12 iconic Christmas foods from around the world

While lechon reigns supreme at many Filipino celebrations, Noche Buena is rarely complete without glazed Christmas ham. Typically slow-cooked and brushed with a sweet, spiced glaze, the ham is often sliced and enjoyed with pan de sal or paired with queso de bola. Though its precise origins remain debated, the dish reflects centuries of Spanish and Western influence, evolving into a festive staple uniquely its own.

Few desserts divide nations quite like the pavlova. Claimed by both Australia and New Zealand, this festive meringue cake is a Christmas essential in the Southern Hemisphere, where the holiday falls in the height of summer. Crisp on the outside with a marshmallow-soft centre, it’s topped with whipped cream and vibrant seasonal fruits—light, refreshing, and perfectly suited to warm-weather celebrations.

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Turrón is Spain’s quintessential Christmas sweet. The most classic variety, turrón de Alicante, is a firm nougat made from honey, sugar, egg whites and toasted almonds, sandwiched between delicate wafers. Its softer counterpart, turrón de Jijona, is smooth and almost paste-like. Today, modern variations abound—chocolate-laced, nut-studded or filled with yema—lining shelves as the holidays draw near.

While these English desserts are filled with what’s called mincemeat, modern iterations of the mince pie do not include meat (though the mincemeat may include suet). Rather, these miniature pies feature a mixture of dried fruits, spices, sugar and some brandy, producing a syrupy-sweet pastry treat that has become a non-negotiable English tradition for the holidays.

Another notable holiday dessert from England is the Christmas pudding: a dense, dark sponge cake packed with dried fruits and candied fruit peel. The dessert has a deep, warm flavour perfect for the holiday season, thanks to the addition of brandy and festive spices. However, keep in mind that patience is a much-needed virtue with this ceremonial cake; traditionally, the pudding is cooked on Stir Up Sunday and reheated four to five weeks later on Christmas Day, allowing for a much more flavoursome delight.

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Yes, you read that correctly! Since the 1970s, Christmas in Japan has become synonymous with Kentucky Fried Chicken. What began as a clever marketing campaign—Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (“Kentucky for Christmas”)—quickly evolved into a nationwide tradition. Today, families pre-order festive KFC sets weeks in advance, complete with fried chicken, sides, and cake, making it one of the world’s most unexpected Christmas foods.

Perhaps better known as the yule log cake, bûche de Noël is a classic French Christmas cake designed to resemble the yule logs traditionally burned over the cold winter months. The rolled confection is made with a deep brown chocolate cake, a velvety white cream-based filling, and chocolate frosting, then often adorned with festive forest-inspired decor like faux mistletoe.

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In Germany, Christmas feasts often centre on weihnachtsgans, or roast goose. Rich, fatty and deeply flavourful, goose is typically stuffed with apples, onions and herbs, then roasted until the skin is crisp. Due to its indulgent nature, it’s a dish largely reserved for special occasions, making Christmas the perfect time to serve it.

Kourabiedes or Greek butter cookies are an easy-to-love, melt-in-your-mouth holiday staple that pairs excellently with a strong cup of Greek coffee. Like most traditional fare, families will often have their own recipes for the best kourabiedes, but they generally start with a shortbread-like cookie base with slivered almonds mixed throughout, then sprayed with blossom water and generously blanketed in powdered sugar.

Although less popular throughout the year, the Melomakarona Christmas honey cookies are equally delicious, filled with festive flair. The tan cookie base is flavoured with orange, cinnamon, and clove, then dipped in a honey syrup and topped with crushed walnuts.

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Across Mexico and Central America, Christmas gatherings often include a tamalada—a communal tamale-making event that can last hours. Though fillings and styles vary widely, tamales are typically made with corn-based masa, filled with savoury or sweet ingredients, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, and steamed. Puerto Rico’s pasteles stand out as a close cousin, made instead with plantain or root-crop dough.

In Peru, Christmas isn’t complete without a cup of thick, intensely chocolatey hot chocolate—often enjoyed with slices of local panettone. Spiced with cinnamon and cloves and sometimes enriched with condensed milk, the drink plays a central role in chocolatadas: an annual holiday tradition where local governments, NGOs, and companies travel to disadvantaged communities and offer treats, toys, and hot chocolate to less fortunate children.

See also: 5 Traditional Christmas drinks to imbibe this season

In the United States, neither Thanksgiving nor Christmas is truly a feast without some pecan pie. Its origins trace back to the 1820s, with early recipes found in old Texas cookbooks of that era. Made with sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, and the native North American pecan, the sweet, gooey dessert is a celebratory must-have.

Although historians agree that eggnog stems from the medieval British beverage known as posset, the rich, creamy, boozy drink is recognised as an American holiday tradition. When the posset made its way to the United States, the beverage took on a life of its own amidst the colonies’ chicken and cow-filled farms, plus the ubiquity of cheap rum.

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