From turkey to French toast, find out what the typical dishes are for Christmas dinner in Brazil and discover their variations to prepare for dinner!
December is approaching and with it the end of year celebrations, the gifts and what is the favorite moment for many: the Christmas dinner!
And it is precisely the typical Christmas dishes, be they those that draw inspiration from the Christmas dinners of other countries or those that have the look and taste of Brazil, that make this the most awaited moment of Christmas Eve. Even though these are foods available all year round, eating them during Christmas dinner, at a gathering with family and friends, makes everything more special.
This is why we have selected some Christmas recipes that will make your dinner even more special this year! From appetizers to desserts, there will be no shortage of typical dishes and special versions of these dishes on your table.
What is the origin of Christmas dinner?
Just like Christmas and the custom of decorate Christmas trees To date, Christmas dinner has emerged in Europe.
There it was customary for families to leave their doors open on Christmas Eve to welcome travelers and pilgrims passing through the neighborhood. They stayed at home and socialized with the family who welcomed them, who prepared a dinner with various dishes to feed everyone.
This custom has spread throughout the world and each country has added its own characteristics to it. In Brazil, for example, our Christmas dinner cannot be without farofa and pavé, something that other countries, such as the United States or France, do not have.
What can’t be missing from Christmas dinner?
There are several dishes that cannot be missing from Christmas dinner!
Some of them are:
- Turkey or other poultry, such as chicken;
- Tender meat, loin or other pork;
- Cod or other fish;
- Rice;
- Farofa;
- Chicken salad;
- Cous cous;
- French toast;
- Panettone;
- Floor;
- Pudding;
- Mousse;
- Colored jelly.
Every family has its own tradition, that is, what may be typical in one house may not be common in another. For example, one family may like to eat cod for dinner, while another doesn’t like farofa, and this is normal: in Brazil you won’t find one dinner the same as another.
A curiosity that shows the difference between the Christmas dinner customs of each family is that, in China, the typical Christmas dish is fried chicken from the American fast food chain KFC.
What are the typical Christmas dishes?
As we already know, Christmas presents a series of typical dishes that depend on the region, state and even the country in which it is celebrated.
Among the most popular Brazilian dishes are farofa, salpicão and pavê, as well as the traditional turkey and panettone.
We have selected for you the typical Christmas dishes to prepare in view of the holidays!
Rice
The traditional everyday rice at Christmas is revisited: in some houses it becomes Greek rice, in others you get raisins, in others you mix nuts and other typical fruits.
However, what the dish has in common is always there: garlic, seasonings, salt, water and rice, white, parboiled or brown.
To the Terra Degustayou will find the recipe for colored Greek rice, Greek rice with tender – which is doubly Christmassy – and rice with raisins, which divides opinions and families at Christmas.
Chicken salad
A salad with cold chicken, mayonnaise and all your favorite ingredients: this is salpicão, a typical Brazilian Christmas dish.
Despite the variety of ingredients that can be part of salpicão, it is common for the traditional recipe to include chicken, corn, olives, peas, mayonnaise and, for decoration, straw potatoes.
But there are many varieties of cured meat recipes that can be made for Christmas: from exchanging the chicken for turkey to serving the sausage in a different format, such as a garland or in baskets of parmesan, there is always a way to vary the recipe traditional and surprise friends and relatives at dinner.
Farofa
Farofa is probably one of the dishes that can have the greatest number of variations in Brazilian cuisine. This is because, based on flour, it is possible to invent countless recipes with different ingredients, which can satisfy everyone.
Furthermore, another point that draws attention to farofa is its practicality and speed: it can be prepared in a few minutes, so it will not be the most difficult dish of the Christmas lunch.
Between the traditional farofa with peppers and bacon, the farofa with spinach, banana or couscous, discover some farofa recipes that will delight your family at Christmas and be a hit at dinner.
Peru
There are some dishes that cannot be missing from Christmas lunch and one of these is undoubtedly turkey. Sometimes replaced by other birds, such as roast chickens, the turkey is so traditional for the holidays that it’s impossible to stop thinking about it when you think of Christmas.
And there’s no need to worry about all the steps to roast a turkey for dinner: to prepare a delicious and practical Christmas turkey, just follow the Degusta recipe, a succulent and easy-to-prepare Christmas turkey.
Cod
Cod is a very versatile fish: it can be cooked, roasted and even made into desserts, loved by many people. So it’s no surprise that it’s a Christmas dinner favorite for many families.
Cod-based recipes include the colorful bacalhoada, which uses potatoes, onions and peppers, cod escondidinho and even chickpea salad with cod, a lighter option that can be made with Christmas Eve leftovers Christmas.
to tend
The tender, known by many as “bolinha”, is a traditional Christmas pork. So much so that it can only be seen on market shelves from November onwards, when preparations for dinner begin.
One of the most traditional versions of the recipe is the tender one with pineapple and farofa: a bet on bittersweetness that satisfies and conquers the majority of palates.
What are Christmas desserts?
Who doesn’t love a sweet treat, right? At Christmas it’s no different: desserts are one of the most anticipated moments. After all, they often only have that delicious taste at Christmas and some are only made at this time of year, as is the case with panettone and chocotone.
Panettone and chocolate
The face of Christmas, panettone is a dessert created in Milan, Italy, by a baker called Toni. The “Pani di Toni” – that is, Toni’s bread – soon became popular and became one of the most loved Christmas dishes, gaining variations such as chocotone and also savory and different versions, such as lemon, guava or pistachio.
There are many panettone recipes that deviate from tradition and which will be a success for your Christmas dinner, such as the churro, brigadeiro or black forest version.
floor
“Is it pavê or pacumê?”: the protagonist of Christmas dinner jokes is also one of the most anticipated dishes of the day! Practical, quick to make and always delicious, pavé has so many different variations and flavors that it is difficult to choose just one for Christmas.
From nougat and honey pavé recipes to five milk pavé, choosing just one recipe to prepare for dinner will be impossible!
Pudding
Pudding and pavé go hand in hand in the variety of recipes that exist: whether it is the traditional condensed milk pudding, chocolate pudding or unusual but still delicious recipes, such as tapioca and yoghurt pudding, there is a recipe to satisfy every palate. .
Furthermore, pudding is also a very easy recipe to prepare: with the blender and the oven you get a delicious and beautiful dessert, which will fill everyone’s eyes and mouths at dinner (and also at lunch, if you have some pieces left over).
french toast
Traditional at Christmas like panettone, rabanada is a dessert that usually consists of bread soaked in eggs and milk, which is fried and then dipped in sugar and cinnamon.
And this dessert has also found various variations on Brazilian tables: there is the rabanada made with panettone, chocolate, brioche, filled with nest milk, with dulce de leche and even spices and sweet curd.
In other words, there is a French toast recipe for every situation!
A curiosity: despite being a recipe that is generally prepared only at Christmas here in Brazil, rabanada is a breakfast dish in countries like the United States, where it is called French toast – French toast, in the free translation.
At Terra Degusta you will find various recipes to amaze your family and friends during Christmas dinner!
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
