Published on December 19th, 2022 Updated on December 21st, 2023
REGION BY REGION, THESE ARE WHAT’S ON OUR CHRISTMAS TABLES
Every family has their own Christmas food traditions. From hearty Christmas breakfasts to lavish Christmas dinners and everything in-between, what we eat on Christmas says a lot about us, from where we live to what our ancestral heritage is. Some traditional Christmas foods vary by region, while some can be found on Holiday tables from coast to coast.
Read More: Christmas Desserts to Try in 2023
What Foods Are Traditionally Served on Christmas?
Every family in every part of the world serves their own traditional Christmas foods, but in the U.S., some are enjoyed nationwide:
Turkey
Prime Rib
Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables
Gingerbread
Sugar Cookies
Pie
Traditional Christmas Foods By Region
New England
New England Christmas food traditions are anchored in the foods brought over by the region’s earliest European settlers. Roasted Christmas goose makes more appearances on Christmas tables in the Northeast than in any other region, as well as eggnog, mince pies (individual-sized pies filled with sweet dried fruit), and traditional British-style Christmas pudding.
Crab cakes are always a popular Holiday dish in the Mid-Atlantic states, along with oysters, biscuits, and country ham pie further south. Shoofly pie and Smith Island Cake are popular Mid-Atlantic desserts.
Midwest
Classic Midwestern Christmas foods include casseroles (especially green bean casserole, cheesy broccoli casserole, and Tater Tot casserole) and cheese balls. Scandinavian influence extends into the Christmas table as well, via foods like Swedish meatballs, lutefisk, and mashed rutabaga and turnips. For dessert, kringles – buttery, flaky, fruit & nut-filled Danish pastries – are also popular.
Ham – especially country ham – is a more common Christmas main dish in the South than elsewhere in the country, along with sides including mac & cheese and cornbread. Lechon, or spit-roasted pig, is a popular main course in Latin American and Spanish Southern households. Rice also makes an appearance on Southern Christmas tables, and on the Gulf Coast, shrimp and other Gulf seafood isn’t an uncommon sight. Pumpkin and pecan pies are popular Southern Christmas desserts.
Southwest
There’s a lot of Mexican influence in the food traditions of the Southwest, many of which have spilled over into Christmas. Tamales are a very popular Christmas dish in Texas and other parts of the Southwest, along with corn roasted in its husk, empanadas, dishes adorned with red & green chile, and biscochitos, a crisp New Mexican butter cookie flavored with cinnamon and anise.
Nationwide
Even though every region has some traditional Christmas foods to call their own, far more Christmas foods are universally enjoyed across America. While there’s no specific Christmas breakfast, many families enjoy a hearty meal of eggs, bacon and other breakfast meats, and toast or biscuits.
Many families’ Christmas dinners closely resemble Thanksgiving dinner, although turkey isn’t mandatory – many families will instead roast a ham, prime rib, pork shoulder or loin, or (less frequently) a goose instead. Popular Christmas side dishes include mashed potatoes & gravy, dinner rolls, corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and roasted vegetables.
For dessert, Christmas cookies – usually butter cookies stamped into Christmas-inspired shapes and decorated with icing – are a popular snack all season long, as are mince pies, gingerbread cookies, Bûche de Noël (rolled chocolate cakes meant to resemble the Christmas Yule log), panettone (a sweet, fluffy bread popular amongst Italian families), and – of course – the timeless (and ageless) fruitcake.
If you’re still looking for Christmas food inspiration, look no further than Goldbelly’s wide variety of Christmas dinners, Christmas side dishes, and Christmas desserts, along with plenty of incredible Christmas food gifts!
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They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.
They cover the savory side of Christmas dinner, from prime rib, baked ham, and roast turkey to scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.
While turkey was quite costly in the 16th century, the tradition of eating turkey at Christmas gained popularity as turkey farms spread across the UK. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that the turkey Christmas dinner became the norm for families throughout the UK.
Treat guests to a traditional German Christmas dinner with classic dishes like roasted goose legs, braised red cabbage.and dumplings, and don't forget the mulled wine and platter of gorgeous, festive cookies.
In Southern and Central Italy, baked pasta is a must. In Northern Italy, Lasagne Bolognese and filled pasta like manicotti and ravioli are traditional Christmas fare. Next comes the main event, the meat. Roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages or braised beef are common Natale entrées worth celebrating.
The Japanese have their unique traditions, especially when it comes to Christmas cuisine, and one particular dish has become synonymous with the holiday season – fried chicken. Yes, you read that right! A bucket of KFC fried chicken has become a must-have for many Japanese households on Christmas day since 1970.
Mexican Christmas food spans enchiladas, pozole, tamales, and plenty of desserts. These are our favorite recipes for flavorful versions of those dishes from Mexican chefs, along with a few festive drinks. Start a tamale making tradition, warm up with pozole this winter, and enjoy enchiladas everyone will love.
Poultry or game usually features as the centerpiece on a French Christmas table, surrounded by an array of delicious sides. While many households will celebrate with a stuffed turkey, different traditions are adopted across the regions. For example, in Alsace, goose is often served up, and duck is enjoyed in Périgord.
Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom usually consists of roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets, bread sauce, redcurrant jelly, roast potatoes; vegetables (particularly Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and parsnips) with dessert of Christmas pudding, mince pies (both served with ...
According to a 2020 survey, turkey's the main event for 73% of Americans, with prime rib (69%), roast beef (66%), steak (65%), chicken (64%), roast pork (64%) and ham (62%) also coming in as popular contenders.
“The Rise of the Turkey”. History Today. Accessed 19/12/2020. Before turkey, goose held the crown as the bird of choice at Christmas – possibly because mid-winter was when the birds were at their fattest, having roamed farmyards throughout August picking up loose grain that was spilt during harvest.
Christmas dinner traditions vary throughout the different regions of Italy, but are guaranteed to involve a feast, including fish and seafood dishes on Christmas Eve and an abundance of rich and comforting pasta and roast meat dishes on the big day.
The term Weihnachtsmann is a very generic German term for Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. The German Weihnachtsmann is a fairly recent Christmas tradition having little if any religious or folkloric background.
For an Irish family Christmas, the traditional dinner is key and getting it right is a real art. Roast turkey and stuffing, clove-studded baked ham, crispy goose fat potatoes, steamed Brussels sprouts, buttery sweet carrots, crispy parsnips, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, gravy, phew, there's a lot to think of!
Tradition runs deep at Christmastime, and the prime rib roast is dripping with tradition as much as it's dripping with its own savory jus. The English perfected its presentation before importing America's native turkey and adopting it as the go-to Christmas roast.
Mexican Christmas food spans enchiladas, pozole, tamales, and plenty of desserts. These are our favorite recipes for flavorful versions of those dishes from Mexican chefs, along with a few festive drinks. Start a tamale making tradition, warm up with pozole this winter, and enjoy enchiladas everyone will love.
On Thanksgiving, we do the traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, peas, and pumpkin pie. For Christmas, it's prime rib with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole with eggnog and cookies for dessert.
Some do - you can buy Christmas crackers here in the states. We use them on Christmas because they are fun. But generally, most people in the US just don't know about them, they are not part of our normal Christmas traditions.
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