Winter food traditions from around the world
When you think of winter, and in particular winter holidays and festivities, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year, it’s difficult not to indulge your mind with all the wonderful food we recall from our childhood or new food traditions we’ve made of our own. Food is the cornerstone of the winter festive season that brings friends and family together to share memories, cultural traditions, and recipes!
In Mexico, anything and everything is on the menu from roast lamb, stuffed turkey and prawns, to the more traditional Christmas Romeritos which comprises of a dish of wild native plants typically cooked with dried shrimp and potatoes. Travel north to Puerto Rico and you will find locals sharing Pasteles, a dish consisting of ground pork and spices wrapped within a special masa dough often served with rice, meat or fish. Pork also features in Goa’s traditional festive celebrations where a dish called Sorpotel is made by combining pork (traditionally including the liver and heart) slow-cooked in cinnamon, cumin and kashmiri chillies. Rice cakes are considered a perfect accompaniment with this dish, as is Tteokguk which in South Korea, is consumed during one of the most celebrated traditions of Lunar New Year. This soup is prepared with thinly sliced rice cakes, egg, beef, vegetables, and sometimes kimchi or dumplings.
Europe plays host to some of the most luxurious cuisines across the globe and during winter, it is no different. Beetroot soup or 'Borscht' is shared amongst families in Poland, whilst Swedish families will indulge in Julbord which is a buffet including cold fish, cold meats, cheese, pickles, and Julskinka (Christmas ham). Staying in Northern Europe, Pinnekjøtt is served in Norway by drying, curing, smoking and then cooking lamb ribs slowly over birch wood until the meat is juicy and tender, whilst the method of pickling is adopted in Denmark for its Julesild herring spiced with cinnamon, cloves and sandalwood and accompanied with a wedge of Rugbrød (Danish rye bread). Not every food over winter is filled with meat, for example in Lithuania, Kūčios, which can take as long as a week to prepare, is a dairy-free, meatless dinner where only cold dishes on the table, including herring, bread, mushrooms and other vegetables.
During winter, Hanukkah (The Festival of Light) brings together many families to light the menorah, sing songs, exchange gifts and enjoy traditional Hanukkah food. Fried potato pancakes, called Latkes in Yiddish, are the most popular Hanukkah food and consist of shredded potatoes mixed with onion, egg, flour and seasonings and fried in oil. The crispy latkes are served with sour cream and applesauce on the side. Sticking with the fried theme, Sufganiyot or deep-fried jelly doughnuts, are also a very popular dish eaten during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
When it comes to satisfying the sweet tooth, Sicilians know a thing or two about desserts having introduced the world to cannoli and gelato. Their traditional winter dish of Buccellato comprises of a circular cake laced with dried figs, almonds and pine nuts, differing from the well-known Italian Panettone. Cake is also on the menu in Austria, where families would serve Sachertorte, a chocolate-and-apricot flavoured cake. Another European favourite is the German Stollen whilst the British are renowned for consuming Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies over the winter festive period. Finally, Pavlova, a meringue dish with a crispy exterior encompassing a marshmallow interior is a treat widely enjoyed in Australia and New Zealand. Yet the origin of this dessert is now an arguable topic between the two nations having been named after a famous Russian ballerina when she was touring Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.