Unusual Christmas Foods From Around the World

Americans like Christmas ham and roasted chestnuts, but what does the rest of the world eat during the winter? Here is a list of some of the more unusual Christmas foods from around the world.

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Kapustnica, Slovakia

If you thought finding a good turkey was difficult, you should spend Christmas in Slovakia, where carp is central to holiday cooking. Families will often keep one live in the bathtub until it’s time to make kapustnica, a thick sauerkraut soup.

Mopane, South Africa

Also called fried worms, though mopane is actually moth caterpillars, this is an important source of protein for parts of Africa. Most of the harvest is dried and preserved for months, but a fresh batch is always fried for the holiday season. Some consider it a delicacy, while others see it as bushmeat.

Roasted Lamb Head, Norway

Suckling pig is common for Christmas in Latin America, but in Norway they don’t even bother with the body. Roasted lamb’s head (or sheep’s) was once a poor man’s dish, but today is considered a delicacy.

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Mattak and Kiviak, Greenland

These might be the least pleasant dishes on this list. Mattak is the skin of a bowhead whale, beluga or narwhal, diced and served raw. Kiviak is a hollowed-out seal skin stuffed with a few hundred seabirds called auks, feathers and bones and all. The body is then sewn up and fermented for seven months before serving the birds straight from the seal.

GAME Christmas Tinner, United Kingdom

This one’s more tongue in cheek than serious, and made with lonely gamers in mind. The can contains nine layers of a complete Christmas dinner: egg and bacon, two mince pies, turkey and potatoes, gravy, bread, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, stuffing, roast carrots with parsnips and Christmas pudding for dessert.

Kentucky Fried Chicken, Japan

Christianity isn’t big in Japan, but thanks to a marketing campaign, the Japanese love to get fried chicken on Christmas, often reserving tables at KFC months in advance.