Here are some of the most popular and traditional dishes served across seven countries that define a true Christmas feast.
Japan
Over 3.5 million Japanese queue for KFC’s festive buckets for Christmas, sometimes as early as Dec 20!
The tradition began in 1970 when a manager dreamed up a “party barrel”, essentially a bucket of fried chicken, after hearing foreigners missing their traditional Christmas meals.
Over the decades, it grew into a national tradition, with KFC Japan now offering limited-edition Christmas menus and even accepting pre-orders to ensure every family gets their festive bucket.
Today, families enjoy fried chicken alongside cream stew, potato salad, and traditional sweets called wagashi for a uniquely Japanese Christmas feast.
Mexico
In Mexico, Christmas celebrations often centre around tamales, with families coming together for a tamalada, a full day dedicated to making tamales from scratch.
Masa dough is mixed, filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables, wrapped in softened corn husks, then folded and steamed, a process that usually involves several helping hands.
Alongside them is pozole, a slow-cooked stew made with red chillies, pork, and hominy, though some households prefer a milder white version. It’s often topped with shredded cabbage, radishes, and lime.
Mini meat pies called Empanadas round out the spread.
France
French Christmas dinners are famously elaborate, featuring oysters, smoked salmon, caviar, snails, and roast meats.
Gratin dauphinois, served as a side dish, features thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream and garlic.
But the star of the show is always the bûche de Noël, a rolled chocolate sponge cake filled with cream and decorated to resemble a wooden log.
Its origins date back to medieval times, when families would burn a large log for good luck.
As fireplaces shrank, the log became decorative, eventually inspiring the indulgent cake people know today – often lightly dusted with powdered sugar to mimic snow.
Portugal
On Christmas Eve, known as Consoada, Portuguese families typically gather around a simple meal of salted cod called bacalhau, served with boiled potatoes, cabbage, eggs, and olive oil.
In coastal or southern regions, octopus often takes the place of cod.
One of Portugal’s most distinctive (almost peculiar) Christmas sweets is lampreia de ovos. Originally created by convent nuns centuries ago, this dessert, made from egg yolks, sugar, and almonds, is shaped to resemble a a jawless fish or lamprey.
Denmark
In the cold Scandinavian winter, Danish families kick off Christmas lunch with pickled herring, rye bread, and eggs.
The main meal features roast pork or duck, potatoes, red cabbage, and gravy, along with gravlax, which is cured salmon, and other cured meats.
Dessert is risalamande, a creamy rice pudding topped with cherry sauce. A hidden almond inside the pudding brings extra fun, as whoever finds it gets a prize or an extra present.
Italy
Italian families enjoy a meatless Christmas Eve dinner of fresh seafood, known as the “Feast of the Seven Fishes”.
The “seven fishes” isn’t strict – families might serve seven, nine, or more dishes, with the number seven holding symbolic meaning in Catholic tradition.
Fish stew is a common dish, served with seafood linguini, cod, calamari, lobster, octopus salad, and more.
No Italian Christmas is complete without panettone, a rich, sweet bread filled with dried fruit or chocolate. Originating in Milan, this multi-day sourdough creation is enjoyed fresh on Christmas Eve or toasted the next morning for breakfast.
South Africa
In South Africa, Christmas falls in summer, so many families celebrate outdoors, sometimes even on the beach, firing up the braai (barbecue).
Roast meats, Nigerian‑style fried rice, seafood, and vegetables are often accompanied by sauces or stuffing made with fruits, nuts, and spices.
For dessert, malva pudding is a festive favourite. Made with apricot jam, this spongy cake has a rich, caramel-like flavour. After baking, it is soaked in a warm buttery sauce, and often served hot with custard or vanilla ice cream.