PARIS — The festive season is upon us, and kitchens the world over are coming alive with a symphony of time-honored and unique flavors. Sometimes, one might say, a bit too unique?
From force-fed fowl to fermented fish, this worldwide roundup of Christmas dishes proves that, in the realm of festive feasting, there’s always room for a local twist. So savor the weird and wonderful culinary traditions, and see how the Worldcrunch crew in Paris voted on a very subjective yuck-or-yum-o-meter:
FRANCE – Foie gras and snails
What is it?
Many may already be familiar with foie gras (literally “fat liver”), as much for its composition as the controversial nature of its production. The French delicacy is made of duck or goose liver that has been fattened through a force-feeding process and resembles a pâté, and can be served hot or cold, usually on toast. In several parts of France, the Christmas appetizer is coupled with snails, cooked with a creamy garlic butter and eaten piping hot, with the help of tiny special forks.
How it started:
Archeological evidence shows that snails have been eaten for millennia, from Greece to Rome. History has it that Charles Maurice de Talleyrand served snails to Tsar Alexander of Russia during one of his visits in France, and the dish became popular soon after. As for foie gras, it is traced back to ancient Egypt and was brought to France after the fall of the Roman Empire by Jewish communities.
Yum or ew?
Yum. Worldcrunch is based in Paris, we’ll take our foie gras on a pain brioché toast with some fig jam on top. Sorry, not sorry. As for the snails, well, like everybody, we’re in it for the garlic butter.
RUSSIA – Seledka Pod Shuboy
What is it?
Seledka Pod Shuboy, which translates to “herring under a fur coat”, is a traditional Russian salad served at Christmas and for the New Year, made of several layers : pickled herring on the bottom, stacked under diced potatoes, carrots, beets, onions and mayonnaise, topped with boiled eggs.
How it started:
The dish was originally a Swedish recipe dating back to 1864, which became popular in Russia, where it symbolized national unity : the herring of the working poor, the revolutionary red of the beets and the potatoes representing the nation’s farmers, all topped with mayonnaise, used to make dishes more filling during food shortages. Local Sotchi media Bloknot reports that the price of the ingredients has increased this year, and 80% of the readers surveyed don’t plan on making Seledka Pod Shuboy for the holidays.
Yum or ew?
Yum. Salads on the Christmas dinner table are a rare enough sight, and this sounds like a chance to get our 5-a-day slathered in mayonnaise
SOUTHERN AFRICA – Mopane worms
What is it?
Mopane worms are the caterpillar of the Emperor moth. In Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, they are fried with onions, tomatoes and chili. Other recipes deep fry them, or coat them in sauce as the worms themselves have very little taste.
How it started:
Mopane worms get their names from Mopane trees, which thrive in the drought-ridden landscapes of southern Africa. At first eaten out of necessity more than taste, the caterpillars are harvested in late November. They’re full of protein, iron and zinc, and while they are not specifically a Christmas food, they have become a festive delicacy for many people in these regions.
Yum or ew?
Ew. Hard pass.
JAPAN – KFC
What is it?
For Christmas, Japanese people order buckets of fried chicken (wings or breasts, with some fries on the side) to share with family and friends. Tokyo-based online media Japan Today reports that, for this year’s edition, KFC is releasing a spicy miso and garlic fried chicken to respond to customer demands.
How it started:
When the first KFC store opened in Nagoya in 1970, its manager, Takeshi Okawara, launched a “Kentucky for Christmas” marketing campaign to attract tourists and expats who were looking for their traditional turkey, but had to settle for chicken instead. In 1974, the “Kentucky for Christmas” campaign went national, and has since then become the official Christmas meal in Japan, with menus including cake, wine or even whole roasted chickens.
Yum or ew?
Yum. We’re team KFC till NYE.
GREENLAND – Mattak and kiviak
What is it?
Mattak (or muktuk) is an inuit delicacy made from raw narwhal or white whale skin, with the blubber still attached to it, and carved into bite-sized pieces. Another part of the traditional Inuit Christmas meal is kiviak : auks (small arctic birds) that have been stuffed in a sealskin buried to ferment for several months. The flesh of the auks is eaten raw once they have reached an advanced state of decomposition.
