Many cultures consider the best Christmas attraction to be something from the ocean.
The world’s traditional Christmas or holiday food isn’t necessarily made with ham, turkey, or Chinese food (if you are Jewish). It is centered on seafood. Roman Catholics used to fast on Christmas Eve. The last evening meal of Advent was without meat and fish were king and queen.
Do not carp at the carp.
You might think that in Poland, Hungary and eastern Germany, people would enjoy a delicious goose or duck holiday dinner.
Carp has been the main course of Christmas Eve meals in Roman Catholic countries for centuries. This tradition lives on in England’s Eastern Europeans who live in England. Fishmongers in England buy mirror carp fresh from France and see their sales increase more than tenfold over the holidays.
You might have caught your carp fishing in the local pond. Eastern Europeans may have bought a live carp and kept it alive in a bathtub or bucket until Christmas Eve. You can buy fresh-killed carp or freeze it. The sweeter carp is baked whole and breaded, then fried in cream sauces or jelly (Smale 2015).
It’s a scary good sweet!
Lampre ia de ovos is a Portuguese sweet egg recipe that looks like a lamprey. It’s a spotted river fish with a set of teeth. The playful sweet was traditionally made by nuns and includes almonds for the teeth as well as candied cherries. This sweet honors the fish that was once a staple of Lent. It is composed of sweetened yolks and grated almonds. The body has been covered in syrup and sheets. To create the distinctive spots, one can heat iron (Rummel 2018, 2018).
The Portuguese are fond of salt cod or bacalhau, which is a salt cod soaked in water for several days prior to cooking. Bacalhau da Consolada is a simple Christmas Eve meal that combines cod, potatoes, eggs, and other greens. It’s drizzled with olive oils. Some people choose Bacalalhau a Gomes de Sa with olives or Bacalhau com Natas with cream, nutmeg, and a bechamel topping (Taborda 2021).
Rehydrated salt cod with potatoes is an iconic holiday meal in Brazil and Portugal.
Enjoy a feast of fish
Southern Italians break their fast at dawn, just after midnight Mass. La Vigilia di Natale, Cenone (great dinner), Cena della Vigilia di Natale (“the supper of the Vigil of the Nativity”) or La Vigilia di Natale might all be used to describe the abundant feast of seafoods and pasta. You’ll likely see seafood at Christmas dinner even though Roman Catholics can eat meat (Jones 2021).
The “Feast of the Seven Fishes” was developed by the U.S. Italian communities. Seven may be a reference to seven hills in Rome or seven days during which God created the earth.
Oysters, oh my!
Irish migrants fled the Irish Famine in 1800s to seek safety and came to the United States with a custom of enjoying a Christmas Eve milky stew made from ling fish. It tastes similar cod. They substituted oysters in the United States.
Oysters could only be purchased in winter if you were not on the coast at that point. They could be wrapped in wet straw and seaweed for two weeks, before they began to spoil (Shukla 2018, 2018). They were a symbol of Christmas Eve in the country, and they are still available in markets.
The railroad was not the first to transport live oysters across hundreds of miles. Abraham Lincoln, an ambitious ex-congressman, seems to be admired for his oyster orgies. The Lincolns hosted parties where huge amounts of raw oysters were consumed and all manner of cooking techniques used in Springfield, Illinois. (Glatz, 2020).
You don’t need to commission an express wagon to get quick-haul oysters for your Christmas dinner in the Midwest, like Abe Lincoln. They are available even in Illinois.
Oysters from the Gulf of Mexico may be used in American South stews and stuffings at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Shrimp and Grits, also known as hominy, is another Christmas favourite.
Christmas in the summer
Australia’s Christmas season arrives outdoors when the weather is at its best. Pavlova is a light, fluffy dessert made with meringue and cream with fresh fruits.
The national youth hostel association says fresh oysters rank as the best Aussie Christmas food. Precooked shrimp that you can peel and cook yourself takes the number one spot.
Citations:
Vital Choice – The Worlds Finest in Organic Seafood and Fare
