New Year's table in different countries of the world. Traditional New Year's dishes from around the world

Each dish on the New Year and Christmas table is endowed with different countries oh, oh different nations its special meaning and significance. Let's take a short walk through the traditions of the New Year's table.

New Year's table in France
In France, a holiday is not a holiday if there is no traditional roast turkey at the New Year's table.

What is remarkable about the New Year's table in Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia
But on the holiday tables of Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia there are never birds - geese, ducks, chickens, turkeys. In these countries they believe that you cannot eat poultry this evening, as happiness will fly away.

New Year's pies in Romania, Australia, Bulgaria
In Romania, Australia, and Bulgaria, New Year's pies are baked, and not simple ones, but with surprises: whoever gets the pies will be lucky.

New Year's table in Poland
In Poland, you can count exactly twelve dishes on the New Year's table. And not a single meat one! Mushroom soup or borscht, barley porridge with prunes, dumplings with butter, and chocolate cake for dessert. The obligatory dish is fish. In many countries it is considered a symbol of family happiness and prosperity.

New Year's table in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
A similar set of dishes is available at New Year's tables hostesses of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. True, they prefer pearl barley porridge, and strudel is a must - a puff pastry with apples, the pride of every good housewife.

New Year's table in Germany
In Germany, on New Year's Eve they always serve a brightly colored dish with apples, nuts, raisins and pies. The symbolism here is as follows: the apple is the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the nuts with their hard shell and tasty core symbolize the mysteries and difficulties of life. In Germany they say: “God gave the nut, and man must crack it.”

New Year's table in Spain, Portugal, Cuba
In many countries, in Spain, Portugal, Cuba, the grapevine has been considered a symbol of abundance and a happy family hearth since ancient times. Therefore, the inhabitants of these countries eat twelve grapes at midnight when the clock strikes - according to the number of strokes of the clock. With each grape they make a wish - twelve cherished wishes for each month of the year.

New Year's table in Italy
In Italy, it is also customary to serve grapes, nuts, and lentils at the New Year's table as a symbol and guarantee of longevity, health and well-being.

New Year's table in England
In England, traditional Christmas food is pudding and stuffed turkey with vegetables. Pudding is made from bread crumbs, flour, lard, raisins, eggs and various spices. Before serving, the pudding is doused with rum, set on fire and placed on the table flaming.

New Year's table in America
In America, stuffed turkey is also considered a traditional dish. The turkey is stuffed with everything that is lying around in the refrigerator: bread, cheese, prunes, garlic, beans, mushrooms, apples, cabbage.

New Year's table in Holland
In Holland, one of the main national New Year's dishes is salted beans. This is a very difficult food for the stomach, which cannot be lightened with either vodka or red wine.

New Year's table in Cambodia
In Cambodia, the New Year's table is placed near the window and the family's favorite sweets are served.

New Year's custom in Tibet
The people of Tibet have a cute New Year's custom. Housewives bake mountains of pies with a wide variety of fillings and present them to all their friends and strangers. The more you give away, the richer you will be!

New Year's table in Japan
In Japan, for the New Year, they prepare dishes from products that, according to legend, bring happiness. Seaweed gives joy, fried chestnuts - success in business, peas and beans - health, boiled fish - peace and good spirits, herring caviar - a happy family and many children. The New Year's meal in Japanese families is quiet and orderly, without noisy conversations and drinking songs. Nothing should distract from thoughts about what awaits everyone in the coming year.

New Year's table in China
In China. After all, it was the Chinese who gave us all these rabbits, dragons and boars that we are trying to “appease” on the night of December 31st to January 1st. Many of the traditional Chinese New Year foods are vegetarian and well seasoned. However, this does not mean at all that the Chinese deny themselves meat on New Year's Day - they eat it and whatnot. But they prepare it in their own way. For example, a chicken is baked or fried only whole, that is, with the head, legs and tail. In China they believe that this way you can strengthen your family. The same applies to fish: it is also cooked whole so that the family is strong and happy.

History of Russian New Year traditions
At first, under Peter the Great, who ordered to celebrate the New Year from December 31 to January 1, the main thing at the holiday was not the table, but the balls. Following the famous line from the song, for lunch, dinner and breakfast, our ancestors had... dancing and drinks to quench their thirst. Almost until the middle of the 19th century, there was no Russian New Year's menu, and what is now considered an invariable part of the New Year's table - all these suckling pigs with buckwheat porridge and geese with sauerkraut or apples - actually came from the Christmas table. At the beginning of the 19th century, cuisine was not complicated. Even in the houses of the nobility, the New Year's table could easily include pickled cucumbers, mushrooms, and radish salad. They also served suckling pig, veal fricassee, fried poultry, boiled trout in wine, and ruff veal. And, by the way, apricots, oranges, grapes and pears - greenhouses were in fashion, fruits were grown in the middle of winter in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The New Year's menu in the second half of the 19th century already included salmon, caviar, smelt and vendace, cheeses - along with the same radishes and pickles. For some reason, they lost interest in mushrooms, but labardan (cod) and watermelons came into fashion. Game competed with suckling pig fried with buckwheat porridge.

