# Christmas Food Around the World: What 12 Countries Eat and Where to Try It > Christmas food around the world: kutia, carp and pierogi, Stollen, panettone, bûche de Noël, pudding, turrón, bacalhau, julbord, KFC in Japan, tamales, lechon. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/rizdviana-yizha-svitu/ - Language: en - Published: 2026-11-14 - Categories: Travel, Culture, Japan, Italy, Poland, Food & Drinks, Events --- Japan's most popular Christmas dinner comes in a cardboard bucket: since 1974, when KFC launched its "Kentucky for Christmas" campaign, millions of Japanese families have eaten fried chicken on 24 December, and orders for the holiday sets are taken from November. That story sums up a lot about **Christmas food around the world**. Traditions that feel ancient are often younger than our parents, and the easiest way to taste them on a trip is wherever the locals themselves buy them every year. ## Ukraine: kutia and twelve meatless dishes Since 2023 most Ukrainians have celebrated Holy Supper on 24 December, though some families still keep 6 January. The table holds twelve meatless dishes: kutia, wheat with poppy seeds, honey and nuts; uzvar, a smoked dried-fruit drink; varenyky with cabbage or potato; holubtsi; mushrooms; fish; pampushky. The meal starts when the first star appears. In Lviv and Chernivtsi, restaurants put kutia and uzvar on festive menus from mid-December, and how to spend the holidays themselves in the country is covered in our piece on [where to celebrate Christmas in Ukraine](https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/de-vidsvyatkuvaty-rizdvo-v-ukrayini/). ## Poland: carp, beetroot soup and an empty plate The Polish Wigilia also sticks to twelve. Clear red barszcz with tiny mushroom dumplings, pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, herring, poppy-seed roll and, above all, **carp**. Until recently live carp were sold from tanks in supermarkets, and the fish would swim in the bathtub for a few days before the feast. You see it less now, and animal-welfare groups oppose it. An extra plate is laid for an unexpected guest, and a carp scale goes in your wallet to bring money. A practical point for visitors: most restaurants are closed on the evening of 24 December, so try barszcz with dumplings beforehand, at the market on Kraków's Main Square. ## Germany: potato salad, goose and Stollen Christmas Eve in many German homes is surprisingly modest: sausages with potato salad. Goose with red cabbage and dumplings is roasted on the first or second day of Christmas. The great Christmas bake, **Stollen**, is most famous in Dresden: genuine Dresdner Christstollen is sold with the golden seal of the bakers' association, and on 5 December 2026 the Striezelmarkt hosts the Stollenfest, with a parade of a multi-tonne Stollen. At the Nuremberg market, meanwhile, people eat "three in a bun", small grilled sausages, and Lebkuchen. The market's schedule and stalls are published on the [Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt](https://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/) site. ## Italy: fish on Christmas Eve, and is the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" real? The Italian Vigilia is meatless, which means fish: baccalà, fried seafood, capitone eel in Naples. The famous "Feast of the Seven Fishes", however, is largely an Italian-American name; in Italy itself every family has its own number of dishes. The real feast is lunch on 25 December: in Emilia-Romagna tortellini in broth, then roast meat, with panettone from Milan or pandoro from Verona for dessert. Restaurants work with set menus that day, and tables are booked weeks ahead. ## France: oysters, foie gras and a log for dessert The French celebrate on the night of 24 to 25 December, a dinner called the réveillon. Oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, capon or turkey with chestnuts, and for dessert the **bûche de Noël**, a sponge roll shaped like a log. In Provence thirteen desserts go on the table, from nougat to dried figs. The easy route for a visitor is to order a bûche from a bakery in advance and pick up a dozen oysters at a market fishmonger: before Christmas they sell them by the crate. ## United Kingdom: turkey, pudding and mince pies On 25 December the British eat roast turkey with potatoes and Brussels sprouts, pull crackers with paper