Spanish Christmas Meals: 15+ Dishes and Desserts To Strive This Festive Season

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The vacation season in Spain is all about gathering across the desk, and when you sit down, don’t count on to depart anytime quickly. Between infinite programs, candy treats, and loads of cava, Spanish Christmas meals is virtually a marathon (you’ll need your comfiest pants for it).

However Christmas meals in Spain isn’t solely about indulgence. Each dish has a narrative, rooted in custom and handed down via generations. From wealthy stews to crumbly sweets, conventional festive meals displays the Spanish tradition, historical past, and love of celebration. Able to style all of it? Right here’s your final information to the must-try Spanish Christmas meals, plus fast recommendations on learn how to order meals in Spanish through the holidays.

Prime Spanish Christmas meals

Christmastime is an enormous deal in Spain: colleges shut down for weeks, and most of the people take day without work to have a good time with their households. This lengthy festive interval contains 4 primary holidays: Nochebuena (Christmas Eve), Navidad (Christmas), Nochevieja (New Yr’s Eve), and día de Reyes (Three Kings’ Day).

It’s a time for gatherings with household, pals, and even colleagues for the normal cena navideña (a Christmas dinner celebrated with coworkers earlier than the vacations start). And naturally, it’s additionally one of the best alternative to take pleasure in genuine Spanish delicacies and conventional meals you could solely style throughout Christmas in Spain.

1. Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham)

Jamón wants no introduction. It’s probably the most iconic of all Spanish tapas and, naturally, it takes heart stage on the holidays. Throughout Christmas, you’ll see complete patas de jamón (entire legs of ham) proudly displayed in houses, markets, and eating places. The artwork of slicing it by hand, with a protracted, skinny knife is a ritual in itself.

To order jamón like an area, you’ll must know some key phrases for meals in Spanish:

• Jamón ibérico: the premium selection, made out of purebred Black Iberian pork. Probably the most choose sort, Pata Negra, is 100% produced from free-range pork completely ate up bellotas (acorns).
• Jamón serrano (typically simply jamón): a extra widespread, cheaper ham made out of different breeds, nonetheless scrumptious however not as unique.

Notice: There’s no flawed time to eat jamón in Spain. Locals take pleasure in it for breakfast with tostas (toasted bread topped with olive oil and recent tomato), as a fast sandwich snack, or as a part of a tapas plate.

2. Cordero asado (roast lamb)

In terms of savory dishes, few issues say “Christmas” fairly like roasted lamb. Cordero asado is a standard Spanish Christmas meals from the area of Castile and León, the place roasting meat in wood-fired ovens has been a culinary artwork for hundreds of years, however has unfold throughout all of Spain.

This meat is normally cordero lechal or lechazo (suckling lamb), and it’s so cherished that complete cities like Ávila and Aranda de Duero (Burgos province) are well-known for his or her asadores (roasteries), the place they cook dinner the dish in clay pots with recipes handed down via generations.

3. Cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig)

If cordero asado (roasted lamb) is the king of Christmas roasts in Spain, then cochinillo asado is its royal sibling. This iconic dish, particularly well-known in Segovia (Castile and León), is a real vacation magnum opus.

To arrange cochinillo asado, a suckling pig (sometimes lower than six weeks previous) is roasted entire in a wood-fired oven. The normal method to serve it could be a bit uncommon and never for everybody: The Segovian customized is to deliver it entire to the desk and carve the meat with the sting of a plate as an alternative of a knife, to show its tenderness.

4. Marisco (seafood)

Seafood has grow to be probably the most luxurious staples of Spanish Christmas meals. The custom seemingly stems from the Catholic customized of avoiding meat on Christmas Eve, however over time, it has remodeled into a real vacation feast loved by households. In lots of households, seafood is served chilly as an appetizer, and a few even put together a whole mesa de mariscos (seafood desk) with a stunning unfold of shellfish.

In style decisions embrace:

• gambas and gambones (shrimp and prawns): grilled or boiled in seawater and sprinkled with salt.
• langostinos (one other species of prawn): boiled and served chilly with a dollop of mayonnaise.
• percebes (goose barnacles): a uncommon delicacy harvested from the rocky coasts of Galicia.

One other widespread Christmas custom in Spain is to take pleasure in a steaming bowl of crema de marisco (seafood bisque) or baked vieiras (scallops)—You may simply discover these final two in Spanish eating places. 