Festive roast pigs

It's time for soft drinks, ice cream and cognacs. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, French, Spanish fortified, Italian and German wines were drunk. And in imitation of champagnes, Don sparkling wines were already made. Of course, we drank vodka, liqueurs and liqueurs, Russian homemade and German beer. By the beginning of the twentieth century, anchovies, lobsters, and sardines began to appear on the New Year's table. It was impossible to do without the notorious pig and goose with apples, but hazel grouse and turkeys were already competing with them. During the Christmas days of 1912, 250 thousand piglets, 75 thousand turkeys, 110 thousand geese, 260 thousand chickens and ducks were sold in St. Petersburg. After the revolution, New Year celebrations were cancelled. But they still met him. True, dancing was only possible quietly, so as not to wake up the neighbors. It was then, presumably, that the habit of sitting at the table arose. The food was meager. They tried, of course, to hang nuts in gold and silver foil and apples on the tree banned by the revolution. The New Year tree was rehabilitated in 1936, along with nightly dancing. The Soviet New Year's table did not become elegant - even sausage cut into circles could decorate it. However, Eliseev’s former stores still sold hazel grouse and caviar. In the forties, the New Year was celebrated with vodka, boiled potatoes and herring, decorated with onion rings. Life became more fun in the fifties. Celebrating the New Year was no longer considered reprehensible. And it became possible to gather not only in a narrow circle, but also big company. On the tables appeared: jelly, herring under a fur coat, Baltic sprats. The second coming of the Olivier salad has arrived - with doctor's sausage instead of hazel grouse. It was cooked in a large basin and generously seasoned with mayonnaise.

Pig, goose or duck were desirable, but not required. When the chimes struck, it was imperative to open a bottle of “Soviet champagne.” In cramped apartments, the table took up all the space, so you had to choose: dancing or eating. With the advent of televisions, the table finally won.

There is very little time left until everyone’s most beloved and anticipated holiday – the New Year. Very soon, glasses of sparkling champagne will ring as the chimes ring. , baked duck - traditional dishes of the Russian New Year's table. And what is rich in the New Year's table in other countries? What dishes are considered traditional in France, China, Japan, Mexico?

Let's take a little trip and find out about it.

In the most romantic country in the world, France On New Year's Day, wild boar or deer meat is served as a main dish. Sometimes it is replaced by a bird, usually a pheasant or hazel grouse. Also an indispensable dish on this holiday is foie gras– specially prepared liver of a fattened goose or. The main dessert of New Year's Eve in France is "Christmas Log": a cake made from sponge dough, covered with cream so as to resemble tree bark. It has long been believed that such a delicacy brings good luck to all family members. Also, in the country of the Three Musketeers, it is customary to place bean pie. It is named so not because the main ingredient for its preparation is the seeds of this crop. The thing is that in one of the pieces of dessert there is a bean hidden, the lucky one who stumbles upon it, the whole New Year's Eve is called the “bean king” and has every right to make wishes, which are immediately fulfilled by other guests of the holiday.

And now let’s move to the land of pastas - Italy! For the residents of this country, the New Year is a real celebration of the belly. The hostess herself chooses what dishes to treat her guests to; only three traditional dishes remain unchanged: lentike, zampone and kotekino. The delicacies themselves are not as difficult to prepare as they are to pronounce. Lentike- this is just with tomatoes, to which sometimes finely chopped vegetables are added. According to stories, the more lentils you eat, the more money you will have in the coming year. Zampone- these are stuffed pork legs, and the meat is cooked in pork skin! This dish also has a special meaning: it is served immediately after midnight and progress and success in business awaits everyone who treats themselves to this dish! A Kotekino- fatty pork sausage. Rumor has it that if you try it, nothing will happen. Unlike the previous two traditional dishes, this one is just made for you to eat.

Do you hear the sound of castanets? It seems we are approaching the most passionate country - Spain! Here, in the homeland of flamenco, those who cannot imagine their life without meat will indulge their souls at the New Year's celebration. The most popular dish on New Year's Eve here (and not only on New Year's Eve): jamon- dry-cured pork ham. If you find yourself in Spain, be sure to try this dish, because it is a national delicacy. Also, some kind of fish dish or seafood dish is always placed on the table. Spain is famous for its desserts. Cookies with cumin, almond cakes, marzipan - all this will please even the most picky sweet tooth.

And now it’s time to move on to a country that will undoubtedly delight only the most risky and adventurous travelers with its New Year’s dishes - Mexico! The land of sombreros and tequila! Here on the New Year's table guests and residents of the country are offered very unusual dish: caterpillars. Fried or canned pupusas silkworm, perhaps, not the most familiar food for Russians, but on the other hand, what do you have to lose? It's worth the risk! If you still think that risk is not a very noble thing, then try atyeke, kedeana or fufu - also national dishes, but with ingredients much more familiar to us. Atieke- unleavened porridge made from cassava (a root vegetable vaguely reminiscent of potatoes) with fish or meat sauce. Kejen– ordinary fried chicken with rice and vegetables. A fufu– balls of banana dough, which are usually served with meat or fish.

