Christmas dinners from around the world 🌎 🎄

Good morning everyone,

It's now December and I'm very good at stating the obvious, so I expect many of you are thinking about your Christmas dinner. So, what are your favourites and alternatives to a traditional roast?

Here's a link to Christmas food from around the world. Some of the dishes look amazing. So, why aren't I surprised that it's baked pasta in Italy? I love the look of Tamales eaten in Costa Rica.

Here's a link with recipes for the dishes:

fluentin3months.com/christm...

I have to confess that I love Christmas pudding and I'm very impressed with the quality of some free from ones and I've had 4 Christmas puds so far this year...

Jerry 😊

[Zest]

Hi Hidden

I am looking forward to reading that article - and also considering my favourite Christmas foods - this post is 'food for thought' and I love it! I am also smiling at your comment that you've already had 4 Christmas puds so far this year - you are certainly sampling some - did you make them yourself or buy them ready made? Have you got any recommendations? I have already bought a ready made Christmas pudding - so I shall be looking forward to enjoying it over the festive period.

Zest

[Hidden in reply to Zest]

Hi Zest our friend Cooper was saying that theyr're cooking a curry for family friends and I think its really interesting what others are having around the world.

I buy the individual puds in the supermarket and whole food shops and my friends who come for Christmas dinner all like the ones I buy. My very favourite is Lily Puds and for Christmas Day I've a 454g one of theirs but it was over £11... Free from speciality items are worth paying a premium for I think.

Jerry 😊

These are the makers of my fave pud:

lillypuds.co.uk/lillypuds-s...

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Hidden]

I'm not planning a curry, although we did have a curry one year It's not a bad option for Christmas day to be fair, but I think I prefer a roast, as you can pop everything in the oven and spend a bit more time with family

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

Whoops...I love a roast and agree as everything cooks merrily away in the oven and the smell of a roast stimulates hunger I think. 😊

[Zest in reply to Hidden]

Lovely puds!

[Hidden]

Hi Jerry

I've had a look and my favourite one is Christmas pudding and always will be. I know I could make a gluten and egg free one but I daren't as I'm the only one that would eat Christmas pudding. Think I'd end up rather rotund i.e. the person that are all the pies.🤣

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

LOL Alicia you'd probably go charging off power walking around Dartmoor...🏃‍♀️

These are amazing vegan gluten free puds I love them:

lillypuds.co.uk/lillypuds-s...

Jerry 😀

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hmm, maybe I would ha ha.

I've had a look at the link and thank you for that, the 120g size ones are just about right, I can't pig out as much.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Well it just so happens when I bought the large one for Christmas Day I bought a box of 2 little ones just in case...😀

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Now that sounds like it was a very good idea.

[Cooper27 Administrator]

My mum used to prepare Beef Olives for Christmas, as my family could never agree on what they wanted. I think Beef Olives are a Scottish thing, but it's not traditional to eat them on Christmas day. They're made of sausage meat wrapped in very thin braising steaks, and you slow cook them in onion gravy.

I've recently found out that M&S sells gluten free sausage meat, so I'm planning to buy a block so I can attempt to make my own beef olives They're not traditionally gluten free.

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

Your mums Beef olives sound interesting and a great childhood memory. You can make your own gf sausage meat by mixing minced pork with a beaten egg a little flour to thicken seasoning and its very easy and you know exactly whats in it.

So I hope that you enjoy your Beef olives and its easy if M&S sell it. 😊

[Cooper27 Administrator in reply to Hidden]

I've never managed to achieve something that tastes sausagey enough but I'll make a couple each way and see what one tastes better

[Kaz747 Star]

We always have a traditional roast- turkey, ham and beef, gravy, potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, cauliflower & broccoli cheese, peas and corn. Dessert is trifle, fruit salad and cheesecake. I have suggested a change a few times but my kids love the tradition so we stick to that. We eat leftovers with salads over the next few days.

A lot of Aussies have seafood for Christmas, especially prawns and crayfish but my husband is allergic to crustaceans so we don’t.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Kaz747]

Can you get fake shrimp/fish?

[Kaz747 Star in reply to Activity2004]

Probably.He can eat fish, squid and molluscs but my sister and one daughter don’t like any seafood so we just stick to the roast.

[Activity2004 Administrator in reply to Kaz747]

Sounds good to me!😀👍

[Hidden]

Hi Kaz, this sounds interesting roast beef with turkey and ham and I love the thought of cauliflower and broccoli cheese and I bet your family love your cooking as we've seen it. So good for you and thats interesting about cray fish and prawns being popular.

Jerry. 😊

[Cooper27 Administrator]

If I run out of time, I'm planning to serve up 6 of these

ladbible.com/news/food-the-...

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

😁

[MTCee]

Very interesting read Jerry. Always wondered what a Yule log was 😄 I also loved the fact about some fruit cakes getting passed down as family heirlooms and reaching a grand old age......and the Japanese delighting in a KFC for their Christmas meal. What a curious world we live in 😂

We usually stick to a very traditional roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings, although we often have a home made gf sticky toffee pud for dessert rather than an Xmas pudding.

[Hidden]

Thanks MTCee I thought that was interesting about the Yule log.

For us in the UK Christmas is mid winter so it must be interesting where it's in a different season.

I like all steamed puddings so toffee sounds really good alternative. 😀

Lets hope we don't have a Big Mac Christmas special...LOL