On Christmas Day, Joanie and her family are unable to finish preparing their dinner because there is a power outage.
They soon find out the power is out in the whole neighbourhood. Joanie’s mom suggests all the neighbours should get together in the community center and share whatever parts of their meals are finished cooking.
A Festive Feast
Gingerbread Cookies
Joanie and her family are from London, England. London is the most populated city in the United Kingdom.
They share some gingerbread cookies with their neighbours.
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are enjoyed on Christmas in the UK and in many other countries in Europe.
Gingerbread Cookies
The first gingerbread cookies to be shaped like people were made in England.
Queen Elizabeth I asked her chefs to make cookies that were shaped like the people that were coming to visit her.
In modern day England, gingerbread cookies are not just used for eating but also to hang on the Christmas tree.
Bebinca
Mr. and Mrs. D’Souza are both from Goa in India. Konkani is the official language in Goa. They also speak Portuguese, Hindi and Marathi.
Mrs. D’Souza brings her bebinca to the feast.
Bebinca
Bebinca is often eaten at celebrations in Goa, India.
Bebinca
Bebinca is a type of pudding that has at least seven layers. It is made with coconut milk, eggs, butter and flour.
Each layer is baked one at a time.
Cooking a whole bebinca can take up to four hours so it is usually cooked at least a day before a big occasion like Christmas.
Nanaimo Bars
Pam and Dennis are from Victoria, British Columbia, which is on the west coast of Canada.
They bring some Nanaimo bars to share.
Nanaimo Bars
There is a lot of debate about whether Nanaimo Bars actually originate from Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo Bars are sweet and chocolatey.
A Nanaimo bar has three layers and is made mostly with cocoa, coconut, graham crackers, vanilla custard and sugar.
In 2006, Nanaimo Bars were voted as Canada’s favourite dessert in a National Post poll.
Turrón
Maria and her family are Spanish. In Spain, many people have a large family meal on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Day, Maria’s family bring a lot of leftovers to share at the feast, such as roast lamb, seafood, turrón (nougat) and peladillas (sugar-coated almonds).
Turrón
Turrón is a sweet Spanish treat that is very popular at Christmas.
Turrón
Turrón is made from honey, eggs, sugar and lots of toasted nuts. Turrón can be hard or soft.
There are many variations of this desert all over the world. Except for a few variations in the recipe and the ingredients, Peru, Italy, Portugal, Cuba and the Philippines all have a similar treat.
Once the turrón is made, it can be kept for up to a year!
Christmas Cake
Mama Jones is Jamaican.
A month before Christmas, Mama Jones begins to soak her dried fruits for her Jamaican Christmas Cake recipe. She makes some with fruit and some without.
Christmas Cake
Christmas cake is a very popular treat often given as gifts to friends and family.
Christmas Cake
Christmas Cake is made mostly from Jamaican spices, dried fruits and molasses.
Christmas Cake is also referred to as black cake. It has been long thought that it is related to British figgy pudding, but with a Caribbean twist.
It is often thought of as a Christmas or wedding cake, but many people eat it all year round.
Hallacas
Xiomara’s parents are from Venezuela. Xiomara and her family have their Christmas meal on Christmas Eve.
Xiomara loves making her stuffed corn dough dish called hallacas for Christmas.
Luckily, she has some left over to share with her neighbours on Christmas Day.
Hallacas
Hallaca is a traditional Christmas dish from Venezuela.
Hallacas
Hallacas are made from corn dough that is then stuffed with stewed beef, pork or chicken.
Other foods like raisins, olives and capers are added. Capers are a perennial plant that grows in the Mediterranean and some parts of Asia. Capers are pickled and gives food a salty, tangy taste.
The hallacas are then folded up into plantain leaves, tied up and boiled.
Holubtsi
Elena’s grandparents are Ukrainian.
At Christmas, Elena and her grandparents always make hundreds of Ukrainian cabbage rolls called holubtsi to give to their family and friends. They like to make enough to last for several days and they always freeze some.
Because they made them the day before, the �holubtsi are ready in time for the impromptu �feast!
Holubtsi
Holubtsi are traditionally served on Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Ukraine. They are also made for other parties and celebrations.
Holubtsi
Holubtsi are made by wrapping cabbage leaves around a tasty filling.
They are often filled with cabbage, rice, onion and sometimes ground meats. Then, tomato sauce is poured over top.
The rolls are then baked or steamed and eaten warm.
It’s a good idea to make holubtsi the day before you plan to eat them, giving them a day to develop their full flavour.
Stollen
Mr. Hoffman’s mother is German.
Every year, Mr. Hoffman loves making a fruit bread called stollen that he used to make with his mom. She gave him a special family recipe.
He has plenty to share on Christmas Day.
Stollen
Stollen is a fruit bread that comes from Germany. It is eaten during the Christmas season.
Stollen
Stollen is a made with nuts, spices and dried fruit.
Icing sugar is then sprinkled on the top.
Stollen is very popular in Germany. There is even a special festival of stollen called ‘Stollenfest’ that takes place in a city called Dresden.
Goat Meat Stew
Kufre and Blessing are siblings. Their family is Nigerian.
They eat a lot of traditional foods. Their mother makes a variety of different stews, but on Christmas Day, she always makes a special goat meat stew.
They were already dressed up in their traditional celebratory clothes when the power went out, so over to the community hall they went with their stew!
Goat Meat Stew
Goat meat stew is popular all over Nigeria, but it is often called by different names in each group’s local language.
Goat Meat Stew
Goat meat stew is made with goat meat, tomatoes, onions and a variety of Nigerian spices.
It is often served over a bed of rice, with fried plantains and can be incredibly spicy.
Your Festive Feast
What foods have you eaten at a celebration or festival?
What would you bring to the festive feast?