Christmas Dinners
The goose gave way to the turkey as traditional Christmas fare. The turkey’s breeding habits and different growing characteristics allowed it to stay tender longer into the winter. A goose, born in the spring and fattened in the autumn’s cornfields would become an ‘old bird’ by the time late December rolled around and would no longer be juicy and tender. Turkey chicks take longer to mature, therefore coming into their own in later the year. Turkeys were also much larger thereby providing a feast for an entire family which became important as families grew larger and travel for family get-togethers became easier. That Scrooge bought the Crachits a large turkey on Christmas Morning because the goose the ghost showed him was so small a meal for such a large family certainly was not lost on Victorian readers.
These days, even small farmers have the resources and technology (electricity) to breed fowl in order to be ready at any time of the year.
A word of advice for those considering a duck: the duck’s bones are heavier than a chicken’s or a turkey, so you will larger fowl than you think in order to feed the same amount of people.
Our ancestors took late December as a logical time for a feast. It was a way of enjoying the bounty of the year, but it also was a necessity. Beer, wine and ciders made in the fall were ready for consumption. Harvested crops would start to spoil and livestock would generally not survive the winter. Farmers seldom had enough buildings or fodder to support large amounts of animals throughout the entire winter. Only breeding stock could be supported. Pigs were slaughtered and smoked, because they would have eaten up the amount of acorns and beechnuts strewn on the forest. Wild boar and pigs became a traditional centerpiece of Christmastime feasts across northern Europe and Scandinavia for centuries.
Roast Turkey seems to be the most prevalent main Christmas dinner course around the world. Places like the US, UK and Canada is obvious but it’s served even in Hungary, Spain and Chile. Germany invented the candy cane in the middle ages as a way to both pacify children at church and to evoke the shepherd’s crook but a Goose is still the traditional fare in Germany but a Ham is much more economical and probably more common (and a side weisswurst sausage never hurts, but this veal sausage is devoured all year so why is so special for Christmas?)
Portugal, Italy and Brazil tend to choose fish. Lamb and goat are favorites in Jamaica, Spain and Portugal. Ham or Pork is popular from Finland to the Philippines, and in Iceland and in Venezuela. Many cultures, both Nordic and Mediterranean, set out a seafood soup or platter smoked fish or oysters as either a starter or entree.
Every country has put their regional stamp on the classic foods. This list is by no means complete. No list can compile the variety of foods people will embrace Christmas with. But what is common across the globe is the desire to eat well, enjoy a luxury food and celebrate at Christmas.
