This Is What They Serve On Christmas Dinner At Different Countries Of The World

• 01

  UK

  
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  "In Britain we traditionally have a turkey (but sometimes people may have a goose or chicken) with cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, pigs in blankets (small sausages wrapped in bacon), roast carrots, roast potatoes, parsnips, and the best of all, gravy! Just before the dinner you pull a cracker with someone else, and it has a really bad joke, a hat, and little toy inside."

• 02

  Russia

  
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  Russians celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Unlike New Year's, which is basically just a big party, tradition calls for Christmas to be a family affair, held either at the parents/grandparents' house or that of the eldest offspring. And it also marks the end of a fast, so lots of meat and fish dishes make it to the table. The most traditional dishes are stuffed roast goose, pork tenderloin with apples and cabbage, and some form of coulibiac (pictured). It's basically a closed pie with fish, rice, and hard-boiled eggs inside."

• 03

  Switzerland

  
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  "In Switzerland we stick some meat pieces on a super-long fork and dip it in boiling bouillon soup to cook it, kind of like a hotpot! It's served with french fries or potato chips, and a variety of sauces for the meat."

• 04

  Portugal

  
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  "In Portugal the traditional Christmas meal is called 'Consoada' and is eaten during the evening of Christmas Eve. It consists of boiled bacalhau (dried salted codfish), boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, boiled onions, boiled chickpeas, boiled cabbage, and other greens accompanied with a dressing made of chopped raw onion, garlic, and parsley. This dish is also accompanied with olive oil, and a lot of it! Another traditional dish is "polvo à lagareiro" (grilled octopus) accompanied by 'batatas a murro', which translates to 'punched potatoes', that are oven-roasted with garlic, parsley, and olive oil. And there are sooooo many more Portuguese Christmas sweets!"

• 05

  Venezuela

  
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  "I'm from Venezuela and our traditional Chrismast dinner is 'hallacas', which is pretty much like a tamal; roasted pork or turkey; 'pan de jamón', which is bread stuffed with Christmas ham, raisins, and olives; and 'ensalada de pollo', which is a chicken salad with potatoes, carrots, and peas. For dessert we have 'torta negra', which is chocolate cake with rum-soaked fruits."

• 06

  Barbados

  
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  "In Barbados we have turkey, ham, and sweet potato pie in sugar and pineapple juice. There's also rice and peas, salads, macaroni pie, and American-style stuffing if you like that stuff. For dessert we have Bajan rum black cake (which is our version of fruit cake and it's a million times better) with ice cream, cheesecakes, or pudding bread."

• 07

  Netherlands

  
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  "In the Netherlands we usually gourmet during holidays and I think most families have a gourmet set at home. It's like a grill plate with little pans you put on the dinner table. Everybody gets their own little pan and wooden spoon. You basically grill miniature meats like sausages, slavinken, and hamburgers or small pieces of fish and vegetables at the table. Every supermarket sells ready-to-go gourmet meat or fish plates."

• 08

  Norway

  
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  In Norway the Vikings celebrated Yule before they became Christian – at the same time we now celebrate Christmas, so a lot of our foods comes from the Vikings' traditions. For example, we have a strange thing where we place cod in lye so it becomes jelly-like and then we rinse it, like, 20 times before serving it with melted butter and bacon. We also eat dried cooked lamb head, and dried lamb rib that's been boiled with sticks for eight or more hours. Since the 1700s it's become a status symbol to have at least seven types of Christmas cookies in the house, and they all had to be homemade, so that's a tradition we've kept. Oh yeah, and we celebrate Christmas on the 24th and we open presents on the same night.

• 09

  New Zealand

  
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  "In New Zealand we eat whatever can fit on the BBQ, followed up with a pavlova of course. I love how laid back it is."

• 10

  Denmark

  
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  "In Denmark we eat 'flæskesteg', which is a pork roast with crackling. With this we eat potatoes, warm red cabbage, gravy, small caramelized potatoes, and chips. For dessert we have 'ris'a'la mande' – a rice porridge with almonds, whipped cream, and vanilla in it."

• 11

  Finland

  
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  "In Finland we have ham, potatoes, a lot of different types of fish, and then we have these things called 'lanttulaatikko' (pictured) which are kinda like casseroles. Potato salad is also quite popular and some people eat meatballs, too. For dessert we just have traditional gingerbread cookies, plum jam tarts in the shape of a star, and we love to drink glögi, which is quite similar to mulled wine but with cardamom."

• 12

  Jamaica

  
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  "In Jamaica rice and peas is a given with either gungo peas or a small red bean called Jerusalem or Christmas peas, along with Christmas ham in most households. Other meat options include curry goat, chicken (usually fried or fricasseed), and roast beef. Sides include baked macaroni and cheese, fried ripe plantains, and potato or pasta salad. Sorrel is our traditional Christmas drink and white rum is usually added."

• 13

  Mexico

  
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  "In Mexico, tamales are the staple dish for any Christmas dinner. My personal favorite are bean tamales, but the most popular ones are made with chicken. Champurrado is also a delicious chocolate drink made from corn. Some other popular dishes include pozole, buñuelos, and la rosca de reyes (pictured)."

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