Recipes How To Reviews Chefs News Inspiration Sign In

The curious history of Christmas foods – and why we eat them

Christmas culinary mysteries
Why do Italians eat panettone?
Why do we eat candy canes?
Why don't mince pies contain meat?
Why do we put oranges in our stockings?
Why do we drink eggnog?
Why is turkey traditional?
Why do we eat roasted ham?
Why is goose eaten at Christmas?
Why do we eat and gift cookies at Christmas?
Why do the French feast on bûche de Noël?
Why do we eat Brussels sprouts?
Why do we eat fruitcake?
Why do we drink mulled wine?
Why do we put stuffing in turkey?
Why hide pickles in the Christmas tree?
Why do we put a sixpence in Christmas puddings?
Why do we have edible advent calendars?
What's the story behind chocolate coins?
Why do Italian-Americans celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes?
Why do we set our Christmas puddings on fire?
Why do people in Japan eat KFC at Christmas?
Why do we make gingerbread houses?
1 of 23
Aleksandra Suzi/Shutterstock

Christmas culinary mysteries

Candy canes, mulled wine and turkey with all the trimmings. Every Christmas, we tuck into dishes that we have known and loved for generations. But why do we eat specific foods around the festive season? We've delved into culinary traditions around the world to find the answers.
Gallery view |
List View

loveFOOD Staff

16 December 2022

Inspiration

See more on this topic

Share the love