As much as we love our traditional holiday food and drink, one of the things all members of the Adventures with Sarah team can agree on is that trying seasonal goodies from other countries is a huge travel highlight. Learning what other places view as essential is a lot of fun. Plus, bringing new traditions home to blend with our existing ones means we’re always being reminded of the adventures we’ve had so far. Here are some of our favorite foodie experiences from Christmas abroad:

German Christmas Markets

Germany is where the concept of a Christmas market first started, so it is no surprise that the food and drink at these markets today is excellent. 

The smell of the bratwurst being grilled, potato cakes called Kartoffelpuffers being fried and powdered sugar everywhere is enough to make everything feel right in the world as you explore the wooden stalls among twinkling lights. However, for us, all this food is only an accompaniment to the main attraction – Glühwein.

Glühwein has been around for a very long time, which is not surprising considering how tasty it is. Wine connoisseurs may shudder at the thought of adding spices and sugar to red wine, but when gently heated and the flavors have infused into the wine, it creates something truly special. Warming for the body and the soul, you will probably end up drinking far more than you think you will.

Our top tip? When you visit one of these markets, pick up some of the dried spice mixes for sale. When you get home, you can recreate your own Glühwein with these spices and a little sugar, the perfect accompaniment to putting up the Christmas tree or tackling a mountain of gift wrapping.

Traditional British Christmas Dinner

There are a lot of similarities between the food served in the US and the UK, with roast turkey, gravy, stuffing and vegetables all key elements. However, it is in the extra touches you find on British tables at Christmas that really elevates the meal, and that we have definitely added to our festive tables back home.

First up is one of the best side dishes we’ve tried; pigs in blankets. Not the sausages wrapped in dough we have in the US, but instead mini sausages wrapped in salty bacon before being cooked. A welcome addition to your plate, especially when paired with crispy and savory Yorkshire puddings, rich meat gravy and another delicious side dish; cauliflower cheese.

The desserts are also very special. Mincemeat, which sounds savory but is in fact a mix of dried fruit, suet, spices and sugar, is used in a few different ways. The Christmas pudding is always a classic but we prefer mince pies, where sweet shortcrust pastry encases the mincemeat before being baked. Best served hot with brandy butter spooned on top, who needs chocolate or cake?

Neapolitan Natale

Italy is Sarah’s first love, but because Italy is a fairly new country, there are a lot more regional variations and traditions than you might expect. One of our favorite parts of Italy to celebrate Christmas in is the southern city of Naples, which has some excellent foodie traditions to follow.

A lot of Neapolitan traditional festive food caters to those with a sweet tooth. Special cookies are baked in December as well as struffoli, which is made from crispy fried balls of dough stuck together with honey, constructed in different shapes before being covered with colorful sprinkles.

Pasta features heavily as you might expect, with huge dishes of baked pastas lovingly put together ready for Christmas Day. This is only one course of the long festive meal, so if you get invited for lunch with Neapolitans, make sure to go with loose pants and an empty stomach.

We hope you’ve been inspired by these memories of Christmas abroad, and if you’d like to travel around the holidays with us next year, check out all our upcoming tours here.