Can you hear the bells ringing? This is how they announce the arrival of the New Year. Here, dishes made from classic Japanese ingredients are traditional for this holiday: boiled seaweed, fish pie, sweet potato puree with chestnuts. Also in Japan, New Year is not New Year if there are no flatbreads made from sticky varieties on the table - they are called mochi. Mochi brings prosperity, wealth and success to the eater in the coming year.

So, no matter what country we go to, New Year’s dishes are everywhere - you’ll lick your fingers! If you still don’t like something, then remember: the main thing is that the holiday is in your heart, then everything else will seem fabulous and magical!

In this article we will talk about national dishes on the New Year and Christmas holiday table. But first, a short introduction about whether it is customary to celebrate the New Year in all countries of the world.

January 1 – New Year begins according to the Gregorian calendar. But there are countries on the world map in which the New Year begins at a completely different time. Or this date is not given the status of a holiday or weekend. Which countries don't celebrate New Year?

For example, Muslim countries do not celebrate the New Year, since marking the change of dates is alien to Islam in principle. Muslims can go to a restaurant or home dinner on this day at the invitation of friends, but rather out of respect.

Some countries living according to the Persian calendar celebrate the New Year - Navruz - on March 22. For example, Iran, Afghanistan. And for this occasion, specific national dishes are prepared.

In some countries with Persian cultural heritage, both holidays (January 1 and March 22) are celebrated, but they are given different meaning. For example, in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania and Macedonia.

In Israel, the New Year - Rosh Hashanah - is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar and occurs in the fall. And on January 1, only immigrants from the former USSR celebrate the New Year.

In Asian countries, rich in their national holidays and rituals, January 1 is treated evenly. For example, in South Korea, January 1 is a day off, but you should not expect magnificent celebrations; they will take place later - on the day of the Korean New Year - Seollal, which is established according to the lunar calendar.

A similar story is in China. There are no noisy celebrations and public festivities on January 1. And the Chinese New Year (Chunjie), which falls from January 21 to February 21, is already celebrated on a grand scale, with fireworks, processions and a traditional family dinner.

It is no secret that in the Catholic part of Europe and America higher value is given to Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25, and all the main efforts and festive preparations are aimed at this holiday. The New Year is celebrated more modestly and in the format of parties with friends.

And in countries located on the territory of the post-Soviet space and professing Orthodoxy, the New Year is celebrated earlier than Orthodox Christmas (January 7), and, as a rule, more magnificent feasts are organized on New Year's Eve from December 31 to January 1. This has been the tradition since the times of the Soviet Union, when the authorities prohibited Religious holidays and people began to celebrate the New Year on a grand scale.

Gathering around the holiday table with the whole family is a wonderful tradition! The New Year's festive table is one of the symbols of the holiday. Some countries have developed their own superstitions about what needs to be put on the table to attract happiness, prosperity, good luck in the coming year, and what dishes are best avoided. The recipes for some traditional dishes have not changed for centuries!

Let's go with you on a gastronomic journey across countries and see what dishes are present on the Christmas and New Year's tables in the countries celebrating these holidays!

What do people eat on New Year and Christmas in different countries?

Italy

Christmas is the most important and anticipated holiday of the year in the Catholic part of Europe! But, probably, the strongest emotions and adherence to traditions are in Italy, where almost the entire population professes Catholic faith. In addition, it is in Italy that the Vatican is located, where the Pope holds a festive mass.

After the Christmas Mass, Italians gather at home to celebrate.

In each region and family there is a certain established order. Some people prepare a Lenten eve dinner and then have a luxurious dinner the next day. holiday dinner. For some, one smoothly flows into the second. For the Lenten table, they usually cook (eel or cod) with spaghetti. For a gala dinner, housewives offer either cold cuts, sausages, tortellini (Italian dumplings) in broth.

For dessert there are Italian pies: panettone (a cake with dried fruits, reminiscent of an Easter cake) and pandoro (“golden bread”), e, as well as dried fruits and nuts.

But it is not customary to treat people to apples, as they symbolize original sin.

Christmas festivities smoothly flow into New Year's. Italy is a country of fun, so the New Year is celebrated noisily and cheerfully here.

The same Italian dishes are present on the New Year's table. Traditional fish and seafood. It is believed that fish roe eaten on New Year's Eve will bring wealth.

Pork dishes are a must: pork legs and sausage - which symbolize moving forward. But chicken dishes are avoided.

Also, nuts, lentils, etc. are placed on the table as a symbol of health and longevity.

Traditional holiday baking also has a place on the New Year's table.

They raise a glass to the New Year not with champagne, but with Italian wine!

England

For the British, Christmas is a family holiday with many traditions and customs. It is believed that how you celebrate Christmas is how you will spend it next year, so everyone tries to have fun from the heart and set a rich table.

As a side dish - baked vegetables or potatoes. My favorite sauces are the sauce from...