If you wish to see custom in motion, go to a fish market on Christmas Eve morning: It’s one of many busiest and most enjoyable procuring days of the 12 months.

5. Rape en salsa verde (monkfish in inexperienced sauce)

Fish additionally play an enormous half in Spanish Christmas meals. Besugo (blackspot seabream) and merluza (hake) are included in each restaurant’s Christmas menu in Spain. However rape en salsa verde (monkfish in inexperienced sauce) from coastal areas, deserves a seat of honor. The dish options tender monkfish fillets simmered in a sauce of garlic, parsley, white wine, and olive oil, typically enriched with clams or peas.

Language tip: When somebody serves you a dish, it’s widespread to listen to ¡Buen provecho! (Take pleasure in your meal). If a server says it, the well mannered reply is just saying “thanks” in Spanish. If it’s one other visitor on the desk, you may reply:

• Gracias, igualmente. = Thanks, identical to you.
• Gracias, a usted también. = Thanks, identical to you. (with the Spanish formal “you”).

6. Pavo relleno (stuffed turkey)

In Spain, turkey isn’t as common as within the US, however pavo relleno (stuffed turkey) has currently grow to be one of many nation’s common vacation centerpieces.

The stuffing makes it uniquely Spanish: though the recipe can change in keeping with every household custom, it’s normally a mix of minced beef and pork, garlic, onion, tomato, raisins, almonds, olives, and spices.

7. Cardos con almendras (cardoons with almond sauce)

Not all Spanish Christmas savory dishes are heavy roasts: Cardos con almendras (cardoons or thistle with almonds) is a humble, vegetarian, Spanish Christmas recipe. This conventional peasant dish is particularly common in northern Spain, notably Navarra and La Rioja, the place cardoons thrive within the chilly season. They’re so tied to Christmas that they’re typically referred to as la verdura de Navidad (the Christmas vegetable).

8. Turrón (nougat)

In any case these savory dishes, it’s time to fulfill your candy tooth. No Spanish Christmas meals custom can be full with out turrón (almond nougat). This beloved candy dates again to Moorish occasions, and it has two conventional varieties, each from the Alicante province and guarded by a D.O.P. (Denomination of Origin):

• Turrón from Jijona: Mushy, easy, and chewy, made by grinding almonds right into a paste with honey.
• Turrón from Alicante: Onerous and crunchy, with entire almonds blended with caramelized honey.

Turrón is bought in supermarkets and specialised shops. Right now, you’ll additionally discover loads of trendy variations: chocolate, coconut, praline, even mojito-flavored turrón!

9. Polvorones (crumbly shortbread cookies)

If Christmas in Spain had a soundtrack, it will certainly embrace the sound of individuals coughing their method via a mouthful of polvorones. These crumbly, shortbread-like cookies get their title from the phrase polvo (mud), as a result of the second you chew into one, they dissolve right into a candy, powdery cloud. 

They’re so dusty that locals actually have a enjoyable Christmas problem, making an attempt to say Pamplona (a reputation of a metropolis) clearly after stuffing a complete polvorón of their mouth. However right here’s a trick to make consuming them simpler: Earlier than unwrapping a polvorón, gently squeeze it whereas it’s nonetheless contained in the wrapper so it doesn’t utterly crumble aside whenever you take a chew.

10. Mantecados (lard shortbread cookies)

Shut cousins of polvorones, mantecados are barely much less crumbly, and get their title from manteca (lard), the ingredient that provides them their distinctive melt-in-the-mouth texture.

They’re initially from Andalusia, so should you plan a visit to the area at Christmas, don’t miss the possibility to attempt them on the supply. The cities of Estepa (Seville) and Antequera (Málaga) are well-known for producing tens of millions of mantecados each vacation season. Mantecados are additionally typical of different areas, similar to Toledo and the province of Valladolid.

11. Rosquillas/roscos de vino (wine doughnut)

Rosquillas de vino are comfortable ring-shaped cookies flavored with candy wine and a touch of anise, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. They pair completely with espresso or a glass of cava after a Christmas meal.

For those who’re searching for an edible memento, you’ll discover containers stuffed with a mixture of rosquillas, polvorones, and mantecados throughout Spain: A candy method to deliver the flavors of your Spanish Christmas holidays again house.

12. Pestiños (fried dough)

We will’t neglect about pestiños, one other beloved Spanish Christmas meals, additionally eaten throughout Easter in Spain. These Andalusian pastries have unfold throughout the nation and might be discovered nearly all over the place in Spain through the holidays.

