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Christmas in South Africa
How Dr. Julian Wernicke celebrated Christmas during his studies in Cape Town
As is usual in the southern hemisphere, summer temperatures prevail in South Africa around Christmas. However, South Africans do not let this put them off celebrating the holiday. However, due to the country’s eventful history, there is no single Christmas tradition. Christmas is celebrated here in the English tradition on December 25.
Like many locals, I spent my first Christmas on the beach. In the evening, we had a feast of grilled fish. It is typical to have a braai, the traditional barbecue, with the family.
A highlight for me was the malva pudding. A sweet, sticky dessert, probably of Dutch origin, which is more like a cake and perfectly suited to the warm temperatures. If you fancy a touch of South Africa for Christmas, be sure to try this recipe!
Recipe from South Africa: "Malva Pudding"
The ingredients
For the pudding:
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp jam (apricot jam is traditional)
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the sauce:
- 1 cup of cream
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of water
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
The preparation
Prepare the pudding:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease the oven dish.
- In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Add the eggs, milk, jam, melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir everything together well until you have a smooth batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for around 30-40 minutes until golden brown and firm.
Prepare the sauce:
- While the pudding is baking, bring the cream, sugar, water, butter and vanilla extract to the boil in a small pan.
- Simmer the sauce briefly until it has thickened slightly.
Serving:
- Remove the pudding from the oven and leave to cool briefly. Prick holes in the pudding with a fork and pour the hot sauce over the top.
- Serve the malva pudding warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Christmas in Italy
Which sweet Fabio Adinolfi’s family bakes every year
Christmas in Italy differs from Christmas in Germany in that the focus is even more on good food. It is celebrated extensively with the family, with many culinary delicacies.
December 24th begins in Italian families with a sumptuous dinner together, traditionally without meat dishes. This is often followed by midnight mass. However, the most important Christmas day, especially for children, is December 25th. This is when presents are given first thing in the morning and festive and sumptuous meals are served throughout the day.
Pandoro is served for dessert in southern Italy, while panettone is more common in the north. Great importance is attached to not equating the two types of pastry. Pandoro and panettone are often given as gifts, as they stand for good luck and prosperity in the new year.
The Christmas season ends in Italy on January 6. This is when the witch Befana brings presents to good children once again. And until this day, the houses and apartments remain decorated for Christmas.
The recipe that I associate most with Christmas is a typical sweet from Naples: struffoli, fried little balls of dough soaked in honey. My mother still bakes them every year and no one in the family can resist. Buon Natale a tutti!
Recipe from Italy: "Struffoli"
The ingredients
For the Struffoli:
- 600 g flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g butter
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 small glass of limoncello (or lemon or orange zest)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 400 g honey
- Oil (sunflower oil) for frying
For the decoration:
Colorful sugar pearls or sprinkles, candied orange or lemon peel, candied fruit (finely chopped) etc. … let your imagination run wild!
The preparation
Knead the 4 eggs and the yolks with the butter, limoncello, a pinch of salt, sugar and flour to form an elastic dough. Leave the dough to rest for about 30 minutes. Then shape the dough into finger-thick rolls, cut them into small pieces and roll them into balls. Fry the dough balls in hot oil until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper.
Heat the honey in a bain-marie. Drizzle the fried balls with the warm honey, decorate with sweets and serve.
If you don’t want to use limoncello, you can also add orange or lemon zest to the batter.
In some families, struffoli are also made with yeast dough, which is a little more time-consuming.
Please notice: 1 gram (1 g) corresponds to 0,032 t oz in English or American units, equivalent to 100 grams 0.32 t oz. 100 milliliters (ml) correspond to 3.33 ounces (oz).
Christmas in England
How Dr. Michael Rüberg experienced Christmas during his studies in London
Christmas in England means hanging socks by the fireplace for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve, attending church services in the evening and singing Christmas carols. On December 25, Christmas Day, presents are unwrapped in the morning, the King’s Speech (in my day it was the Queen’s speech) is listened to in the afternoon and a sumptuous Christmas dinner with Christmas pudding or mince pies is served in the evening.
