5 Traditional European Christmas Dishes You've Never Tried

1.  Vánoční Rybí Polévka (Czech Christmas Fish Soup) - Czech Republic
Harking back to a simpler time when meat was a luxury to most Europeans, the tradition of eating carp (a freshwater fish) for a treat at Christmas has remained strong in the Czech republic.  None of the fish was wasted - most recipes for this soup call for the head and viscera to be boiled to make the stock.  Even today the mayor of Prague doles out this soup to the needy on the Old Town Square on Christmas Eve.

First the stock is prepared for vánoční rybí polévka

2. Les Treize Desserts (The Thirteen Desserts) - France
Here's one for the kids (and those of us adults with a sweet tooth).  In the Provence region of France,  Christmas Eve is epic meal time, or Le Gros Souper.  The table is set with three candles (representing the trinity) and a large dinner of fish, vegetables, bread and cheese is shared.  The thirteen desserts (representing the number of diners at the Last Supper) are then laid out to finish the feast.  The desserts consist of various fresh and dried fruits, nuts, nougats, cakes, and sweet wine.  After all that, everyone heads to the local church to try to stay awake through Midnight Mass!

Les Treize Desserts

3. Pandoro (The Golden Bread) - Italy
This Italian sweet bread, traditionally from Verona, is a favourite at Christmas.  By its appearance you would think it is a cake, but it is in fact a leavened yeast bread, sweetened with sugar or honey, and dusted with icing sugar (some say to resemble the Dolomite peaks just north of Verona).  Pandoro is typically served with a side of whipped cream, or even better, vanilla gelato, and a strong Italian espresso.  Yum.

Pandoro gets its golden colour from the egg yolks used in the simple recipe

4. Lutefisk (Lye Fish) - Norway
It is hard for a non-Scandinavian to understand the appeal of this dish... however it remains very popular at Christmas throughout the Nordic countries, especially Norway.  Dried cod is soaked in a solution of water and lye for a number of days, which changes the texture of the fish, making it more like a fish "jello" (jellyfish?).  At this point, the fish is inedible because of the lye, so it has to be rinsed in clean water for several days to remove most of the lye.  Then it is ready to be baked or parboiled, and served in all of its odoriferous, gelatinous glory.

Lutefisk: Just tell the kids it's jello

5.  Cougnou  (Baby Jesus Bread) - Belgium
This sweetened yeast bread, dotted with coarse granules of sugar, is made in the shape of "the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2:12).  A children's favourite at Christmas, it is usually served with another Belgian specialty - real hot chocolate.

This looks so good, I'm going to try to make it myself.

Europe - home to so many different culinary traditions.  Isn't it time you made the trek?  Join one of our specialized tours of Europe and enjoy regional cuisine at its finest.  Go to OneLife Tours for details.

What Child Is This?

The famous Christmas carol, penned in 1865 by English writer William Chatterton Dix on his "death bed" (he later recovered), asks the question "What child is this, who laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping?" and answers "This is Christ, the King".  Interspersed in his thoughtful lyrics, set to the tune of the medieval English song Greensleeves, are references to shepherds, angels, ox and ass, incense, gold, and myrrh - familiar figures and objects in a traditional nativity scene (also called a crèche).

Two German children admire a small nativity just as their ancestors have done for generations.

Nativities are very popular during the Christmas season - millions of people have small versions in their own homes (we have six!), and many larger scenes are set up in church parking lots, town squares, library courtyards, and front lawns.  One of our local churches has a crèche display in their community hall with over 100 different nativity scenes from all over the world.

The newest addition to our family collection of nativity scenes - a St. Nicholas Day present to my wife this year (it matches our dishes...)

There amongst the red-nosed reindeer and Santa Claus is an illuminated nativity in the yard of our neighbour, known affectionately as Mr. Christmas.

Where did this tradition begin?  Many expect the answer to be Germany because so many of our modern Christmas traditions come from the Germanic world, but in fact the nativity originates in medieval Italy.

Built straight out of the stone, the Greccio Franciscan hermitage is an extraordinary fusion of architecture and nature.  It was here that St. Francis first recreated the Christ birth scene on Christmas Eve, 1223.

In 1223, St. Francis of Assisi was visiting the small village of Greccio.  As Christmas approached, he was struck with the idea of creating a scene to represent the birth of Christ for the people of the village.  This was a novel idea, and as such he requested and was granted permission from the pope to create the first nativity scene, to be displayed during Midnight Mass.  It was a live scene - real baby, real donkey, real hay.  According to his biographer, "St. Francis stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy."  The scene so moved the great monk that he could not bring himself to even utter the name of the Lord, instead referring to him repeatedly as the Babe of Bethlehem in his sermon that night - indeed, the whole village was moved to tears. News of the spiritual outpouring reached the Vatican, and the tradition of the nativity scene was spread throughout Europe.

Famous pre-Renaissance Italian artist Giotto painted a history of the life of St. Francis in the monastery of Assisi.   This piece is called Institution of the Crib at Greccio - a scene depicting St. Francis creating the first nativity.

This tradition has continued to today, where you will find beautiful nativity scenes in cities, towns, and villages throughout Europe during the Christmas season.

Europe is the home to so many of our traditions, both Christmas and otherwise.  Join OneLife Tours in Europe for a meaningful and joyous trip led by a passionate, expert guide.  Our testimonials speak for themselves.   

Below are some great nativity scenes from around Europe.  Enjoy!  

Every year the Vatican sets up an elaborate nativity scene in St. Peter's Square.

A detailed crèche on display in Budapest, Hungary.

This 1476 fresco by Sandro Botticelli is in Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy.

The nativity in stained glass in the Saint Eustache church of Paris, France.

Creative use of straw in Prague.

A live nativity in a Dolomites mountain village in Italy.