These anise or sesame-flavored dough knots are fried till golden after which coated in honey or sugar. The consequence? Crunchy, sticky, and irresistibly candy, however consuming too many can depart you feeling heavy and sleepy. In actual fact, the phrase pestiño has made its method into Spanish slang to explain one thing tiresome.

• Esta peli es un pestiño. = This film is a bore.
• Venga, no seas pestiño. = Come on, don’t be such a downer.

13. Uvas de Nochevieja (New Yr’s Eve grapes)

Do you know that grapes deliver good luck? In response to a Spanish custom, consuming twelve grapes at midnight on New Yr’s Eve will deliver you fortune for the 12 months forward—one grape per thirty days.

These uvas de la suerte (fortunate grapes) are a should on December thirty first. Households and pals collect across the TV to look at the countdown broadcast reside from Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, the place the well-known clock tower marks the campanadas (chimes). With every bell toll, everybody hurriedly pops a grape into their mouth: It’d sound straightforward, however maintaining with the twelve chimes whereas chewing the grapes all the time will get chaotic and hilarious.

14. Roscón de Reyes (Three Kings’ cake)

January sixth, día de Reyes (Three Kings’ Day), marks the grand finale of the vacation season in Spain: It’s a nationwide vacation, children open their items, and households collect collectively. No celebration can be full with out roscón de Reyes, a crown-shaped candy bread embellished with colourful candied fruits to symbolize jewels, typically stuffed with whipped cream or custard.

You may order a slice in cafés, however the true enjoyable is to purchase a complete roscón in a bakery or store to share with household and pals. Inside it, two hidden surprises: a tiny figurine and a dried bean. Whoever finds the figurine is topped king or queen for the day, whereas the one who discovers the bean should pay for subsequent 12 months’s cake.

15. Cava (glowing Spanish wine)

Technically, it isn’t Spanish Christmas meals, however it’s important for vacation cheer. Cava is a glowing white wine produced in Catalonia and Spain’s counterpart to French Champagne.

Need to toast in Spanish like an area? Use these Spanish expressions to impress everybody:

• ¡Salud! = Cheers!
• ¡Chin-chin! = Chin chin!
• ¡Feliz Navidad! = Merry Christmas!
• ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! = Joyful New Yr!
• ¡Feliz Reyes! = Joyful King’s Day!
• ¡Por nosotros! = To us!
• ¡Que no nos falte de nada! = Might we by no means lack something!

Regional Spanish Christmas meals specialties

Past the classics you’ll discover throughout the nation, many areas in Spain have their very own conventional Christmas dishes that mirror native flavors and historical past. For those who’re touring round Spain through the holidays, listed below are a number of festive specialties you may come throughout.

• Caracoles a la montañesa (mountain-style snails): A hearty snail stew from Cantabria, slow-cooked with chorizo, jamón, and spices.
• Escudella i Carn d’Olla: A Christmas dish from Catalonia whose title actually means “clay bowl and meat in a pot” within the Catalan language (escudella refers back to the conventional bowl the soup is served in). It’s a comforting stew made with varied cuts of meat, sausages, chickpeas, and greens, served with giant pasta shells referred to as galets.
• Cazuela de merluza a la koskera (hake casserole with koskera sauce): A flavorful cod or hake casserole with asparagus, peas, clams, and hard-boiled eggs, all simmered in a white wine sauce. You may eat it within the Basque Nation.
• Canarian sancocho: To not be confused with the Colombian meat stew of the identical title, this Canary Islands model is a salted fish stew with potatoes, mojo sauce, and gofio (toasted cornmeal flour).
• Sopa de Nadal (actually “Christmas soup” in Catalan): A Balearic Islands variation of Catalonia’s escudella or Madrid’s cocido, made with meat broth, small stuffed pasta, and seasonal greens.

Be vacation prepared with Rosetta Stone

Touring to Spain to find Christmas traditions and style scrumptious native meals is one of the simplest ways to immerse your self within the language. However you don’t have to attend till you get there!

Begin studying Spanish at house with Rosetta Stone‘s Dynamic Immersion technique. You’ll choose up the language the way in which locals communicate it, via actual context, not memorized lists and guidelines. And should you’re on the go, the Rosetta Stone App makes it straightforward to suit a Spanish lesson between procuring journeys, flights, or vacation errands.