Written by: Ashlyn Rodrigues
The holiday season is usually a time for families to come together to celebrate and spend time with each other. Most people have certain traditions for the holidays, and a big part of these traditions is food! Today’s post will highlight some of the popular traditional holiday foods that people like to celebrate with, including not just Christmas, but other December holidays as well!
First holiday: Christmas! Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, and it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. Eggnog is a classic drink that is typically served at holiday gatherings and is usually alcoholic, though there are also non-alcoholic versions. Eggnog literally means “egg inside a small cup.” It is made with eggs, sugar, milk, and some kind of alcohol. Apple cider is another drink that people like to enjoy with their Christmas meal. Some other popular Christmas foods are pumpkin pie, pecan pie, green bean casserole, ham, stuffing (aka dressing), and so many more. And of course, we have the iconic candy canes, gingerbread cookies, fruitcake, and holiday sugar cookies. Many people also like to have cranberry sauce with their meat.
Another holiday that is celebrated in December is Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. It is a Jewish festival to commemorate the recovery of Jerusalem. It is celebrated over the course of 8 days, starting at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. One of the most popular Hanukkah foods is brisket; it is enjoyed during other Jewish holidays besides Hanukkah as well. Some other popular Hanukkah foods are latkes (or potato pancakes), kugel, seffa, and Hanukkah gelt.
The last holiday for this post is Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a festival in African-American culture that is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. It ends with a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the 6th day. The food could vary a little depending on the family and their traditions, but it will most likely always include some symbolic foods like mazoa (fruits and vegetables) and the muhindi (corn). The main dish that is served at Karamu is usually a one-pot stew. The type of stew can be anything from Ghanaian groundnut stew to Cajun jambalaya to Creole gumbo. The meal usually includes starchy foods as well, like Virginia spoon bread, South African mealie bread, Nigerian jollof rice, and injera (Ethiopian flatbread). Some other popular dishes include jerk chicken, fried plantains, fried okra, candied yams, sweet potato pie, and many more.
I think it is important for us to know at least a little bit about other cultures and how they celebrate. I didn’t even know any of these things about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa before this. Don’t these foods sound great? I hope this was an interesting read, learning about different traditional holiday foods not just for Christmas, but for other festivals too. Happy holidays!
Sources:
https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/10-classic-holiday-foods.htm
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/a-definitive-ranking-of-the-best-christmas-foods
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71273/origins-15-holiday-foods-and-drinks
https://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/a34417779/kwanzaa-food/