint cookies for Christmas!
ASIA
Christmas meals in China: Christmas is not an official holiday in China, but those who participate in celebrating enjoy it for the food and exchange of gifts. It is a time where Chinese people might enjoy a rich, hearty dinner of dumplings, roast duck, roast pork, spring rolls, and rice. A unique holiday food tradition in China is the exchange of “peace apples” among friends and loved ones.
South Korean Christmas foods: South Korea is the only Asian country that recognizes Christmas as a national holiday. You may find tabletops adorned with classic South Korean foods like sweet potato noodles, kimchi (fermented, seasoned cabbage similar to sauerkraut), a rice cake filled with meat or seafood and served with clear broth called tteok guk, and a rich, sweet cake called a Christmas cake for dessert.
Christmas Food in Japan: Fried chicken dinner is becoming the main focus of Japanese Christmas celebrations. You will also find cream stew (a hearty comfort food consisting of chicken or pork dipped in creamy roux and surrounded by mushrooms and vegetables), potato salad, and wagashi (a type of shortbread cookie often served with green tea).
AFRICA
Christmas meals in South Africa: South African Christmas dinners generally combine a variety of local favorites. Expect to be offered a leg of lamb, mince pie, Nigerian fried rice, and a variety of seafood. For dessert, you will likely find malva pudding — a sweet, spongy dish containing apricot jam and a cream sauce. This is served warm with cold custard or ice cream.
Egypt Christmas foods: Christmas dinner in Egypt usually consists of roasted lamb or chicken alongside varieties of vegetables. Expect cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced rice pudding as well. Fattah is another traditional Egyptian dish you may be served — this consists of meat, rice, and crispy bread topped with tomato-garlic sauce.
Now you have a better sense of what people eat for Christmas in various countries around the world! Explore all of our Christmas content, and don’t miss some of our most popular holiday recipes, including stovetop stuffing and Christmas cookies.