Brightsun Travel’s Favourite Traditional Christmas Treats from Around the World

We in the UK are crazy about Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of year, and a large part of the festivities is of course the food, with mince pies, mulled wine, Christmas pudding, hot chocolate with whipped cream, and so many other December staples to savour. 

 

Well, this is no different than other countries around the world, where the Christmas season is celebrated with culinary delights. We’ve compiled a list of festive treats from the likes of South Africa, Germany, Mexico, and more that maybe you can have a go at making and sampling this year! 

 

Malva Pudding – South Africa 

 

This special occasion South African sponge cake is best enjoyed around Christmas time. The classic version of Malva pudding contains apricot jam, but there are variations, including Amarula liqueur flavour. The pudding is served hot and is drizzled with a delicious butter-cream sauce which makes the sponge gooey and caramelised, giving off similar vibes to sticky toffee pudding. Malva pudding is usually served alongside ice cream or custard. Yum! 

 

Turrón - Spain 

 

This unique Spanish dessert has a nougat like texture and contains toasted almonds, honey, eggs, and sugar. There are softer and harder versions of Spanish Turrón, and they are usually shaped into a rectangle bar or round cake. It’s particularly popular at Christmas time, given as a gift or simply just indulged. Despite variations on recipes for Turrón in recent years, the classic version has a long history that dates back to the Middle Ages.  

 

Bibingka – Philippines 

 

Bibingka is a tasty baked rice-flour cake originating in the Philippines, symbolic to the country’s Christmas season, and traditionally consumed at breakfast following Misa de Gallo – Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. The doughy dessert comprises butter, eggs, and coconut milk, and some variations contain more exotic ingredients like salted duck egg and melted cheese. The cake is cooked traditionally on a hot coal and in a pot with banana leaves, although it can be easily baked at home in a cake tin and oven, pairing well with hot drinks like coffee. 

 

Ponche Navideño - Mexico  

 

Enjoy this traditional Mexican Christmas punch, served warm and simmering with cane sugar, spices including cinnamon and hibiscus, and fruits such as apple, orange, and guava.  Ponche Navideño is often described as an alcohol-free version of mulled wine (although when made at home you can add a splash of wine or brandy if you’d prefer) and is usually enjoyed during Las Posadas – the week-long celebration of Mary’s journey to Bethlehem. It’s a healthy, comforting drink, easy to make at home; who’s going to try? 

 

La Bûche de Noël - France 

 

France’s famous Bûche de Noël, also known as the yuletide log, is important to the country’s Christmas culture. Although there are variants that have been created and consumed in the UK, the traditional yuletide log originates in France, and consists of a soft sponge cake folded into a roll, filled and topped with chocolate butter cream / icing, and decorated with festive ornaments. La Bûche de Noël resembles an actual log and represents a past winter tradition in Europe where specially selected logs would be sprinkled with wine and burnt on a hearth in homes on Christmas Eve.  

 

Saffron Buns – Sweden 

 

Christmas time in Sweden makes for lots of Saffron buns being baked and consumed throughout Advent and Lucia. These sweet buns are flavoured with Saffron, adding a bright yellow hue to them, and contain dried fruit, butter, flour, yeast, and sugar, with a similar consistency to teacake. The older name for the buns was döfvelskatt which translates to devil’s cat, and it is believed that the buns would help keep the devil away. They are formed into an S shape to resemble a curled-up cat, with two cat's eyes added in the form of raisins before being baked. 

 

Though the dishes may differ from country to country, the tradition of food is important to Christmas celebrations around the world and brings everyone together.  

 

We hope you’ve got lots of Christmas indulgences to come, whether it be sticking to traditional treats or trying out a new cultural dish. You could even plan to visit the above destinations one year to experience these dishes at their authentic best. Your local travel agent, Brightsun Travel can help you with that, offering low-priced flights and inclusive holiday packages in partnership with global airlines and hotels. Exclusively for Herald readers, receive £50 off any holidays booked with Brightsun this month when quoting HERALD at checkout. Call 0208 819 0531.