Christmas crackers and Boxing Day are lovely traditions. Crackers contain small hats, puzzles or toys and contribute to the cheerful mood during the holidays. On December 26, Boxing Day, people say thank you to kind and helpful people. These can be neighbors or friends, but also the kind letter carrier.
I particularly remember the pre-Christmas period in London: the magnificent illuminations, the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park with its large Christmas market, the shopping paradise of Covent Garden with its spectacular decorations and Camden Market with its iconic restaurants and bars. Not forgetting London’s largest Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, more than 25 meters high and since 1947 an annual gift from the Norwegian capital Oslo for its support of Great Britain during the Second World War.
I can highly recommend a visit to London at Christmas time!
Recipe from England: „Mince Pie“
The ingredients
For the dough:
- 160 g butter
- 210 g wheat flour (type 405)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg yolk
For the filling:
- 120 g soft apricots
- 100 g cherries, candied
- 100 g candied orange peel
- 120 g dates, dried and pitted
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp brandy
For the brandy butter:
- 125 g butter
- 70 g powdered sugar
- 40 ml brandy
For the decoration:
Powdered sugar
The preparation
For the dough, dice the butter into a bowl. Add the flour, salt, sugar, egg yolk and 1-2 tablespoons of cold water and knead into a smooth dough with your hands. Wrap the dough in baking paper and chill for 1 hour.
For the filling, finely dice the fruit and nuts. Bring 200 ml water to the boil, add the fruit and nuts and remove from the heat. Season the filling with cinnamon and sugar and deglaze with brandy. Then leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan oven.
Roll out the dough thinly and cut out 12 circles with a diameter of approx. 7 cm. Press the dough circles into the wells of a buttered and floured muffin tin and place 1-2 tbsp of filling in each well.
Roll out the remaining dough thinly and cut out 6 circles one after the other. Cut out 6 stars from the circles using a star cutter. Place the 6 circles and 6 stars on top of the filling and press down lightly. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
Beat the butter until light. Add the powdered sugar and brandy and beat until the butter is smooth and fluffy.
Remove the mince pies from the oven, leave to cool briefly, dust with powdered sugar and serve still slightly warm with the brandy butter (alternatively with crème fraîche or heavy cream).
Please notice: 1 gram (1 g) corresponds to 0,032 t oz in English or American units, equivalent to 100 grams 0.32 t oz. 100 milliliters (ml) correspond to 3.33 ounces (oz).
Christmas in Berlin
Christmas traditions in the family by Dr. Martin Schaefer
Christmas is a celebration that brings generations together. For us, this also means that the Christmas decorations in the home are passed down from generation to generation.
The first thing we do at the beginning of Advent is set up an old nativity scene carved in Oberammergau, which is probably around 100 years old by now and comes from one of the grandparents’ families.
Shortly before the festive season, the Christmas tree is decorated together, and here too, heirlooms from different generations are placed on the tree alongside things that we and our children have made ourselves in kindergarten or at school. Everything is stored in boxes in the attic throughout the year.
Not to forget: A Christmas tree needs real candles. You have to be careful and there is always a water sprayer within reach to extinguish them, but the glow of the red, gold, silver and clear baubles and the many other decorations – not to mention the tree itself when it is still fresh – only really comes into its own in candlelight, at least that’s what we think …
A matching culinary tradition concerns a Christmas pastry that you can’t make yourself, namely Baumkuchen, which our family now sources for the fourth generation from a Berlin confectioner who still bears the title “Former Prussian Purveyor to the Court”. For us, the Advent and Christmas season is more closely associated with this unmistakable taste than with one of the festive meals that the family gets together for on Christmas Eve after the presents have been given. Every Sunday in Advent, the Baumkuchen dwindles by one ring.
Christmas in France
What dessert is on the table at Christmas in Théodore Ley’s family
Although not a typical French Christmas cake – like the so-called “Bûche de Noël”, a typical sponge roll filled with cream and decorated to look like a log – the lemon tart (“Tarte au citron”) is a popular and easy-to-prepare French dessert at Christmas.
It provides a visually “sunny” but tastily sweet and slightly sour, upbeat finishing touch to a festive Christmas menu or simply for any time in winter.
