Have you baked your Christmas cake? Christmas cake is one of the many traditional foods found here in Australia and nibbled on by families throughout the holiday season. How about a gingerbread house? I have a friend who bakes these as gifts every year. Every family has their favourite Christmas recipe with many passed down through the generations. But what other foods do we associate with Christmas?
I am lucky enough to have spent Christmas in cold climates as well as our own sweltering hot Australian conditions over the years. Coming from a family of English descent, Mum still cooked a roast with all the trimmings, followed by trifle on Christmas Day. Dad always expected a plum pudding and custard. My nanna made the best fruit mince pies I have ever tasted so these sweet treats are still on my menu today.
When we lived in Denver, USA, turkey for Christmas and Thanksgiving was the order of the day with lashings of roasted or mashed potato, gravy, cranberry sauce and greens. Jello salads often made an appearance plus ham and winter squash. I am still not sure about the taste of giblet gravy to this day!
In Britain Christmas dinner is often holiday roast beef with Yorkshire pudding or roast goose both paired with braised red cabbage and puréed parsnips. Dessert is a classic English trifle and Christmas plum pudding. Clementines are in season and chestnuts are roasted and added to stuffing of a juicy roast chicken.
Over the years a family barbecue has become our norm with lemon meringue pie and ice-cream or a pavlova for dessert. It suits our climate, and the array of accompanying delicious salads prepared by everyone is always amazing. It wouldn’t be Christmas without some ham, stone fruit and shortbread plus my famous potato bake and Colorado spinach cob loaf. Champagne is my Christmas Day drink of choice. It’s probably XXXX Gold for the boys.
Sometimes we have even headed to an air-conditioned restaurant like Libertine or The Loose Goose. These are always special Christmases too, especially as I don’t have to cook in the heat. It had me wondering what other traditions and traditional Christmas foods were special in other families and in different countries, so I canvassed my friends and did some research to find out more.
Many Aussie friends head to the beach for a seafood feast, a swim and some beach cricket. Some head to church and have a big family breakfast to start the day. Families can often be found having a picnic at their favourite park. Many enjoy Red Rooster with coleslaw, rolls, potato and gravy for a no mess, no fuss Christmas.
Pavlova and fruit salad are popular choices for dessert with gingerbread, a choc ripple Christmas wreath, white Christmas slice, rum balls or ice cream cake all making their way onto the Christmas table as sweet treats. Fancy Chocolates and choc coated almonds are often favoured.
In Italy Italian families eat pasta for Christmas dinner – lasagne, spinach and ricotta ravioli, linguine with white clam sauce or stuffed manicotti are always a hit at an Italian Christmas table. The meal often starts with antipasti and then the pasta, sometimes a meat dish and a panettone, pandoro or zabaglione for dessert. Italians may sip on an Aperol Spritz or Negroni.
In Japan KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken is a must have for Christmas. It’s said that the promotional campaign – Kentucky for Christmas, which ran in 1970, cemented this tradition. Christmas is more of a romantic couple’s event so sharing a pizza is big too.
Wine and a Christmas cake, which is more akin to a strawberry shortcake, is a popular dessert. Instead of shortbread the traditional Japanese confection called Wagashi is served with green tea.
The French love Christmas too and favour roast turkey with a chestnut stuffing or a roast goose or duck as more traditional fare. Foie gras, lobster, venison and cheese are other specialities of the season. Mulled wine, Kir Royale or Crème de Cassis are popular festive
French cocktails.
Our nearest neighbour, Indonesia enjoys a dish called Babi Panggang Karo. It sounds delicious with roasted or grilled pork enjoyed with sambal, making it the ideal choice for a family meal. Suckling pig is also popular.
The Dutch influence is big with Poffertjes cakes as a favourite sweet option. Bagea cookies or cake and the pineapple filled cookies – Nastar Cake are popular Christmas gifts. Each region has its own specialities including fish, chicken and steak.
It really doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing so long as you spend some time over the festive season with the ones you love. So, tell us here at She Society what are some of your family traditions and what will be on your festive Christmas table this year? Merry Christmas from the She Society family to yours.
Michelle Beesley is a Brisbane born and bred former primary school teacher. A wife, proud grandma and mother of three grown sons, Michelle is thrilled to have recently published her debut contemporary romance novel, It Happened in Paris, with Serenade Publishing. Her novella – Escape to D’ Amour was published in 2019. Michelle’s work can be found in the anthologies – Destination Romance and Short & Sweet. When not reading or writing Michelle can be found at a coffee shop chatting with friends, front row at a fashion show, or beside a rugby union field cheering on her favourite teams.
Michelle is a reluctant traveller, Francophile, keen walker and avid yoga enthusiast plus a book, film and theatre lover who loves everything pink and sparkly (including champagne). You can find Michelle on instagram @michellebeesley_writer and her website: michellebeesley.com.
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