IN EUROPE

In Austria
In every Austrian Christmas market you will find traditional little cakes called "Kekse," without which Christmas wouldn't be complete on this side of the Alps.

In Belgium
In many regions of Belgium, it just wouldn't be New Year without sauerkraut... and to complete the tradition you must have a coin under your plate or in your pocket!

In Croatia
There are a number of different Croatian cuisines which can be grouped according to three main regions. The North begins the holiday's food-related celebrations by sowing wheat.

In Czech Republic
According to the tradition, if you fast during Christmas Eve, you will be able to see the golden pig, which is meant to be a sign of good luck! The Christmas Eve dinner consists of a fried carp, a potato salad, a traditional cake and a variety of Christmas cookies.

In Denmark
No Danish Christmas is complete without cakes and butter cookies, and the Danes have a bunch of favourites.

In Finland
The month around Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and inviting them in for a glass of glögi, mulled wine.

In France

- Christmas in Provence: the land of santons, fifes and drums, where there are no less than 13 Christmas desserts!
- Be seduced by Christmas in Alsace where the goose is queen

In Germany
Christmas is symbolized by the famous stollen, a traditional holiday bread that derives from a tradition more than 500 years old.

In Italy

The most traditional of Italian Christmas cakes, Panettone, has been sold in Milan in its festive wrappings since medieval times

In Great Britain
Christmas means a stuffed turkey and Christmas Pudding

In Greece
A housewife never neglects to mark the Christmas bread with her handprint before baking it, a sign to the children that Jesus too has touched the bread on this holy day.

In Lithuania
Christmas Eve supper is called "kucia". Twelve foods are most commonly prepared, to assure that the coming year, twelve months, will be good and plentiful. This meatless meal include freshwater fish, porridge, oatmeal, vegetables, apples, nuts, dried fruit compotes…

In Norway
The tradition of pork butchery dates back to pagan times when a pig was sacrificed to Frøy, the god of fertility, during the Joulu celebrations.

In Portugal
Even though it is said here that there are 365 recipes for cod (one for each day of the year), the tradition for Christmas Eve is to serve simple boiled cod... though Christmas Day is another story!

In Romania
Christmas is the time for pork butchering on every Romanian farm. Slaughtered on St. Ignatius' day, a few days before Christmas, the pig is meticulously transformed into smoked ham, sausages and charcuterie products.

In Spain
Dried fruits are used in every course from soup to dessert and seventh heaven cake fills convent kitchens with its aroma.

In Sweden
The high point of the holiday season is the smörgåsbord of traditional delicacies, both hot and cold, with an extra festive flair for Christmas Eve.

In Switzerland
Browse at the Montreux Christmas market where the stalls groan under the weight of jars of Holiday Jams .

In Ukraine
Sviata Vechera - a feast of 12 meatless dishes

NORTH AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN AND AFRICA

In the French West Indies
Christmas in the Islands borrows from the Creole and French traditions of the inhabitants, while the trunks of palm trees are festooned with little white lights.

In the Cayman Islands, Cuba and Jamaica
Pork served with black beans, rice or gungo peas. Sorrel drink can be found in just about every single home during the Christmas season, made from dried sorrel sepals, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, orange peel and rum.

In Guatemala
On Christmas Eve, people gather for a traditional meal, the table decorated with red apples and little folk objects. A legacy of Mayan culture, Guatemalans make black tamales filled with chicken and mole, a traditional chocolate-based sauce that creates a surprising combination!

In Haïti
Here, anything is an excuse for making liters of kremas and the holiday season is the first. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas in Haiti without spicy Creole meat pies, eaten hot at four in the morning after returning from mass...

In Puerto Rico
Here, ham or turkey take a back seat to island specialties . no Holiday is complet without a whole roasted pig, served with planatos and Arroz con gandules.

In Martinique
Since late November, rum macerated with the skins and preserved oranges to prepare the Shrubb. Pork is transformed into boudin creole (local sausage), small pates, spicy stew and obviously  Christmas ham caramelized with sugarcane.

In the United States
Try the President's Christmas Cake, a White House recipe that dates back over 200 years.

In Hawaii
Because of Hawaii's wonderful multi-ethnic population, a holiday dinner and potluck in the Islands is always a blend of Hawaiian, Asian and European cuisines.

In Mexico and New Mexico
In Oaxaca, according to the tradition, a plate should be broken for every bunuelo eaten, in order to bring good luck, a royal experience!

In Quebec
Discover the authentic recipe for meat pie or tourtière. A generations-old tradition that is alive and well!

In Mauritius
It's always fun to celebrate Christmas in the warmth of the southern hemisphere. The Santas sweat a little under their beards, the fir trees are often artificial, but there's always a good-natured feel in the air.