Global Christmas dinner customs

Tired of the same old roast turkey spread? A YouGov survey reveals that 10 million turkeys are eaten on Christmas Day in the U.K.

The turkey tradition dates back to Henry VIII, who popularized it during Christmas, further immortalized by Charles Dickens in "A Christmas Carol."

Yet, turkey isn't universal—different cultures celebrate with diverse dishes, from fried chicken to salted cod and curried goat. Here, we explore various global customs.

Sweden

Swedes celebrate much like their Nordic neighbors, featuring a smorgasbord-style feast known as julbord. Typical offerings include pickled herring, assorted cold cuts, sausages, meatballs, red beet salad, cheese, and cabbage.

Poland

Traditionally, the Christmas dinner (Wiglia) is meat-free and takes place on Christmas Eve. Families share wafers before enjoying dishes like red beet borscht, dumplings, cabbage rolls, carp, herring, pierogi, and braised sauerkraut. Desserts often include gingerbread, poppyseed cake, and dried fruits.

Japan

Japan doesn't follow traditional Christmas customs. In 1970, the first KFC opened in Nagoya, offering a "party barrel" akin to a Christmas turkey feast. This concept became so popular that now customers must place their orders two months in advance.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, a cherished tradition is to serve hallaca, a labor-intensive meat dish featuring pork and chicken combined with raisins, olives, capers, and onions, all encased in corn dough and wrapped in banana leaves.

Germany

Historically, Germans would fast from St. Martin's Day on November 11 until Christmas, breaking their fast with goose, which has since become the festive bird of choice. This dish is typically accompanied by spaetzle (a type of pasta), knodel (dumplings), and red cabbage. For dessert, gingerbread cookies known as lebkuchen are often served.

Jamaica

Christmas dinner features curried goat, stewed oxtail, assorted fruits, meat, and punch, all lovingly prepared the night before. For dessert, there's often a rich rum cake served with brandy custard.

France

The French celebrate with a feast similar to that of the U.K., ending with a traditional dessert called buche de Noel, or yule log, crafted from sponge cake and chocolate buttercream to resemble an actual log.

Brazil

Brazilians enjoy a lavish feast on Christmas Eve that stretches into the early hours of Christmas Day. The meal typically features bacalhau (salted cod) paired with roasted chicken, palm heart stew, and cassava salad.

Italy

Italy has diverse Christmas traditions. Southern Italians and Italian Americans partake in the "Feast of the Seven Fishes," featuring seven different seafood dishes in soups, pasta, and mains. In the Piedmont region, near Switzerland, locals enjoy meat-filled pasta called agnolotti, while Romans favor a fish soup known as minestra di pesce. A widely shared tradition across Italy is panettone, a sweet bread studded with sultana raisins, candied oranges, and assorted dried fruits.

Spain

Traditional Christmas dinners in Spain feature an array of tapas, often starting with a seafood soup, followed by a main course of fish and lamb. For dessert, turron—a nougat made with honey, sugar, egg whites, and almonds—is a beloved treat.

Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rican households, a traditional dish is roast suckling pig, slow-cooked and accompanied by a coconut rice pudding known as tembleque, meat pastries called pasteles, and coquito, a coconut-flavored variation of eggnog.

Peru

Similar to Puerto Rico and other South American nations, roast suckling pig is central to the Christmas feast in Peru. Additionally, Peruvians enjoy paneton, akin to Italian sweet bread, and a spiced hot chocolate made with cloves and cinnamon, often shared at chocolatadas—gatherings of family and friends for celebration.

Philippines

In the Philippines, Christmas dinner is celebrated as Noche Buena. Festive dishes include puto bumbong (a sweet black and white rice with shredded coconut), buko pandan (pandan-flavored gelatin mixed with coconut and cream), lechon (spit-roasted pig), queso de bola (cheese balls), and lumpia (spring rolls).

Greece

In Greece, it is common for many to fast in anticipation of the Christmas meal. The celebration typically begins with avgolemono, a chicken and rice soup enriched with egg yolk and lemon. Main offerings include pork with cabbage, accompanied by Christopsomo (Christ's bread), and for dessert, baklava and melomakarona—a spiced cookie with cinnamon, cloves, and orange syrup garnished with nuts.

Lithuania

Kucios is a traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve dinner featuring twelve dishes, symbolizing the apostles. This meal is meat-free and dairy-free, served cold, and often includes a variety of herring salads, smoked eel, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and kuciukai—small poppy seed cookies.

Final thoughts

Christmas dinner doesn't have to be dull or predictable. Whether you're hosting or not, draw inspiration from global traditions and indulge in something unique.