It can be shared and enjoyed with family or friends, for example with a glass of sparkling wine, Champagne, sweet white wine (Gewürztraminer from Alsace or Sauternes from the Bordeaux region), or simply with a warm drink. Joyeux Noël à vous et à vos familles et bon appétit!
Recipe from France: "Tarte au citron"
The ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g flour
- 100 g soft butter (alternatively 100 g melted and cooled butter)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 100 ml water (possibly less, depending on requirements)
For the filling:
- grated lemon zest (from 1 to 1 1/2 lemons)
- freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 to 1 1/2 lemons, depending on taste)
- 100 g sugar
- 1 large tablespoon of sour cream (alternatively 15 cl whipping cream)
- 3 eggs
The preparation
Preparing the shortcrust pastry
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter (preferably by hand) and knead until the mixture crumbles. Then add the lukewarm water and knead the mixture (preferably by hand). Shape into a ball and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Pre-baking the shortcrust pastry
Preheat the oven to 180°C (170°C fan oven). Grease the baking tin. Take the dough out of the fridge, knead a few times, roll out not too thinly and place in the tin. Prick the dough with a fork, place a sheet of baking paper on top and weigh down with dry bean seeds (dried peas, soybeans, cherry peas, etc.). Pre-bake for about 15 minutes.
Vorbereitung der Füllung
During the pre-baking time, mix the very soft butter for the filling with the sugar in a bowl using a whisk or fork. Then mix in the eggs, sour cream, grated lemon zest and lemon juice. The filling is ready.
Baking
Remove the baking tin from the oven after the pre-baking time. Remove the sheet of baking paper with the dry bean seeds. Pour the filling onto the pastry and bake the tart for a further 30 minutes at 140°C (120° fan oven).
Remove the tin from the oven and leave to cool. Place the tart in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Best served chilled.
Please notice: 1 gram (1 g) corresponds to 0,032 t oz in English or American units, equivalent to 100 grams 0.32 t oz. 100 milliliters (ml) correspond to 3.33 ounces (oz).
Christmas in Spain
Christmas childhood memories from Dr. Mario Araujo
Even as a child, the “Roscón de Reyes” (Epiphany wreath) was a Christmas highlight for me. In Spain – unlike in Germany – Christmas presents are traditionally given on Epiphany, and this sweet wreath is simply part of it.
Every year it was exciting to see who would find the “haba” (a dried bean) in their own piece of cake at dinner and who would catch the hidden royal figure.
The lucky person who pulls the bean “must” donate the Roscón the following year, while the finder of the king figure is crowned king for the day. What fun for young and old. With this in mind, Feliz Navidad!
Recipe from Spain: „Roscón de Reyes“
The ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g butter
- 2 eggs
- 20 g yeast
- 1 pinch of salt
- 150 ml milk
- Zest of one orange and one lemon
- Candied fruit for decoration
- A dried bean (haba) and a small king figure
Die Zubereitung
Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Add the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt and citrus zest and knead into a smooth dough.
Leave the dough to rise for 2 hours, shape it into a wreath and hide the little king figure and the bean in it.
Decorate the wreath with candied fruit and leave to rise again.
Bake at 180°C for approx. 30 minutes and enjoy warm! ¡Disfrute de su comida y diviértase!
Please notice: 1 gram (1 g) corresponds to 0,032 t oz in English or American units, equivalent to 100 grams 0.32 t oz. 100 milliliters (ml) correspond to 3.33 ounces (oz).
Christmas in Japan
Dr. Makiko Maruyama speaks about Christmas in Japan
In Japan, Christmas is celebrated more as a merry, commercial holiday and less as a religious holiday. Couples and friends spend time together, and it is common to see Christmas decorations in the cities.
A particular highlight is the “Christmas cake”, often known as “shortcake”. I have never seen this cake in Germany. It consists of a soft, fluffy sponge base, topped with lightly sweetened cream and decorated with fresh strawberries.
It is strange to use strawberries in winter, but that could be because they are reminiscent of Santa Claus in a red costume, which became popular in Japan after the war due to American influence. Children learn from their parents that this Santa Claus brings the presents. By the way, for my children who were born and raised in Germany, the Christ Child comes with the presents.
