This holiday season, take inspiration from around the world with these global Christmas recipes from around the world, from sugar-dusted Polish bow tie fritters and the Puerto Rican Christmas staple pernil asado (roast pork shoulder) to ptarmigan, an Icelandic wild grouse with a sweet-tart sauce. Danish cookie tin cookies, christmas goose recipes, and warming hot chocolate—these worldly Christmas recipes will bring a taste of different lands to your table. For even more Christmas inspiration, check out our Ultimate Holiday Guide.
Leaf Bread (Laufabrauð)
Made of a thin, waferlike dough, this crisp flatbread is a holiday tradition in Iceland. Many families make it together a few days before Christmas; some Icelanders joke that it’s the only time of year the men will help in the kitchen. It’s first cut into intricate geometric patterns, then deep-fried and saved to be eaten as an accompaniment to Christmas dinner. Traditionally, a special tool called a leaf bread iron is used to cut the patterns, but we found a paring knife works just as well. See the recipe for Leaf Bread »
Mint Hot Chocolate
Adding a mint tea bag is the perfect way to flavor hot chocolate. For a stronger mint flavor, steep the tea bag for longer, but you only need a couple minutes so the mint doesn’t get too grassy. A couple fresh mint leaves don’t hurt, either. Get the recipe for Mint Hot Chocolate »
Christmas Grouse with Berry Sauce (Jólarjúpa með Berjasósu)
Icelandic home cook Þorgerður Gunnarsdóttir serves ptarmigan, or wild grouse, with a sweet-tart sauce made with thyme and bilberries. Here, we substitute blueberries, a slightly sweeter cousin of bilberries. See the recipe for Icelandic Christmas Grouse with Berry Sauce »
Speculaas (Molded Ginger Cookies)
A specialty of the Netherlands and Belgium, speculaas are cousins of gingerbread, only lighter and more delicately spiced. Intricately carved wooden molds are used to form the cookies into bas-relief images of characters and symbols from stories about Saint Nicholas, or Sinter-klaas, whose name day, December 6, kicks off the Christmas season in that part of the world. See the recipe for Speculaas (Molded Ginger Cookies) »