You are likely to already have certain festive dishes that you make each year, each one being such a tradition that the holidays just wouldn’t be the same without it. However, if you want to diversify your festive feast this year, OROGOLD has rounded up some of the tastiest festive foods from around the world.
Jansson’s Temptation – Sweden
Jansson’s Temptation is a creamy casserole made from potato, onion, cream, breadcrumbs and sprats, a tiny pickled fish. Swedish legend has it that this dish was originally created for Pelle Janzon, a legendary opera singer, and it is now a dish that can be found on just about every Swedish table during the holidays.
Curry Devil – Singapore
This festive dish is actually made on Boxing Day, making use of all of the Christmas leftovers. However, you can adapt this and make it the day after your festive celebrations, as it really is a flavorful way of using up just about everything. It is made with traditional leftovers, from roast meats to sausages to cabbages and any other vegetables, and these are all simmered in a spicy Singaporean gravy. If this sounds appealing, OROGOLD suggests searching online for some authentic gravy recipes.
Stollen – Germany
Traditional festive dishes in Germany include roast goose and red cabbage, with a huge emphasis on meats and pastries, but it is their Christmas dessert that is known around the world. Stollen is a cake-like fruit bread that is made from dried fruit, marzipan, nuts, spices and either rum or brandy, and finished off with an icing sugar topping. A popular German legend is that those who do not dine well on Christmas Eve will be haunted by demons, giving you a fantastic reason to grab that extra slice after your meal.
Pasteles – Puerto Rico
Pasteles are small green packages that would look equally stunning under the Christmas tree as they do on the table. This dish is so labor-intensive to make that families will usually host pasteles parties at the beginning of the season, where they will make hundreds of these little parcels that can be frozen and enjoyed up to January. The dough is made from traditional green banana before being combined with a stewed meat or fish mixture, as well as olives, chickpeas and raisins, and then wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed.
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KFC – Japan
This one may seem slightly wacky to some people, but, in Japan, KFC is the meal of choice by the majority of locals, with many placing their order two months in advance. This all started after KFC launched a ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ marketing campaign in Japan, and since turkeys and other similar birds are non-existent in the country, the concept really took off. While OROGOLD isn’t suggesting you abandon your festive dishes for a bucket of fried chicken, it could make quite the tasty addition to your table!
OROGOLD always loves learning about festive foods from around the world. From cooking up a Swedish casserole to making a spicy Singaporean stew from all the festive leftovers, we will most definitely be incorporating some of these foods into our own holiday celebrations, and we hope that you do too!
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