For dessert you will be served plum pudding. This is a traditional holiday dessert in Great Britain and Ireland. To prepare it, use bread crumbs, prunes, raisins, almonds, and honey. Making pudding is considered a family tradition and its recipe can be passed down from generation to generation. It is usually prepared in advance - 2-4 weeks before the holidays. When serving, flambé - pour cognac or rum over it and set it on fire.

Traditional ones with dried fruits and nuts are also prepared in advance.

The sweet table is quite varied, on it you will find shortbread and almond cookies, shortbread and sweet rolls. Of the strong drinks, the British prefer - punch and English spiced ale, the cup of which is traditionally raised for health and well-being!

The New Year is celebrated with cheerful groups in pubs or at home, but without a magnificent feast, with alcoholic drinks and light snacks.

In New Zealand, Australia and other countries that were English colonies, the traditions of celebrating Christmas, including culinary ones, were adopted.

America

And on New Year's Day they make do with snacks and drinks, indulging in fun. They prefer strong alcoholic drinks and...

There are many versions of the origin of the world’s first cocktail, including the most romantic. But they are all somehow connected with the “cock tail”. It is confirmed in writing that the cocktail was first mentioned in 1806 in New York, in the reference book “Balance and Columbian Repository”, where the following definition of the cocktail was given - “A stimulating liqueur consisting of any alcoholic drink with the addition of sugar, water and bitters from herbs."

Among the New Year's cocktails that are popular among Americans are:

Red Currant Champagne - a cocktail of champagne and red currant or cranberry puree;

Ginger Sparkler – champagne, ginger slices and sugar;

Champagne Punch and Sangria – punches and sangria with various berries and fruits;

Cranberry Sparkler is a non-alcoholic cocktail made with cranberry puree, orange juice and sparkling water.

The cuisine of the southern states also shows influence from Latin cuisine. The Christmas table may include a tamal, a dish of meat and corn that is cooked in corn leaves.

Canada

In the English-speaking part of Canada, Christmas dinners are similar to English and American ones.

The main dish of the table is turkey. It is served with potatoes or mashed potatoes, Cranberry Sauce.

For dessert - pudding. Baked traditionally.

It is obvious that in the French-speaking part of the country the traditions of France dominate.

France

In France, the main holiday of the year is Christmas.

The whole family gathers for reveillon - dinner on Christmas night - on December 24 and indulges in a feast almost until the morning. refined and varied, replete with a large number of vegetable dishes, cheeses that are famous throughout the world, high-quality wines, .

Needless to say, Christmas dinner turns into an elegant feast.

The French are gourmets; the festive table always includes delicacies: foie gras (goose liver), oysters, king prawns, and others, as well as French cheeses and roasted chestnuts.

A number of dishes have a ritual past and symbolize one or another action.

A traditional dish on the French table is poultry, goose or duck, cooked with a special delicacy, stuffed, for example, with champignons, goose liver or truffles, marinated with the addition of various spices and baked.

Another traditional dish is the festive rooster - kaplan, which is raised and fed in a special way for bigger size and more delicate taste.

Another tribute to tradition is the Christmas log - Buche de Noel. There was an ancient custom of burning a Christmas log, dating back to paganism, when the arrival of the winter solstice was celebrated by burning the log. Nowadays no one burns the log, but the tribute to tradition remains, and the log appears on Christmas night in the form of a sweet roll on French tables. The French also have territorial gastronomic features of the Christmas table.

Le pain calendeau is a Christmas bread traditional in the south of France, part of which is usually given to the poor.

In Provence, it is customary to serve 13 desserts (according to the number of 12 Apostles and Christ), which include all kinds of sweets and dried fruits.

And, of course, they wash down all this variety with French wine and champagne. What else is there in the homeland of the drink?

Belgium

European countries that border each other and have common historical roots have similar cultural and culinary traditions.

The cuisine of Belgium has absorbed much from French, Austrian and German.

On the festive table of Belgium there are meat dishes, a special role is given to pork (it is considered the most prolific animal).

Among the sweets, which are in many ways similar to all European ones, one can note the Christmas wreath - a ritual cookie with almond filling, sprinkled with almonds and candied fruit, in the shape of a ring. , which the Belgians consider their national product, can be found here all year round, even on the New Year's table.

Germany

Christmas in Germany is the most awaited holiday of the year. Preparations for it begin in advance. Already in November, Christmas markets begin to operate in cities. There you will find all the attributes of Christmas, decorations, souvenirs, try traditional spicy mulled wine, and other national treats.

A few weeks before Christmas, the Germans prepare (Stollen) - a traditional Christmas cake. To prepare it, raisins and dried fruits are soaked in cognac or rum in advance, and after baking, the stollen is generously sprinkled with powdered sugar and sent for storage to ripen until Christmas night.

On Christmas Eve itself, or Holy Night (Weihnachten), German families gather around a richly laid festive table.

As in many other European countries, the main dish on the festive table is roast goose. It can be prepared with apples and prunes, or with dumplings, and each family has its own signature recipe.