How it started:
During the winter months, kiviak becomes a necessary source of vitamins and proteins for people living in the Arctic. The seal carcass is stitched shut to prevent the auks from going bad and can hold up to 500 birds. Mattak is also a rich source of vitamin C, and was eaten by ancient Arctic people to avoid getting scurvy
Yum or ew?
Ew. We don’t doubt mattak and kiviak will help you survive the frozen Arctic winter, but you may want to re-read the part about the seal carcass stitched shut. Or any other part, really.
NORWAY – Smalahove
What is it?
Smalahove consists of a sheep’s head cut in two, served with potatoes and rutabaga. To prepare it, remove the brain, soak the two halves in water for two days. Then salt, dry, and smoke. The demi-head is then boiled or steamed before being eaten. Ears and eyes open the ball, moving on to eating front to back.
How it started:
Smalahove dates back to the Viking age. Not everyone could afford good parts of the lamb, so the more modest had to make use of the leftovers, especially when food was scarce during the long winters. The dish quickly spread due to its nutritional value and became a staple in Christmas Norwegian cuisine. Smalahove is now part of Norway’s cultural heritage, mostly consumed by tourists and not so much by locals.
Yum or ew?
Ew. We’ll leave it to other tourists and stick to taking photos, tusen takk.
SLOVAKIA, POLAND & CZECH REPUBLIC – Christmas carp
What is it?
In certain Central European countries, living carps are brought a few days before Christmas in the home’s bathtub to keep the fish fresh. On Christmas, the carp is then killed to be fried and served with cabbage.
How it started:
Mentions of the Christmas carp first appeared in the 17th century although fish farming dates back to the 12th century in Slavik countries. Carps were kept in ponds to clean their digestive tract as they fasted. Ponds became bathtubs and the breeding beasts became pets to be named, killed and eaten by the families as a traditional meat-free meal. NPR interviewed Slavic people that admitted having developed some sympathy for the poor carp. After diner, each member picks up and carries one scale in their wallet for good luck until the next Christmas.
Yum or ew?
Yum. Nothing like fresh fish — though it does beg a couple of personal hygiene questions while the carp is in said tub?!
ITALY – Seven fishes and panettone
What is it?
Italians start on Christmas Eve with la festa dei sette pesci (feast of the seven fishes), which as the name suggests, consists of seven different seafood dishes, from sardines to lobster. And on Christmas day, it is common to eat panettone, a cupola shaped sweet bread with candied fruits and raisins.
How it started:
The feast of the seven fishes originated from Roman Catholic tradition, highlighting the sanctity of the number seven for Christians, who also abstained from eating meat during the period. Nowadays it is especially popular in Italian-American communities due to Italian migration in the late 1800s. As for panettone, legend has it that the first account can be retraced to the 15th century in the Roman Empire, when the desert got burnt at the Duke of Milan’s Christmas banquet and his cook had to come up with something. The cook, named Antonio, took some leftover dough from the original desert and threw in all the ingredients he had, creating the ‘pan di toni’ that became a Christmas dish still enjoyed at this time of year to this day.
Yum or ew?
Yum. A Roman fishy feast AND a ducal desert? Grazie, Toni!
ENGLAND – Christmas pudding
What is it?
The classic recipe states that the Christmas pudding should contain dried fruits, candied peel, soft fresh white breadcrumbs, and apples with a touch of brandy. The base is plain flour, light muscovado sugar and loads of butter which sounds like a traditional cake, but boil it or steam it for eight hours and you will obtain this semi-solid consistency and creamy texture. On Christmas day, the pudding is re-boiled or steamed for an hour, and the brandy butter is poured on top and flamed.
How it started:
Pudding was originally served in the 14th century as a fasting meal before Christmas, for Advent. Legends said it had to contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus Christ and his apostles, bringing luck to the family members if they stirred it. But the luckiest was the one finding the item hidden in the creamy mixture: coin, wishbone, ring or else. It became tradition to include a British sixpence in the pudding, a tradition even recognized by the UK’s official maker of British coins. The sixpence can be replaced by any silver coin nowadays, a sign of prosperity in the year to come for its finder.
Yum or ew?
Draw. Great to finish on a sweet note – and a bit of brandy may help the Seledka Pod Shuboy go down. But this feels a bit like both a choking and fire hazard.
