Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2012/January 2013 | Page 108

FOOD

Alternative

Christmas

Fed up with roast turkey and soggy sprouts? Most
Islanders will still opt for the traditional Christmas
lunch, but just in case you fancy a change, here are a
few tasty alternatives from around the world.
Australia: Down Under, Christmas
is very different. Instead of huddling
around a fire drinking mulled wine
and nibbling on roasted chestnuts,
they're chilling out at the beach and
cooking up a g'd old barbie.

Filipinos are well-known for
celebrating Christmas for as long as
possible and for making most of the
festive fun. Instead of being held on
the main day, the feast is instead held
towards midnight of Christmas Eve.

If you want a tasty alternative from
Down Under try an avocado and
seafood salad for a cool, simple starter
and grilled chicken breast or steak for
a main.

Most families begin their feast with
a lechon (or roasted pig), often
cooked over smouldering charcoals
for a smoky flavour. The main course
consists of a Christmas ham served
with Queso de Bola – quite literally a
ball of cheese, similar to Edam with
a coating of red wax and noodles.
Instead of Christmas pudding, the
locals tend to opt for a fresh, fruit
salad to finish off their meals.

Honduras: Christmas is a very
important celebration in Honduras –
not only because the population are
primarily Catholic but also because it
is a traditional part of family life. In
this Central American country festive
food is all about tamales and not on
the big day, but on Christmas Eve.
Families gather to enjoy a festive treat
of mini-parcels stuffed with anything
from chicken to pork and cheese
to dried fruit. Turkey tamales have
become popular in recent years as a
variation on the Honduran tradition.
Once stuffed, the bundles are wrapped
in plantain leaves and boiled or
steam-cooked.

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Other treats Filipinos feast on include
spring rolls, stuffed with ground beef,
baked-stuffed chicken and spicy beef
stew.

Instead of garish lights on their
houses and as a cool take on regular
Christmas decorations many
Hondurans cover nearby palm trees in
twinkling fairy lights.

The Netherlands: Traditional
customs of Christmas dinner in the
Netherlands differ greatly from its
surrounding countries. The Dutch
call their main meal a ‘gourmet’. A
family or group of friends will sit
around a small table top set with a
stove and miniature frying pans. Here
they drink fine wines and chat, while
cooking different types of meats,
fish, prawns and shrimps along with
crisp vegetables, salads, fruits and
sumptuous sauces.

The Philippines: Timing is key with
Christmas dinner in the Philippines.

Variants on this festive feast include
more typical western European dishes

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such as roast beef, duck, rabbit or
pheasant.
Portugal: For travelling foodies,
Portugal is a well-known country for
the delicacy of dried and salted cod.
Christmas is no exception, and again
the main meal is served on Christmas
Eve.
A feast of dried, salted codfish
accompanied by boiled cabbage,
potatoes and other vegetables is
devoured. Boiled cabbage may sound
similar to a soggy school dinner but
served alongside a medley of eggs,
chickpeas, fresh herbs and generous
amounts of olive oil, it is a fantastic,
alternative Christmas meal.
Variations on these main ingredients
are served up and down the country.
In recent years a roasted turkey has
been served as another extra meal at
lunch on Christmas Day.
An alternative to the alternatives:
For something really different this
Christmas cook up a spicy Indian
curry. It’s not a typical dish on
Christmas Day in the subcontinent,
but it proves a tasty take on the
traditional meal.
So whether it’s going to be turkey and
all the trimmings or even curry and
boiled cabbage, enjoy your festive
fayre.