Potatoes and vegetables are served as a side dish. Be sure to serve it in addition to goose stewed cabbage(Sauerkraut) and fried sausage or pork knuckle (Eisbein).

It is also a must on the Christmas table.

And this is no coincidence, since fish - ancient symbol Christianity.

In general, everything that is served on the table on Christmas evening is symbolic. There is a tradition of serving seven or nine dishes for the “holy supper.” Mainly grains, seeds, and other products that represent new life– wheat, peas, beans, nuts, poppy seeds, caviar, eggs. And wheat porridge seasoned with butter and honey is credited with magical properties. thorough and good, like everything German. Many recipes have survived to this day unchanged since the Middle Ages.

In pre-Christian times, Germanic peoples celebrated the winter solstice, which fell around the same time. Therefore, many dishes retained their recipes, but acquired new meaning and moved into the category of Christmas ones.

Originally, traditional German baked goods were gifts to the pagan gods, who were placated with gingerbread, marzipan, and fruit pies.

And now baked goods are always present on tables in the form of stollen, gingerbread and gingerbread houses.

It is popular in eastern Germany, which shows the influence of the national gastronomic culture of its eastern neighbors.

Austria, Hungary

Also, Wiener schnitzel, which has gained worldwide popularity, can be served.

And, of course, pastries for which Austrian cuisine is famous. It can be classic, Linz tart, Sacher torte and others.

In Hungary, it is customary to serve traditional bagels - poppy seed and nut rolls - at the holiday table.

Norway, Sweden, Finland

Let's look at the north of Europe, the Scandinavian countries, and see how Christmas is celebrated in Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Christmas is also the main holiday of the year for them. Each of these countries has its own peculiarities of celebrating this event.

Finland is a place where the fairy tale about Santa Claus becomes reality. After all, it is here, in Lapland, that Santa Claus resides (in Finnish – Jolupukki).

Christmas Eve takes place approximately the same as in other European countries: church service, meeting with relatives, festive table.

The main Christmas dish in Finland is pork ham. Garnish with baked vegetables: potatoes, carrots, rutabaga. Finns prefer beetroot salad (similar to ours) among cold appetizers.

There is always dairy on the table. rice porrige with almonds. According to legend, whoever gets it will have good luck and good health next year.

Many baked goods are prepared, including traditional ginger biscuits and puff pastries with plum jam.

The traditional drink of the winter holidays is spicy glögg, which is very similar to mulled wine.

Norway also has a respectful attitude towards Christmas and touching traditions.

While preparing the festive dishes, do not forget to leave a plate with treats for the Norwegian Santa Claus - Julenissa, and also feed the birds. The holiday is quiet and family-like.

Fish is a must on the festive table: a cod dish called lutefix and herring.

Pork ribs, roll and sausages. Garnish: mashed potatoes.

And for dessert - rice cream with nuts and 7 types of cookies.

In Sweden, there is now a tendency not to bring the religious component of the holiday to the fore; Christmas for the Swedes is a period of “seasonal greetings”, an occasion for relatives and friends to gather, to exchange wishes and gifts.

As in all Scandinavian countries, fish dominates. The Swedes have this fish casserole - “Jansson's Temptation”. The filling of the Christmas table is traditional for the Scandinavian peoples - pork (ribs, ham, jellied meat); pickled herring and cod; sweet rice porridge, gingerbread cookies and saffron buns, which they start baking here on the feast of St. Lucia (December 13).

Russia

Russia occupies a huge space from the Baltic in the west to Pacific Ocean in the east, and from the White Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. Need I say how diverse the traditions and cuisine of the nationalities inhabiting the country are?

For example, in the cuisine of northerners there are many sea ​​fish, rye pies, mushrooms. It is similar to Scandinavian cuisine. On the Don they cook game, eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and much of the cooking was adopted from the Turks. And in Siberia and the Urals - among the Tatars and Udmurts. phenomenally diverse!

Culinary traditions underwent significant changes during historical events. These include Peter’s reforms, when elements of Western European culture, life, and culinary traditions were borrowed. Under Peter I - in Holland and Germany. And under Catherine II and Alexander I - France.

The Soviet era also shaped certain tastes and laid down the culinary traditions of entire generations of people.

And despite the fact that under Peter I there was a transition to Gregorian calendar and a decree was issued to celebrate the New Year on January 1 and decorate the house with Christmas trees; it was during Soviet times that this holiday acquired a dominant role, displacing Christmas.

Calendar-wise, the New Year comes earlier than Orthodox Christmas (January 7), so it accounts for larger-scale celebrations.

The New Year's table matches the scope of the holiday and the breadth of the Russian soul. Abundance of cold ones - from pickles (

Garnish: mashed or baked potatoes and vegetables. When it comes to dessert, this could be it!

Tangerines and champagne are another symbol of the New Year!

Now imagine that this whole set can also be complemented by regional and family traditional dishes and drinks!

For people holding the Nativity fast, “resisting” is a serious test.

But all the more joyful is the celebration of Christmas and the Christmas meal!

