Christmas dinner traditions around the world

If you happen to be spending Christmas abroad this year, you may come across some interesting traditions.

Christmas without a hearty Christmas dinner is unimaginable. A traditional Christmas dinner is simple, not to mention delicious: roast ham, beef or turkey, potatoes, roasted vegetables, cranberry sauce, pies and a mouthwatering dessert.

What many of us consider to be “traditional” does not apply to every country in the world. So if you happen to be spending Christmas abroad for the first time this year, you may find yourself in for a treat….or not.

Let’s take a look beyond the Turkey dinner and find out about some of the most fascinating holiday food traditions from around the world.

Kiviak has been an Inuit tradition for centuries and is only eaten on special occasions such as Christmas or birthdays in Greenland. Kiviak is more to do with the method of preparation, but it’s still unusual: a hollowed out seal skin is stuffed with 300- 500 auks (a type of seabird), sewn up and sealed with grease. After seven months of fermentation, the birds are removed from the skin and served up straight away. The taste has been described as a mix between licorice and strong cheese.
From the northern arctic hemisphere to the warmth of South Africa and a serving of fried Emperor Moth caterpillars, anyone? For some, this hairy wriggly delicacy is a tradition that cannot be passed up on Christmas Day. They are high in protein which make them surprisingly nutritious and the flavour reminiscent of a well-brewed tea.
Japan is notorious for its healthy diet, and yet all is forgotten on Christmas day, when turkey is swapped for a large bucket of fried chicken. In 1974, KFC began a "Kentucky for Christmas" advertising campaign and it has been a popular tradition ever since with long queues of people waiting outside every branch in the country on Christmas Day; some families even reserve their bucket months in advance!
While having carp for dinner isn’t that strange, keeping a carp in your bathtub for a few days before Christmas, certainly is. In the Czech Republic, the carp swims in the family bathtub for at least a day or two to ensure it is as fresh as possible when it is served. On Christmas day the carp is deep fried and served with potato salad.
In Sweden, Christmas Eve dinner typically contains the following dishes: smorgasbord with julskinka (ham), lutefisk (dried codfish), pickled herring and if you’re lucky, pig’s feet. Trotter’s tootsies have been a favourite Swedish delicacy for decades, but these days most people prefer the meat to be disguised in a terrine.

Images: [James Petts, Allan Hopkins, Wilkes, JapanToday, myconfinedspace, Flickr]