In the UK, traditional Christmas is delicious, but also predictable: turkey, roast potatoes, all the trimmings and gravy. But almost every country and culture in the world has their own Christmas dinner tradition – and turkey isn’t always included. From KFC to curried goat, every culture does things a little differently. And a lot deliciously.
And if you fancy giving Brussel sprouts a miss this year, we’ll even recommend a few apps that you can use to help you whip up an alternative Xmas lunch. Unless you’re planning to have a Japanese Christmas lunch. Then we could just suggest a delivery app.
Japan - KFC
Christmas dinner was never really a big deal in Japan… until recently. In the 1970s, a canny KFC branch owner started a tradition of Christmas Fried Chicken and it’s taken off. An estimated 3.6 million families in Japan are expected to be queuing up this year for their festive bucket this year.
South Africa - Mopane worms
I’m A Celebrity may turn eating creepy crawlies into a trial, but in many parts of the world they’re considered a delicacy. In many parts of southern Africa, Mopane worms are harvested beginning in late November (just in time for Christmas). Fresh ones are fried with onions, tomatoes and chili on and around Christmas. They’re rich in protein but low in fat – so are probably a bit healthier than your gravy-covered Christmas turkey.
Italy - Feast of the Seven Fishes
Roman Catholics traditionally abstained from meat and animal fats around Christmas, so seafood became a handy substitute. That’s why The Feast of the Seven Fishes has become an institution in Italian communities around the world. The seven fish can be served whole as courses or just mixed into a huge seafood pasta, often including clams, mussels, halibut, shrimp, anchovy, calamari and scallops.
Jamaica – Curried goat
While many Jamaican families will opt for a very traditional Christmas ham, still others spice up Christmas with lots of classic Caribbean dishes – think ackee and saltfish (the national dish) and the always-reliable curried goat – which is slow cooked and delicious. If you fancy switching turkey for goat, you can often find goat meat at farmers’ markets or online – or pop into your local Caribbean food store. If you’re lucky enough to live near one.
Australia – Pavlova
Christmas is in summer in Australia, so our friends Down Under are more likely to bypass the oven and pop outside for a barbecue. But pudding is all about pavlova. While there’s strong debate about who first created the fruit and cream covered meringue dessert, what’s for certain is that it’s the perfect crisp and airy pud for a hot summer’s day. Or at the end of a heavy Christmas dinner.
What’s the best app to help you get cooking?
BBC Good Food
bbcgoodfood.com has thousands of recipes and can help you make every recipe on this list – apart from the mopane worms. If you don’t like reading recipes, there are plenty of video how tos to cook along to. You can also get inspiration for Christmas drinks, courses and even foodie gifts for friends. The only downside is that their app now comes at a charge - £4.49 a month.
Tasty
The Tasty app (from Buzzfeed) is free and comes with some neat features. It asks you questions about what you like to eat so it can tailor recipe ideas to your tastes. Recipes come in both cool little videos and recipe cards than you swipe through as you complete each step – though that does sound like the recipe for a sticky phone screen!
If you want a showstopping Christmas dessert, the Pavlova Christmas Tree will wow your guests.
Yummly
Yummly has loads of recipes from all over the world, and you can keep a virtual pantry so it’ll always know what ingredients you have. All you need to do is take a photo of what’s in your fridge! Best of all (for our Christmas dinner recipes) they have a whole section of fakeaways – so you can make your KFC at home. The only downside is that recipes are often just links to other blogs – so it’s not the most user friendly.
Whisk
Whisk is another huge app. Although it uses recipes from other food blogs, these are worked into the app so it’s a seamless experience. And if you’re being conscious of what you’re eating, every recipe has extremely detailed nutritional info. It also includes a shareable shopping list, weekly meal planner and an active community where you can swap recipes and tips.
What are you eating for Christmas dinner this year? Let us know below or share some of your fave cooking apps available.