Christmas food in Asia
Japan
Only Christians celebrate Christmas in Japan, said Kanon Tsuchida, a freshman from Japan majoring in information technology. She explained, "Chicken, beef, mashed potatoes and a gorgeous cake" are what they eat during the holidays with her family.
Indonesia
Sarita Bella Pratam shared, "My mom usually cooks something special [and] she always asks what we want to eat for Christmas." Pratam, a junior from Indonesia studying hospitality and tourism management, said they eat rendang and selat solo. According to the website Rasa Malaysia, rendang is a spicy beef stew made with coconut milk and selat solo is made from beef tenderloin, vegetables and hard-boiled egg as with mayonnaise or mustard as sides.
Malaysia
Wie Sheng Ng, a sophomore from Malaysia majoring in information technology, said his family celebrate Christmas at church more than they do at home. Ng said they eat Malaysian curry when they celebrate Christmas. "We use pork or chicken as our main ingredient," said NG. He also said their curry is more spicy and closer to the original curry of India.
Phillipines
Christmas in the Philippines is festive and fun, said Edward Salazar, a freshman from the Philippines studying psychology. It is not only about remembering the Savior’s birth, but it is also a time when Filipino families gather together, he shared. Salazar said the average Filipino usually has Filipino-style spaghetti, roasted chicken, barbecue, buko salad, mango float, sticky rice and puto when they celebrate the holiday. “Biko is my favorite,” said Salazar. “Biko is made with sticky rice, coconut milk and muscovado sugar. The sticky rice signifies unity in the family. Family members should stick together, especially during Christmas.”
Christmas food in Europe
Spain
In Spain, Lluna Garcia Risquez, a junior majoring in psychology from Spain, said people share a large meal called Nochebuena, meaning “good night,” on the night of Christmas Eve. Nochebuena is typically shared with the mother’s side of the family. The following morning, Risquez explained, is spent with the other side of the family. “You open presents and eat another huge meal,” Risquez said. According to an article in Good Housekeeping by Lizz Schumer, seafood and soup are traditional Nochebuena dishes in Spain, with turrón afterward. Turrón is made of honey, sugar, egg whites and roasted almonds or nuts, usually in a rectangular or circular shape.
Portugal
Karolina Benidio said in Portugal, Christmas is a time of cherished traditions and delicious feasts. Benidio, an accounting junior from Portugal and Poland, said after exchanging gifts, her family gathers to play card games until around 3 a.m. To keep things light, she said they enjoy a comforting soup while they play. According to Benidio, the soup is known as “canja de galinha,” a Portuguese chicken soup with different versions depending on the region. It features a chicken broth enhanced with sautéed onions, garlic, rice, orzo pasta and sometimes diced root vegetables like celery and carrots. Benidio said, “Portugal is a very Catholic country, so we absorb that into our Christmas.” One Catholic tradition Benidio shared is the practice of abstaining from meat on Christmas Eve and eating lamb on Christmas Day.
Christmas food in Oceania
Tonga
It is not Christmas without a perfect juicy roasted pig for Stella Fungavaka Peleuale, a junior from Tonga majoring in hospitality and tourism management. The combination of its perfectly crispy skin and fatty meat with sweet potatoes and taro or ‘ufi, which is a Tongan yam, is the best part of Christmas gatherings for their family, she said.
Papua New Guinea
The mumu, which is the main course for a Christmas gathering, is placed upon hot stones in an underground earth oven in Florence Gonapa’s home village. Gonapa, a sophomore majoring in business management from papua New Guinea, said the mumu can be crafted from an abundance of fresh garden produce, such as taro, bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava and a variety of greens, harmoniously complemented with a choice of succulent meats, including pork, chicken and beef. These are all covered in banana leaves so as to not let the ground seep through to the food, she said.
Palau
A delightful breakfast of tama tuu sets the perfect tone for a Palauan Christmas Day, said Kaela Olsingch, a senior majoring in psychology from California. These delicious banana donut balls are tasty and are a meaningful link to Olsingch’s place of birth and her father’s Micronesian heritage, she said.