A traditional dish for Christmas is kutia - a dish of wheat with honey, poppy seeds, raisins and nuts.

Since the times of Rus', pork dishes have always been served on the Christmas table: sausages, jellied meat and even roasted pig. In addition, other meat dishes were prepared: goose with apples, hare in sour cream, lamb.

An indispensable dish for Christmas, as for all holidays, were pies: open and closed, kulebyaki, rasstegai, kurnik, saiki, shangi, as well as. We washed it down with mead and sbiten.

On sweet table All kinds of gingerbread, marshmallows, cookies, and brushwood were provided.

Many of these dishes are still prepared today, perhaps not on such a grand scale...

General history of Russia with the peoples of Ukraine, Belarus and countries of Eastern Europe, professing Orthodoxy, makes the traditions of celebrating Christmas and New Year, including culinary, similar.

Our gastronomic journey is coming to an end, although the list of countries and the study of their traditions can be continued endlessly!

The history and traditions of the countries of the world, despite regional characteristics, have a lot in common! New Year and Christmas are warm family holidays. The main thing is not what you put on the festive table, but who will gather around it to wish each other happiness, health and prosperity in the coming year!

Kristina Belko

Hello! My name is Christina. When I was a little girl, I loved looking at my mother’s cookbooks and making plasticine dishes for my dolls. Now I am a mother of two kids myself and I really love pampering them with different goodies. Search interesting recipes and sharing culinary wisdom became a fascinating hobby for me. I draw inspiration from my family, books and walks around the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. For my family I choose tasty and healthy eating. When preparing, I use simple and accessible ingredients, often using a double boiler. I love Russian cuisine, I believe that it is part of our history and culture. Also, our menu often includes dishes from national cuisines that have proven themselves all over the world. The recipes that I offer you are loved by my family and friends. I hope that you will like them and bring them to your table! I will be happy to answer your questions, accept comments and suggestions! Leave your comments on the site or email me [email protected] and @kristinabelko on Instagram.

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year in home comfort, having gathered guests at a large festive table, then this article will help you prepare for the celebration and prepare treats that will not leave your guests indifferent. Considering that the coming year is the year of the horse eastern calendar, let us remember the magnificent tradition of preparing dishes that this symbol likes. A horse is not a picky animal, a herbivore, but it will give you a treat guests light salads and vegetables and fruits are not enough. Let's keep in mind that the presence of such treats must be present on the table in order for the year to be successful. Let's see what is traditionally served on the New Year's table in different countries of the world. With a variety of traditional dishes, you are sure to find something to your liking.

England

None traditional new year holidays England cannot do without plumpudding, which consists of lard, bread crumbs, flour, raisins, eggs and spices. Before serving, the pudding is poured with rum and set on fire, which makes the holiday even brighter. It is also traditional to serve stuffed turkey with vegetables and gooseberry sauce. Turkey with vegetables is considered a traditional dish and delights guests at any holiday.

The idea is also considered a traditional American dish, but unlike the English one, American turkey is prepared differently. Speaking at all in simple language, the turkey is stuffed with all the products that are “lying around” in the refrigerator. Usually these are cheese, garlic, prunes, apples, cabbage, beans, mushrooms, and spices.

Austria, Hungary

In these countries, serving poultry at the holiday table is a bad sign. Superstitious residents of these countries believe that if you serve a bird at the festive table, then happiness can fly away. Traditional Austrian cuisine is rich in its delights. So, you can serve schnitzel, strudel at the holiday table, and you can also prepare traditional fish salad in Austrian style. In Hungary, it is customary to serve traditional bagels at the holiday table - poppy seed and nut rolls, which migrated from Jewish cuisine.

Denmark, Sweden

Cod is considered the main New Year's holiday dish for the Danes. This dish symbolizes happiness and wealth. Lutefiks, a fish dish made from dried cod, is always served on the Swedish holiday table.

Herring is considered an integral and symbolic dish of the German holiday table. It is believed that herring will definitely bring happiness in the coming year. Traditional and no less important dishes on the holiday table are Sauerkraut - stewed sauerkraut with sausages, Eisbein - boiled pork knuckle and, of course, many types of German sausages. (each region has its own varieties).

It is important to note that in Israel the New Year is celebrated in September. The New Year's holiday table of Israeli residents has a number of its own rules. The main rule is that bitter, sour and salty dishes are kept away. The table is set with sweet dishes. Also on the table are usually honey, dates, pomegranates and apples. Challah - a holiday pastry - is dipped in honey. This tradition is followed by many people. In this way, the Israelis “sweeten” the coming year. Boiled fish, baked apples, cabbage, and beets are also served on the festive table.

On the Dutch holiday table you will definitely find deep-fried donuts and salted beans - one of the main national dishes - especially for the New Year. In France, a traditional New Year's table is not complete without roasted chestnuts, oysters, beautifully decorated sandwiches with goose pate, cheeses and, of course, French wine.