crowns, and finish by setting brandy alight on the Christmas pudding. Mince pies, small tarts with a fruit filling, appear in every café from November; the filling once contained meat. A trap for visitors to London: on 25 December the city's public transport does not run, and Christmas lunch in a pub is booked weeks ahead and costs noticeably more than the usual menu. ## Spain and Portugal: turrón and bacalhau Spain sits down to eat on Nochebuena, 24 December, and the star of the sweets is **turrón**. Its protected varieties are made in Jijona: the soft one, with ground almonds, and the hard Alicante type, with whole nuts. Both are described on the state-backed portal [Foods and Wines from Spain](https://www.foodswinesfromspain.com/en/food/products/sweets/jijona-pgi). Portugal eats bacalhau on 24 December, boiled salt cod with potatoes, cabbage and egg, followed by bolo-rei, a ring cake with candied fruit. ## Sweden: a julbord you can get to before Christmas The Swedish julbord, a festive buffet, is laid out on 24 December: several kinds of herring, Christmas ham, meatballs, the potato bake called Jansson's temptation and rice pudding with an almond hidden inside. At 15:00 half the country watches Donald Duck cartoons, a tradition since the 1960s. Visitors are luckier than they think: restaurants serve julbord from late November through December, so book an evening in any week before the holidays. ## Japan: chicken and strawberry cake Alongside the KFC chicken, a Japanese Christmas is unthinkable without kurisumasu keki, a sponge cake with cream and strawberries. Christmas Eve here is more of a day for couples than a family occasion. KFC sets for 24 December are booked online in advance, and the cakes sell out in patisseries and even convenience stores. ## Mexico and the Philippines: tamales and lechon In Mexico the posadas run from 16 to 24 December, evening processions with songs followed by tamales, corn parcels steamed in leaves, and hot fruit punch. On Nochebuena the table has bacalao a la vizcaína, turkey and pozole. The Philippines has the world's longest Christmas season, with decorations up in September. Outside churches during the nine dawn masses of Simbang Gabi, vendors sell bibingka rice cakes, and after midnight mass the Noche Buena feast brings out **lechon**, a whole roast pig, although it is cooked for weddings and every other big celebration too. ## How to taste Christmas food on a trip - Markets are the cheapest way in: Stollen, Lebkuchen, mulled wine and barszcz in a mug are all on sale from late November. - Book restaurant holiday menus for 24 and 25 December as early as November. Many places only offer a fixed-price menu on those days. - In Poland, Germany and Scandinavia many restaurants are closed on the evening of 24 December, and supermarkets close around midday. - Swedish julbord and British mince pies are available all through December, so there is no need to wait for the day itself. Schedules and festive menus are given as of autumn 2026, and it is worth checking them against the websites of specific places before you travel. CountryMain festive dishWhen it is eatenWhere a visitor can try itUkrainekutia, uzvar, 12 meatless dishes24 December or 6 Januaryfestive menus in Lviv and ChernivtsiPolandcarp, barszcz with dumplings, pierogi24 DecemberKraków market until the 24thGermanygoose, Stollen25-26 DecemberStriezelmarkt in DresdenItalyfish on the Vigilia, panettone24-25 Decemberrestaurants with a 25th set menuFranceoysters, foie gras, bûche de Noëlnight of 24 to 25 Decemberbakeries and fishmongersUKturkey, pudding, mince pies25 Decemberpubs, booked aheadSpainturrón24 DecemberJijona, Alicante, confectionersPortugalbacalhau, bolo-rei24 Decembertaverns, bakeriesSwedenjulbord24 Decemberrestaurants from late NovemberJapanKFC, strawberry cake24 Decemberpre-order onlineMexicotamales, bacalao, pozole16-24 Decemberposadas, street foodPhilippineslechon, bibingkanight of 24 to 25 Decemberoutside churches during Simbang GabiThe easiest way to sample several cuisines in one trip is at the [Christmas markets of Europe](https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/rizdvyani-yarmarky-yevropy/): an evening in Dresden or Kraków lets you taste more festive dishes than a single family dinner. For a restaurant réveillon or julbord, though, book the table before the locals even start thinking about presents.