The tradition of holiday luncheons

What makes us most happy about the holidays, apart from spending time with family, some free days and presents is the abundance of food that everyone prepares. It is almost impossible to visit guests and not return with a plate of cake or a bowl of French salad, and invitations to lunch are rarely refused. Everyone in the world who celebrates these holidays has their own customs regarding what to eat and when, and Croatia is no different.

For Christmas Eve, according to the Christian tradition, fasting is practiced, which means that no meat is eaten and that it is enough to eat one meal during the day. In Croatia, fish is most often eaten, in the coastal area and in Lika river fish, and in the inland part of freshwater fish. Cod, fish soups and even risotto and seafood pasta can be found on the tables. If you want to deviate a little from the usual recipes and stick to the rules, salmon with green pepper, pasta with tuna or pate are sure choices that will appeal to everyone, even children.

On Christmas Day itself, poultry is eaten in most of the country, and in some parts lamb or young pork can also be eaten. In Zagreb, turkey is always eaten with mlinci, in Istria they prepare homemade bread with the turkey, and in Lika, baked potatoes are indispensable. The main course, along with several other courses, always ends with cakes, which are usually walnuts, poppy seeds and numerous variations of cookies. Dalmatian towns and islands often put dried fruit in their cakes, such as figs or carobs, for which Viška torta is famous.

Unlike Croatia and neighboring countries, in Sweden Christmas ham is eaten at Christmas, cooked, coated with eggs, breadcrumbs and mustard, and served cold with a glass of Glögg, their version of mulled wine. In Portugal, the center of attention is not lunch but dessert, where they make two versions of Christmas cake: Bolo Rei, which contains nuts and fruit, and Bolo Rainha, without candied fruit. In addition to cakes, they also make Broa, small sweets made from egg yolks and sweet potatoes. One of the most interesting traditions is Japanese because they order their holiday lunch - KFC chicken - months in advance. This tradition began in 1974 after the company released the advertisement "Kentucky for Christmas", and every year the demand increases.

New Year's lunch in Croatia traditionally consists of "lucky" ingredients, i.e. food that was believed to bring good luck in the coming year. Pork is always served as the main dish, and the reason for this is that while searching for food, the pig thrusts its snout forward, suggesting progress (unlike poultry, which clucks backward), and its fat and thickness symbolize luck. If you want to be rich in the coming year, you should eat lentils, which, due to their coin-like shape, portend good luck. In Brazil, it is eaten as a stew, and Germans eat it with pork sausages.

Twelve grapes, representing health and strength, at midnight, mean twelve lucky months to many Spanish, Portuguese and Latin Americans, and those who prefer sweeter things will love the idea of ​​the Dutch eating doughnuts. Italians, on the other hand, eat balls sprinkled with sugar because, according to legend, monsters cannot steal the stomach of the one who ate the round dessert.

In addition to receiving several gifts for Christmas, along with hearty meals and cakes, we often gain a few kilos. Whether you follow tradition or not, it's hard to resist some of these dishes, but just in case, we recommend you eat some pork and lentils, because you never know how many grains of truth there are in old wisdoms. We hope you had pleasant and tasty holidays!