Now, who does not love Christmas?
Christmas is a time we all love unabashedly. The magic of snow, the nostalgia of family and the tantalising food. What is not to love? It’s a time for silver bells, busy city streets, brightly lit Christmas trees and hurried shopping. A time filled with anticipation and hope. So, what is not to love?
“At Christmas all roads lead home.”
Of course, there is everything to love and cherish during Christmas. It’s a festival that is a global phenomenon, with even non-Christians getting swept up in the tide of Christmas. It could be possible to link all this poignancy to food.
Like every other festival, every country has its favourite Christmas dish. Some surveys indicate that turkey is the favourite of 73% of people in the US with 69% preferring roast beef and 62% enjoying ham. About 22 million turkeys are eaten on Christmas in the US alone.
Here are the top 3 most loved traditional Christmas dishes world over:
Turkey:
It was in the 15th century that the Spanish took turkeys back to Europe from the Aztec. People in England began feasting on the delicious bird from the 16th century. However, people from Mexico, Central America, and the United States have been eating it since antiquity. Millions of people enjoy turkey during Christmas. Many budding chefs look forward to learning to roast a whole turkey for the first-time during Christmas. In Mexico, Turkey with mole is regarded as the national dish and in Taiwan Turkey rice is regarded as one of Taiwan’s national dishes. Cooking the perfect Turkey is quite the task and requires a lot of patience and planning. The Turkey must be well seasoned and marinated in time to get the right flavouring. It is important to choose the right size, while planning a Turkey dinner.
Traditionally Turkeys are baked or roasted in the oven for hours with or without stuffing. It is also important for Turkey to rest before trying to carve it. Turkey is considered highly nutritious with high content of protein, vitamin B6 and phosphorus. Turkey is commonly served with roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts and parsnips. Cranberry sauce is the traditional condiment in some parts of the UK. Bread sauce, cocktail sausages or liver wrapped in bacon (pigs in blankets) are also much loved accompaniments with Turkey.
If you are someone who can’t be bothered about trying to get that tender crispy turkey for yourself or your guests, then Esseplore has it all together for you. This year we have designed a FeastBox for Christmas and yes smoked turkey is on the menu! Order our FeastBox Christmas Set here.
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”
Roast Beef or Beef Brisket
Christmas beef needs plenty of time to cook, whether it is braised, brined, or smoked. A smoke brisket, Texas-style takes about 8 to 12 hours to get tender and delicious. Most people associate the brisket with Texas, but it originated from the Jewish cuisine. Many years ago in central and Eastern Europe, The Ashkenazi Jewish community started cooking the brisket. In Germany the brisket is braised in dark beer and cooked with a few vegetables. This is also popular all over Asia, New Zealand, Italy, and Pakistan. In traditional Jewish cooking it is often braised as pot roast. Whereas in Honk Kong, it is cooked over low heat until tender. In Korea, it is first boiled with aromatic vegetables then pressed. All over the world, people are finding new ways to enjoy Beef Brisket. Esseplore is more than ready this Christmas as we have the brisket planned for our Christmas FeastBox and the Christmas Gourmand box. Are you ready for a little Christmas magic?
Ham:
Christmas dinner traditions often serve Christmas ham or Yule ham, which became a popular Christmas food since the 20th century. It was around that time that the baked Christmas ham became a common sight during Christmas dinners, clove-studded with diamond-hatched sugar glaze. In Australia, ham is a traditional dish that is served in a variety of ways in different parts of the country. The Filipinos too, love their ham, which is often soaked in lime juice and kumquat to achieve a unique flavour. In Sweden, cured ham is either boiled or baked then coated with a mixture of egg, breadcrumbs and mustard, then browned in the oven. In Singapore this year, Singaporeans will get a taste of smoked ham from Esseplore as much planning and strategizing has been done so that we can kick-start your Christmas as early as possible.
“Always plan ahead, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”
Conclusion
Christmas is a beautiful time of the year and that’s why we at Esseplore have been really eager to start the joy of celebration much ahead in time. We want to make sure that your Christmas is planned perfectly. The greatest joy is that we have included all the top 3 traditional dishes mentioned above in our Christmas FeastBox. All the Christmas treasure in one place. How amazing is that?
“The magic of Christmas never ends.”
Complete your X-mas gifting with the perfect gift box from Gourmand. With our selected jams, sauces and condiments, let your business partners, staff and colleagues know how much you appreciate them with our Gourmand Gift Box.