Poland

The traditional Polish New Year's table has 12 dishes. An old Polish tradition is to eat a piece of herring while the chimes are ringing. It is believed that the spicier the herring. The more successful the year will be. Fish is considered a mandatory dish, especially carp - a symbol of family happiness.

Romania, Australia, Bulgaria

Among the many traditional dishes presented on New Year's tables, you will definitely try a special pie. Its peculiarity is that one of the guests will definitely find a coin, or a nut, or a peppercorn in a piece of pie. The lucky owner of the find will start a family next year.

Japan

On December 30, the pre-holiday table always includes mochi - small cakes made from boiled rice, which are made with fruit and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Long noodles must be present on the New Year's holiday table. The longer it is, the longer the life of the participants in the feast will be. Often present on tables seaweed, roasted chestnuts, peas, beans, boiled fish, these ingredients are the key to happiness, success in business, health, and peace of mind.

When it comes to the winter holidays, traditional New Year's dishes are an important part of the celebration in countries around the world. Even if the products differ from country to country. (Likewise, Santa is different depending on where you live). You might bake a pie for Christmas, or perhaps baked pork is more your style. And for others, the holiday wouldn't be a holiday without fried chicken, fruit pie or salt cod. Depending on where you grew up and where you currently live, the traditional holiday foods that grace your table may be sweet, savory, or a little of everything. Let's take a look at what people around the world eat for Christmas and New Year.

1. Christmas fried chicken (Japan)

In Japan, the Christmas season is the most profitable time of year for Kentucky Fried Chicken, or KFC (fast food chain). Since about 3.6 million Japanese families eat KFC on Christmas Eve, they often have to make reservations two months in advance.
In the 1970s, KFC offered the Japanese a holiday bucket and thereby achieved a brilliant marketing ploy. At that time, there weren't many Christmas traditions in Japan. KFC filled this void by telling consumers, "Here's what you need to eat for Christmas." Today's KFC Christmas bucket includes only . It also includes Christmas cake, another important food item on Japan's holiday menu.

2. Kucios - Christmas Eve (Lithuania)

On December 24th of every year, Lithuanians gather for the traditional Kucios Christmas dinner. And preparing for kucios is not an easy task - it can take almost a whole week. For Lithuanians, holidays are time spent with family and a great opportunity to get together at the festive table.
Initially, nine dishes were prepared on kucios. This was a pagan practice, which later, with the advent of Christianity, expanded to 12 dishes (one for each apostle). Meat, dairy products or hot dishes are not included in the holiday dinner. Instead, Lithuanians eat fish, bread and vegetables. The Christmas menu often includes herring, served in a sauce of tomatoes, mushrooms or onions, or smoked eel with vegetables such as potatoes and sauerkraut. Mushrooms, bread or cranberry pudding are also served.

3. Latkes (Israel)

Since the Middle Ages, they have been an important part of the Hanukkah tradition in one form or another. Latkes - fried potato fritters, cooked in oil. Since Hanukkah is dedicated to an event that is closely connected with oil, according to tradition it is it (the oil) that is the main “participant” in holiday cooking. All dishes that are prepared over the 8 days of Hanukkah are deep-fried. Among other dishes included in the traditional menu, a variety of fried donuts (sufganiyot) are also served. And children are given Hanukkah chocolate coins.

4. Christmas goose (Germany)

The German Christmas holiday historically centers around the Weihnachtsgans, the New Year's goose. The tradition of cooking goose, dating back to the Middle Ages, was originally tied to St. Martin's Day but eventually became part of the Christmas meal. Often stuffed with apples, chestnuts, onions and prunes, with carrots and marjoram, the goose is served along with red cabbage, dumplings, sauce and sauerkraut. The oldest known recipe for this dish comes from a cookbook published in 1350, Das
Buch von guter Speise.”

5. Panettone (Italy)

IN different regions Italy has different traditions when it comes to Christmas dinner. In some parts of Italy the festival of the Seven Fishes is celebrated. This dinner includes seven different fish, prepared in different ways. Most often these are baccala (salted cod) and squid. In other areas, roast lamb or poultry, fried or boiled, seasoned with sauce, is eaten.
Sweets also play important role at a festive feast. In Northern Italy, one of the famous holiday sweet dishes is a light pie with candied fruit, chocolate, raisins and nuts. There are several versions of the origin of the name of the pie. The romantic version says that panettone (pan di Antonio) was invented for his beloved by a Milanese baker's apprentice named Antonio. According to another version, “panettone” comes from the Milanese dialect - pan del ton, which translates as “bread of luxury”.

6. Tamale (Costa Rica)

In Costa Rica, making tamales is a Christmas tradition, and every family has their own “secret” recipe. The base is corn dough wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk and then steamed. Some are stuffed with pork, and some are stuffed with beef or chicken. Other foods that can be part of the filling are garlic, onions, potatoes or raisins.

