Christmas is all about celebration, and what better way to do it than with food? It’s a communal thing that brings everyone together and leaves you with a full stomach and satisfied taste buds. Traditional recipes have been experimented with and added on to, while some are completely new and specific to you and your friends and family’s palates. If you’re not sure about what to cook for Christmas, we have some ideas that you could think about and even jazz up a bit to suit your tastes.
Mince Pies
The meat pie is a classic Australian treat and time hasn’t changed how much people love the food. If you’re up for the challenge, you can try to make mince pies from scratch, including the puff pastry that is notoriously challenging to make. However, this can be a great family bonding experience as it encourages each member to focus on a particular task that they can pick out for themselves. Whether it’s a store-bought pie or one made completely from scratch, it’ll be savoured and enjoyed by everyone involved in your Christmas.
Pavlova
Although its origin story is a little convoluted, pavlova has cemented itself into Australian culture as well as with Australian Christmas celebrations. Huge grocery stores such as Coles and Woolworths have added pavlova to its list of Christmas themed treats and meals for the family. There are also variations of the dessert that you can make yourself that will make it even more festive. Pavlova is known for its meringue covered exterior and marshmallow textured interior, along with an abundance of fruit decorating the meringue on the outside. There are so many different recipes that you can play around with this Christmas, but pavlova has certainly become quite the popular dessert for Australian holiday season.
Cold Meats
This is quite a popular choice in Queensland, with an assortment of different meats such as ham and turkey, accompanied by salad and cold beer before finishing off with either Christmas pudding or pavlova. They are a great alternative to the traditional roasting of the meats on the Christmas menu, especially if it’s the middle of summer in Australia and you’re wanting something a little cooler to consume.
Christmas Pudding
It’s also known as plum pudding, this treat dates back to the time of medieval England and has spread across to other countries associated with the UK. the pudding contains various fruits within it and held together with egg. Additional spices are used, such as cinnamon and ginger, to add a little more flavour to the pudding. Alcohol is infused into the pudding and aged for a month or more so that the flavours have time to mature. The alcohol also helps to prevent the pudding from going bad during this process. The result is a flavoursome pud that is served with treacle and ice cream and a merry Christmas!
Glazed Ham
Hams are one of the traditional foods for the Christmas time, so it makes sense to prepare one for your holidays. The glaze is the most important element of this dish, as it’s the unique flavour of it that will be enjoyed by everyone. The way to make this stand out is to continuously glaze the ham while it’s roasting, over and over again. That way, the juices will stay sealed in and the glaze will infuse the meat so that you will be able to taste it alongside the ham and get the full experience.
Prawns and Calamari
These might be uncommon choices when the word ‘Christmas’ comes to mind, but it’s quite a common occurrence in Australia. Many Aussies will take their Christmas gatherings to the park that has a barbeque handy so that they can cook their meals and have room for friends and family to play around. You might even decide to have a party at home so if you have s barbeque stored away, this would be a great time for you to bring it out of storage and enjoy cooking with the family this Christmas.
Turkey
Turkey is one of the traditional Christmas meals to have for the Christmas. It’s extremely popular since it’s a large size so that it can be shared with many people and keep that communal Christmas spirit alive. Since Thanksgiving is sometimes celebrated in Australia, however isn’t as common as it is in the US, turkeys are still in season since both the holidays are only a month apart. A goose was traditionally used, along with boar heads and even peacocks due to its extravagant plumage. Turkeys were wild, were something different from the norm and saved people from having to use their own livestock to celebrate Christmas, and so that tradition was born.
Since Christmas has an abundance of food available, it makes sense that there will also be a lot of leftovers that you might not know how to take care of. Check out our guide to storing perishables so that you can properly store them away for future meals. If you’re also having trouble with finding extra space from cleaning up this Christmas, Spacer can help you find a space, even within your own area to make the move easier. May you have a Merry Christmas this year and happy storing!