Recipe from Japan: „Christmas Cake with Strawberries“
The ingredients
For the sponge base:
- 3 eggs
- 90 g sugar
- 90 g flour
- 30 g butter (melted)
- 1 tbsp milk
For the filling and decoration:
- 300 g whipped cream
- 30 g sugar
- Fresh strawberries (approx. 10 – 15 pieces)
The preparation
Preheat the oven:
Preheat to 170 °C top/bottom heat. Grease a springform pan (approx. 18 cm) and line the base with baking paper.
Making the sponge base:
Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat over a hot water bath until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Sieve the flour and carefully fold into the egg mixture.
Add the melted butter and milk and stir in carefully.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool completely and cut the sponge cake horizontally into two layers.
Whip the cream:
Whip the cream and sugar until stiff.
Assemble the cake::
Place one layer of sponge cake on a plate, spread with cream and arrange some sliced strawberries on top.
Place the second sponge layer on top and spread the remaining cream over the entire cake.
Finally, decorate with whole strawberries.
Chill and serve:
Leave the cake to rest in the fridge for about an hour, then serve.
Please notice: 1 gram (1 g) corresponds to 0,032 t oz in English or American units, equivalent to 100 grams 0.32 t oz. 100 milliliters (ml) correspond to 3.33 ounces (oz).
Christmas in South Korea
How Christmas is celebrated in Minsun Song’s home country
December 25 is also a public holiday in South Korea, but there are traditionally no family celebrations. Instead, South Koreans often spend Christmas with friends or their partner. For young people in particular, Christmas is a popular occasion for a romantic date, similar to Valentine’s Day.
Korean children believe that Santa Claus leaves presents next to the pillow on Christmas Eve. This story probably dates back to a time when neither Christmas trees nor socks by the fireplace were common in Korea.
There are no traditional Christmas dishes in Korea, which is why we often tried out dishes from other countries when I was a child. For example, even as a child I loved raclette at Christmas. For my family in Korea, Stollen is now indispensable and fortunately easy to find there too.
Many Koreans enjoy various Christmas specialties from all over the world, so Christmas in Korea is increasingly becoming a celebration of culinary diversity.
A nostalgic Korean sweet, Dalgona, although not directly related to Christmas, is wonderful to make with Christmas cookie cutters and is a fun activity to do with the family. Another creative option is Dalgona Latte, a coffee drink that was very popular in Korea for a while recently – making it together is even more fun!
Recipe from South Korea: “Dalonga”
The ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- a pinch of baking powder
- Christmas cookie cutters (Christmas tree, star, snowman, etc.)
The preparation
Place the sugar in a small stainless steel pan or ladle and melt slowly over a low heat. Stir constantly so that the sugar melts evenly and does not burn.
Once the sugar is completely melted and golden brown, add a pinch of baking powder and stir quickly. The baking powder will cause the mixture to foam and rise, so stir quickly.
Pour the melted mixture onto an oiled, flat surface and flatten slightly to create an even, flat shape.
While the dalgona is still warm and soft, lightly press the Christmas cookie cutters into the surface so that the shape is visible without completely cutting through the dalgona. Then leave to harden completely.
The traditional game can now begin: Remove the Dalgona along the embossed shape without breaking it!
For instructions, see a video on YouTube:
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Variation: “Dalonga Latte”
The ingredients
- 2 cups of espresso (15 ml each) – (can be replaced with 2 tbsp instant coffee powder + 2 tbsp hot water)
- 2 tbsp sugar (approx. 30 g)
- 1 cup of milk
The preparation
Mix the espresso and sugar in a small bowl. Beat the mixture vigorously with a whisk or spoon until a thick and frothy consistency is achieved. This process can take more than 15 minutes (risk of sore muscles!).
Tip: The consistency should be slightly creamy – if the mixture is too thick, it will be difficult to mix with the milk later.
Heat a cup of milk and pour into a glass. Carefully pour the prepared Dalgona foam on top.
Stir before drinking to mix the coffee foam with the milk, or simply enjoy the foam on top.
For instructions, see a video on YouTube:
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