European Yuletide

European Yuletide Christmas needn't be just a dutiful encore of Thanksgiving dinner. In Europe, Santa Claus (also known as Sinterklaas, Père Nöel, Julemanden, and Saint Nicholas) indulges in traditional feasts of an altogether different variety. AUSTRIA A traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Vienna may feature braised carp, served with a hearty and aromatic gingerbread and beer sauce. Topfenpalatschinken, sweet cheese crêpes baked into a smooth and creamy custard, are slathered with a blissful apricot caramel sauce. Fröhe Weihnachten! BELGIUM Speculoos are spiced cookies baked for Christmas tree decorations and holiday snacking. The smell of warm candles, fresh pine, and these cinnamon, ginger, and clove cookies creates a Belgian child's first holiday memories. Special meals are also an occasion for aardappel kroketjes, fried potato croquettes that are simple, delicious, and highly addictive. Vrolijke Kerstmis! ENGLAND Plum pudding gets its name not from plums, but from the process of "plumming": raisins and currants are plumped up by warm brandy then molded with suet and a bit of batter to make the dense dessert so fondly consumed by the British. Served aflame with more brandy, and garnished with holly, the pudding is a welcome assault to the palate — especially with a dollop of brandy-laced hard sauce. Merry Christmas! FRANCE The bûche de Nöel was created in the late nineteenth century by Parisian pastry chefs inspired by the burning of ritual yule logs through the night of Christmas Eve. A good bûche — cake rolled and filled with chestnut cream then coated in homemade marzipan — is not only a special treat, but also a triumphant work of art to accompany the Gallic feast of réveillon. In southwest regions, a plump roasted goose is often the main course instead of turkey. Joyeux Nöel! GERMANY The first stollen was baked in 14th-century Dresden and shaped to resemble the Christ-child in swaddling clothes. The fruit-laden cake is slow to rise, distinctly dry and dense in texture, aromatic, and flavorful. It's the perfect accompaniment to a strong black cup of coffee after a night of Christmas Eve worship and revelry. Fröhliche Weinachten! GREECE January 1 takes precedence over Christmas Day for honoring St. Basil, the Greek Santa Claus. Children receive gifts, and a lucky silver coin is baked into a spongelike New Year's cake called Vasilopeta. When serving the dish, the first slice is set aside for St. Basil and the second slice for Christ. The following slices go to members of the family in descending order of age. A decorated and more breadlike version of the delicacy, Christopsomo, is made on Christmas Day itself. Kala Christougena! HOLLAND Despite the name, oliebollen — or oil balls — are delicious and zealously consumed over Christmas in The Netherlands. These bite-size flour and raisin pastries are deep-fried and sprinkled with sugar. Zalig Kerstfeest! IRELAND A grand fry-up is rarely amiss of a dank Irish Christmas morning: Eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, sausages, fried bread, and links of black and white pudding fill both plates and appetites. Then, as if this spread were only a rehearsal, the proper midday meal amasses everything from roast ham to potato-stuffed turkey and spiced beef. Nodlaig Nait Cugat! ITALY Aside from eating the ubiquitous panettone, Italians celebrate the week between Christmas and New Year's with helpings of cotechino, a fresh pork sausage traditionally served with stewed lentils. Buon Natale! PORTUGAL Gathered around a nativity crèche instead of a Christmas tree, Portugese families feast on the national holiday dish of dried codfish, called bacalhau. Dessert can be rabanadas, slices of white bread soaked in eggs and wine, dredged in sugar, and fried until the coating is crusty and candylike. Children ask the Infant Jesus for gifts, place their shoes by the fireplace, and hope for a piece of Bolo Rei, a circular cake coated in glazed fruits, crushed nuts and sugar icing. Boas Festas! SCANDINAVIA In Scandinavia, Christmas season starts on December 13, which is known as St. Lucia Day, when the oldest daughter dresses in white, wears a wreath with seven lighted candles, and serves coffee and buns to her family. Among the other popular Scandanavian dishes during the Christmas season are roast goose, ham, pickled herring, lutefisk, and rice pudding. Glaedelig Jul! SPAIN A national passion for almonds and marzipan pervades the Iberian peninsula during the Christmas season. Turrón is a nougatlike sweet made from honey and almonds, and has ancient origins in pre-Christian Mediterranean cultures. In Madrid and the surrounding countryside, a besugo, or white sea bass, is roasted with lemons, onions, olive oil, and breadcrumbs for a traditional family feast. Felices Navidades! http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_xmas/euro.html