Foreign Festive Feasts
Instead of tucking into your traditional turkey roast or “local is lekker” braai this Christmas, why not add some foreign flavour to your menu by exploring tastes from other cultures and climes?
Millions of people around the world celebrate Christmas every year, but every nation has tailored the happy holiday to reflect its own heritage.
Becoming a global gourmet is not rocket science, as most good supermarkets stock a selection of international foods and other goodies. If you cannot find what you are looking for, pop into speciality shops or your local deli, many of which have a tempting range of foodie delights from different countries.
Adventurous Africa
On the African continent, Egypt and Kenya boast daringly different Christmas spreads to tempt even the most provincial palate.
On Christmas Day, Egyptians socialise with friends and neighbours, sharing a delicious shortcake treat called kaik and a refreshing drink, shortbat. The main meal is a simple affair called fata – a dish comprising bread, boiled meat, garlic and rice. Dessert, however, is a gastronomic delight, with almond heavy lebkuchen biscuits and round sweet balls, ghryba, as popular after dinner choices.
Kenyans are great fans of nyama choma as a main course – a roast dish of goat or sometimes beef, although poor families in Kenya make do with chicken – served with fresh side dishes such as vegetables, fruit and aromatic chapattis with chutney sauce. To cook this dish authentically, you should roast it on a charcoal grill and eat it as it comes off the fire.
Southern Delicacies
In the Southern Hemisphere, December is often blisteringly hot, so little wonder Brazil has concocted a cool, fresh festive menu to complement traditional roast pork, chicken and fish dishes. For Brazilians, Christmas is a time for feasting, so there is plenty of food and loads of variety on offer. Couve a Mineira is garlic seasoned kale, accompanied by platters of fresh fruit and salad (cool potato salad is often favoured), colourful rice and a range of delectable puddings such as panettone (a heavenly sweet bread) and nut pie. To match your Brazilian theme, deck the house with armfuls of fresh flowers, richly decorated Christmas trees and flashing lights – the brighter and flashier, the better!
European Treats
For the Italians, Christmas is a loud, joyous time of family togetherness, and their food reflects this deep sense of occasion and joie de vivre. A typical Christmas Eve spread includes a minimum of seven different fish dishes, fish salad (caponata di pesce) and prepared eel. Other favourites are: baccala, a salted, dried codfish delicacy; pasta bakes; turkey and capon. Slightly more adventurous dishes include lo zampone, a pig’s foot stuffed with spicy minced meat, and il cotechino, pig’s intestine sausage.
Dessert is a lustrous affair, with calorific treats such as struffoli (a Neapolitan honey pastry), dried figs, chestnuts, marzipan fruits and veggies and fried pastry ribbons dusted with sugar dominating the menu.
For an Austrian experience, make carp the centre of your menu, preferably with a beer and gingerbread sauce, and ring the changes with roast goose or a ham dish, usually served with glühwein and followed by chocolate mousse. In Austria, delicate sweets are to die for, such as sacher torte (chocolate and apricot cake), together with chocolate Christmas ornaments.
In Germany, rich dishes are enjoyed both on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. These include suckling pig and apple stuffed roast goose or duck, matched with macaroni salad and rice porridge. Children love German sweets such as marzipan candy and stollen (Christmas bread), but their favourite after dinner treat is devouring the dozens of biscuits and candies hung from the tree. Making a colourful gingerbread house is a cherished festive season pastime and there are many recipes available, should you be keen to try your own.
Christmas menus offer a smorgasbord of choice to the adventurous cook. If you cannot find a readymade dish, visit a couple of websites for inspiration and recipes. Perhaps you will enjoy the Billy Can Pudding from Australia (http://www.santas.net/), bake a stollen bread from scratch (http://www.christmas-cookies.com/) or trot through a feast of ideas at http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/.
Whatever you do, have yourself a very merry Christmas this year – and drink a toast to the dizzying array of meals created to celebrate this special occasion.
Story by Beth Cooper