7. Christmas pudding (England)

This dish is known as different names. It is called plum pudding, plum pudding, "pud" or Christmas pudding. This dessert is a key Christmas traditional dish in England, Ireland and parts of the USA. Almost every English family has its own signature
plum pudding recipe. It is prepared several weeks before the holiday, then “ripened” in a cool place and served on the first day of Christmas.
Despite its name, plum pudding does not actually contain plums. Previously, a special bag was used to prepare Christmas pudding, hence its name: English. plum - round; but since the beginning of the 20th century it has been widely replaced by the pudding mold.
Before serving, the pudding is heated and soaked in brandy or other alcoholic drink. Then, at the table, they pour a strong alcoholic drink over it and set it on fire. In this case, the alcohol burns out, and the dish acquires a unique taste and aroma.
Christmas pudding is often served with sweet cream based on butter with brandy or casted - a liquid custard made from eggs and milk.

8. Busch de Noel (France)

This is a dessert that symbolically represents wooden log, which was traditionally carried into the home, doused with oil and heated wine, and then burned on Christmas Eve. In the 1940s, when the practice of burning began to disappear, it was replaced by the dessert Buch de Noel - the Christmas log.
Most often it is made from sponge dough in such a way that the cut of the cake resembles the cut of a tree trunk, and the cream is spread so that it looks like the bark of a tree. They decorate with powdered sugar, which symbolizes snow, as well as figures of mushrooms (made from marzipan) and berries.

9. Banitsa (Bulgaria)

Traditional Bulgarian dish from puff pastry. The most common fillings are cheese or cottage cheese. But baking options with minced meat, vegetables, fruits and so on are possible. Banitsa is an ancient element of national cultural traditions and rituals, festive feasts for Christmas, New Year, Easter. In Bulgaria, it is a popular dish in street fast food establishments; frozen semi-finished banitsa products are also available in stores.

10. Melomakarona (Greece)

Sweet cookies with orange zest, dipped in honey and garnished with walnuts? Yes please! This festive treat, along with kourabiedes, is a mandatory attribute of the Christmas holiday in Greece.
Immediately after they are baked, soak them in a mixture of honey and sugar, then sprinkle walnuts. There is also a less traditional version of this recipe, dipped in dark chocolate. Either way, you'll be licking your fingers!

11. Polish cookies Kołaczki (Poland)

Another country that meets holidays with cookies on the menu - this is Poland. Kołaczki are crispy cookies whose dough is often topped with sour cream or cream cheese. They can be round, square or diamond-shaped with various fillings. If you are tired of the apricot or raspberry filling, you can try these cookies with poppy seeds, sausage or sweet cottage cheese. Before serving, they are sprinkled with powdered sugar.

12. Bacalhau (Mexico)

Bacalhau, or salted cod, isn't often seen during the holidays in other countries, but in Mexico it's a Christmas staple.
Previously, in order to preserve fish, it had to be thoroughly salted and dried. Today this is not necessary, but the tradition has been preserved. And if you boil such fish, you get a very tender and tasty dish.
In Mexico it is prepared with tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, potatoes and olives.

13. Saffron buns (Sweden)

Christmas dinner in Sweden consists of three courses. The first course is usually fish - often pickled herring. Cold cold meats (including Christmas ham) are served second, along with sausages. The third course is meatballs with a potato casserole called “franselse Janssons”.
Rice pudding is usually popular as a dessert, but another treat that Swedes love during the holidays is saffron buns.
sweet and often yellow in color (due to the saffron, of course!). They are formed into an "S" shape and then baked. According to tradition, they are baked by the eldest daughter in the family, but this should not stop you from trying to make these delicious buns yourself and, of course, enjoying the final product.

14. Roast Pig (Philippines)

Noche Buena, the name given to Christmas dinner in the Philippines, is held after families attend the Misa de Gallo, a Roman Catholic mass held on Christmas Eve night and sometimes in the days leading up to Christmas. Jamon (cured pork ham) or Lechon (suckling pig) is the main feature of Christmas dinner. Also served are quesa de bola (cheese balls), pasta, lumpia (deep-fried vegetables in a dough pouch that is first dipped in beaten egg and rolled in starch) and fruit salad.
Christmas in the Philippines is known for the fact that it begins to be celebrated with carols in September, and usually ends on January 9 with the Feast of the Black Nazarene. Although the official celebration takes place from December 16 to the first Sunday of the new year.

15. Christmas table (Finland)

Finns eat in style Buffet", or literally "Christmas table", called Joulupöytä, is a traditional assortment of foods served at Christmas in Finland. Typically these include Christmas hams, fish and casseroles. Mushroom salad, pickled herring and Karelian stew may also be served. For dessert, joulutahti (pies), piparkakku (gingerbread) and rice pudding.

16. Fruitcake (USA)

Fruitcake - Fruit cake (or fruit cake, fruit bread) is a cake made from candied or dried fruits, nuts and spices. Most mass-produced American fruitcakes do not contain alcohol, but traditional recipes are infused with liqueurs or cognac and topped with powdered sugar.
Fruitcakes appeared in America in 1913 and became an indicator of prosperity. Dried fruits and nuts were expensive items at the time, so this type of cake was only served at important events, such as Christmas. And although cupcakes are no longer a way to show off your wealth, they have become a true American tradition.