Hello, happy Friday, and Happy Holidays! This week’s question is:
What does a typical Christmas meal look like in your country? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, I’d love to hear about another holiday or tradition that includes a special meal!
In the UK, it’s:
- Some kind of protein
- Roast potatoes, sometimes mashed too
- Stuffing
- Yorkshire pudding
- An assortment of vegetables: carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage - all depends on the household’s preferences!
- Sauces: Gravy, cranberry sauce, bread sauce
- Dessert: Traditionally mince pies or Christmas pudding. I swap this for something chocolatey
Example:
P.S. Any volunteers for next week’s Off-Topic Friday, as I won’t be here? <3
A typical Christmas meal in my country? Hm… Australia’s relatively multicultural. I’ll start with what’s typical amongst most Australians, those who don’t tend to deviate from the UK much in such things. I’ve never heard of a “Yorkshire pudding” before, though.
The side dishes of a typical Australian family usually include bread rolls, roasted vegetables, salads and seafood. The main course is usually some kind of roasted meat or a leg of smoked ham. The dessert is typically pavlova or Christmas pudding.
I’m from an Italian background, however. My family tend to start with appetisers, such as bread rolls, cheeses, cured meats, roasted vegetables, salads, seafood and smoked meats. Then we move on to the first course, which is typically a pasta-based dish served alongside a small bowl of lentil soup. We now reach the main course, typically consisting of either roasted meat or a stew. For dessert? Usually fruit cake, tiramisu or nougat tart. Although, my bisnonno Enrico and I have a mutual penchant for ginger, and we love to eat candied ginger together on Christmas.
Yes, I’m 24 years old and my bisnonno is still alive and well. In fact, he’s only 82! I’m, like, the first person in my family to not have children by the time I turned 21 years of age! 
This varies even between different sides of my family but the usuals are almost always a roasted ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, and side vegetable of some kind. The appetizer and other sides after that are just whatever we feel like! Deviled eggs, a salad, jello with fruit, etc.
One thing I always make happen though is pumpkin pie even if it’s more of a thanksgiving thing. I want it, I make it. If you might have a lot of people coming then instead of making two pies just grab a deep 9x13in (23x33cm) baking dish and make that thang W I D E
Pie crust flat on the bottom of the dish makes it super easy to par bake and you don’t have to worry about making the crust pretty or it burning. Just make sure to grease the bottom before the crust goes in and the sides before the filling goes in.
A lot of recipes I find online never add enough spices so I tend to double what they recommend meaning this has 4 pies worth of pie spice! Aside from the usuals I also recommend a bit of black pepper and cardamom. Paired best with homemade whipped cream
Not accepting criticisms on my pie format, it’s delicious so idgaf
It looks way more efficient than making multiple pies and extra spice is a bonus. Never go shy on spice 
Off Topic on the Off Topic but why is Heinz beans with Tuna on a potato popular in the UK? That dinner looks phenomenal btw
Y’know what? Corpse starch doesn’t sound so bad after I read that…
2 Likes
With cheese! It sounds like it should be illegal but it’s actually delicious. Please do try
If I ever visit the UK I’ll probably try it
Meat. Lots of meat. The most unique thing in Sweden when comes to christmas though is this:
It looks like coke but it doesn’t taste like it at all.
If you really wanna know what it is read this: Julmust - Wikipedia
The hops and malt extracts give the must a somewhat root beer-like taste
Huh, I wonder how similar it is to birch beer.
I may have found out I’m out of cinnamon while pre measuring my spices to make baking tomorrow easier and it’s my fault lmao
Whenever i see Meat now i almost immediately have an feeling of disgust because one cheap slop Meat sold here in Germany ruined the whole thing for me. One of those cases you got to wait ten years to be mentally capable to try and enjoy it again.
*Edit - this one to be precise. The first time i had it with an friend = absolutely amazing. Bought it again due that the next Week and it was the most disgusting thing ever and my entire Body from Mind to my Toes had ‘bad vibes’. Never touched this thing ever again after and the thought of its taste alone almost gives me goosebumps of disgust.
My sister lived near a slaughterhouse for a while and the smell turned her into a vegitarian for a couple of years.
I almost did too lol been a devourer of flesh my entire life but when i wrote an application to an Farmer here to get an apprenticeship to become a Farmer myself and it was an Farm entirely focused on Pigs….i lied to the Chef that i had to go Home because of my Mom halfway into the Day because of how disgusting it was….all the Pigs in stables with zero sunlight, most rooms didnt even had windows, all full with flies and spider webs, broken stuff everywhere, pregant pigs with their piglets were held in a 0.0001m² cage they couldnt even move there legs and just lied in their own Sh!t with the feeder in front of their mouth where you just pressed a button at the entrance door to the specific room and it feed them…no idea what..and in the time they were busy eating had to remove their own sh!t they lied in as good as you can somewhat…next stable…all the Pigs had scratches, wounds on them..and holy c*….we only opened the door of the stable and every pig was terrorized in fear, grunting and running around trying to get away from us
