Traditional Holiday Food Around The World

I felt since we around getting close to the holidays I would focus on some of the foods that are considered traditional around the world. I thought ham, turkey, dressing and all the normal things that are served around the holidays,was the same everywhere. That is now the case though. For instants, in German on Christmas they have liver dumpling soup, followed by a "Bratl" (pork roast). In the middle of the last century the Wiener Schnitzel became a favorite. Cabbage, red and white and Sauerkraut also became a part of the tradition. That is a bit different from what we are uses to. Let's take a look a some other places that are just as different.

ARGENTINA
There are two traditional Christmas dinners that are enjoyed by the people of Argentina. Some of the natives typically prepare Ninos Envuettas – three inch squares of steak, filled with meat, spices, hard-boiled egg and onions, which are rolled before cooking. Others celebrate by preparing roast peacock, garnished with some of its own vibrant feathers. These entrees are then surrounded by a variety of regional side dishes.
BRAZIL
In Brazil, the Christmas meal is quite a feast, offering large quantities of food, such as a wide variety of dishes which include fresh vegetables (including Couve a Mineira – kale, highly seasoned with garlic) and luscious fruits. Accompanying these are bowls of zesty, colorful rice and platters filled with ham and Ceia de Natal – Brazilian Christmas turkey.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Carp is the main course for Christmas dinner in the Czech Republic. To introduce the meal, fish soup is served, as well as a variety of salads. As a complement to the fish, sides which include potatoes, eggs and luscious vegetable dishes are served, and the meal is topped off with Christmas cake, heavily peppered with raisins and almonds. Rather than enjoying their feast on Christmas day, folks in the Czech Republic share their traditional holiday meal on Christmas Eve.
DENMARK
The Danish prepare a feast of succulent goose, filled with prunes and apples and draped with a luscious lingonberry sauce. This is served with roasted brown potatoes and colorful red cabbage. Preceding the entrée is rice pudding, containing a single whole almond – the lucky recipient of the almond wins a special treat at the end of the meal, often consisting of a marzipan. Like the Czechs, the folks in Denmark enjoy their holiday feast on Christmas Eve.
EGYPT
Those who celebrate Christmas in Egypt share their holiday meal well after midnight on Christmas Eve. Traditional fare consists of soup, boiled meat and rice, and is topped off by Kahk – biscuits which are sweet to the taste and decorated with a cross. The eating of Kahk, too, encompasses a separate tradition which reflects the eating of similar biscuits by the Moslems on Eid el Fitr.
ICELAND
As in Denmark, the people of Iceland include a tasty rice pudding with their Christmas meal, filled with raisins and a single almond. The main course consists of smoked mutton and leaf-bread (Laufabraud) – a slim, deep-fried wheat bread that’s decorated with elaborate patterning. In lieu of the smoked mutton, some families feast on Rock Ptarmigan – a small winter grouse found in Iceland – which has a wonderfully gamy taste and can be fairly difficult to acquire.
ITALY
Italians celebrate the holiday with two wonderful feasts – one on Christmas Eve, the other on Christmas Day. The meal on December 24th brings a variety of seafood dishes, lentils, pasta, numerous salads and – quite often – Capitone (roast eel). Christmas Day brings the second feast, consisting of platters of regionalized Italian appetizers (salami, olives, spiced meats, etc.) and soup. For the main course, there are typically several varieties of pasta, including lasagna and tortellini, among an assortment of other shapes; and numerous meat and vegetable dishes, as well as salad. The three traditional desserts that are present at most holiday feasts are panforte (gingerbread), torrone (nougat candy) and panettone (fruitcake).
PERU
Peruvians celebrate the Christmas holiday with a feast of roast turkey, tamales and numerous types of salad. The traditional dessert is fruitcake, as in some other countries. Up until this point, folks celebrate quite heartily from the beginning of the season, and enjoy food from a plentiful number of vendors selling regional favorites through the marketplaces. The Peruvian feast isn’t given the same emphasis as the Christmas meal is in other areas of the world.
POLAND
The Wigilia – traditional Polish Christmas dinner – begins with the breaking of a thin wafer (the Oplatek) by the head of the house, and is followed by a variety of dishes that are inherent to the region, as well as the more basic staples that can be found in most areas of Poland. These items include beet soup, sauerkraut and dumplings, noodles with poppy seeds, a variety of fish recipes and prune dumplings. Desserts are also abundant, and include strudel, fruit compote and a type of porridge made of grains, raisins, honey and nuts (known as Kutya).
SWEDEN
While the feasting begins on December 13th, along with the festivities, it reaches a crescendo on Christmas Eve, with a huge Christmas smorgasbord. The holiday fare consists of jellied pigs’ feet, Lutfisk (cod in cream sauce), ham and porridge. Included in the yuletide celebration is the traditional Doppa I Grytan (meaning, “dipping in the kettle”), in which those who are gathered dip small hunks of dark bread in the juices of meats, such as pork, corned beef and sausage.
ZIMBABWE
Large feasts are enjoyed for the Christmas meal in Zimbabwe, and are typically prepared by a number of the women in a particular part of the community – or those who are members of a specific church. Traditional fare may include roast ox, bread with jam and porridge that’s made with cornmeal. An alternative to the roast ox is goat, although some families partake of both types of meat during the holiday meal. Beverages traditionally include cups of sugared tea.

While the methods of celebration differ from country to country during the holidays, most employ a tradition which includes gathering with friends and relatives to break bread. In the spirit of the season, they enjoy a sumptuous Christmas feast containing foods that have their traditions firmly rooted within generations of family members. Which is what it's all about, "FAMILY".

Cultural Foods

I want to focus today on some cultural foods. Some cultures eat foods that others would never think to eat. Like in the black culture you will find that they enjoy chitlins, hog maws, (stomach)
pig feet, or pig ears. I say they because I don't care for these foods myself, anyhow this is because in colonial times, hogs were slaughtered in December and these parts were giving to the slaves. Until emancipation, African-American food choices were restricted by the dictates of their owners, because of the West African tradition of cooking all edible parts of plants and animals, these foods helped the slaves survive in the United States. I have tried all of these things at one time or another and didn't care for any of them. I take that back I have never tried chitlins, the smell alone was enough for me to pass on them. If you didn't know chitlins are the large intestines of a pig. So I am sure you can imagine why they smell so bad.

Mexican Americans eat something similar called menudo but these intestines come from a cow. They also eat cow tongue. It is suppose to be pretty good, but I have never had it myself, don't plan on it either. Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Mexican culture and food is one of the richest in the world, both with respect to diverse and appealing tastes and textures; and in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Though not a verified claim, some people consider Mexican cuisine to be the second most varied and vast in the world (after Chinese cuisine).
Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-Hispanic traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists.
Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees.
A distinction must be made between truly authentic Mexican food, and "Tex Mex" (Texan-Mexican) cuisines. Mexican cuisine combines with the cuisine of the southwest United States (which itself has a number of Mexican influences) to form Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex cuisine. Another style of cuisine that is commonly mistaken for Mexican food is New Mexican

I could go on and on about the different food eaten by people from other cultures, because there are so many different cultures in the world and so much history behind each. I love that we live in such a diversed world and have access to so much cuisine. I said "I love steak and could eat it everyday if I could",but even steak and potatoes gets old after time