Oysters, Schweinswurst and Pavlova: Xmas & New Year Meals Around the World

Christmas dinner in the United States is not complete without a roast turkey. The Christmas turkey tradition can be traced back to Henry VIII, who decided to make the bird a staple for the festive day.

In France, oysters are one of the most popular dishes on a Christmas table.

Christmas pudding (aka plum pudding) is served after Christmas dinner in Britain and Ireland. It’s also popular in Australia and other places with British immigrants.

Spanish turrón, a southwestern European nougat confection (Casa Mira), is a popular sweet treat during holiday season in Spain.

Christmas Eve carp, a traditional dish served in Poland for Christmas Eve dinner, Brisbane, 2020.

Gingerbread is a traditional Christmas treat in Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Scandinavia.

A homemade Pavlova dessert decorated with pomegranate seeds and chantilly cream. A meringue-based dessert, originating in either Australia or New Zealand in the early 20th century. It was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.

Christmas goose (Weihnachtsgans), a traditional German dish that's prepared for Christmas. It's a roasted goose that's typically filled with onions, prunes, chestnuts, apples, and/or dates.

An authentic and delicious Black bean tamales with fresh goat cheese, a traditional Christmas dish in Mexico and Central America. Tamales are a Latin American tradition because of the pork and the corn. Because corn is the color of gold, it also means wealth and prosperity.

Toshikoshi soba, a New Year's Eve noodles in Japan. Goldsmiths used to use the fine soba flour to collect stray gold dust or gold lacquer, as it picked up the gold easily. Through this, eating soba is said to bring gold to the household for the coming year.

Japanese decorate "Tokonoma", a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed, with these stacks of mochi-cakes called "Kagami mochi". People used to make them themselves in older days, but recently they are sold wrapped like this at rice-shops or wagashi shops.

Salade Olivier or commonly known as Russian salad on the New Year's table. Russian salad in Russia is called Olivier, by the name of its creator – French chef Lucien Olivier. Olivier salad is a traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, which is also popular in other post-Soviet countries and around the world.

Cotechino, an Italian holiday food, which originated in Modena and are usually paired with stewed lentils. A staple during Christmas or New Year’s dinners, cotechino and zampone are holiday classics. Paired with lentils (said to bring good luck) or mashed potatoes, they are the symbol of an ancient tradition.

A British-style Christmas cake with marzipan and icing. In England, Christmas cake is an tradition that began as plum porridge. People ate the porridge on Christmas Eve, using it to line their stomachs after a day of fasting. Soon, dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually, it turned into Christmas pudding.