Now is the perfect time to start planning your holiday meals, so for day 2 of 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas we’re serving up some tasty inspiration from around the world.
Starting in one of our favorite countries, Christmas food in Italy varies from region to region but there are some consistent elements that you’ll find all over the country. Large platters of antipasti meats and cheeses, plenty of pasta dishes such as lasagne or tortellini, roasted meats and all sorts of delicious sweet treats. The question of which is better, panettone (a sweet bread with dried fruits) or pandoro (similarly sweet but with no fruit) can be a touchy subject in Italy but for us the choice is easy – both!
Heading around the world to Australia, the Christmas table looks very different. Here the warm weather lends itself more to salads and barbecues than heavy meals, but there is still plenty to enjoy. Glazed baked hams, hot or cold, feature heavily along with seafood and for dessert you can’t beat a pavlova, a large meringue base topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
A lot of the Australian traditions have been adapted from the classic Christmas treats on offer in the United Kingdom, which are very traditional indeed! Christmas lunch features roast turkey most often, although beef, lamb and goose are also popular.
Accompanying the meat is a feast of different vegetables, stuffing and gravy at a minimum but there are lots of other sides like Yorkshire puddings, sausages wrapped in bacon, bread sauce and red cabbage to choose from. The classic Christmas pudding and mince pies are always popular for dessert, as well as the sherry trifle and chocolate Yule log cake so you are guaranteed not to go hungry!
If you’re in Japan during the holidays you’ll be able to get your hands on a different type of poultry; fried chicken. Despite Christmas not being an official holiday in Japan, it has become a very popular tradition to go to KFC on December 25 and get fried chicken for the family. This is thanks to an effective advertising campaign by KFC in the 1970’s but has had a long lasting legacy – you have to place your orders well in advance to secure your chicken.
Finally let’s head south to Mexico where the most popular festive food is tamales, made from corn dough and stuffed with all sorts of fillings. These are everywhere during the holiday season and there are so many different varieties to try! The traditional Mexican stew of pozole will also be on the table, along with other meats, salads and delicious sides.
One of our favorite things about going on adventures is tasting local food and discovering new traditions, so we hope these examples have inspired you to try something new this holiday season!
If you’ve missed any of the other posts, catch up on all the previous days of our 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas here.
