A special Christmas with Don Francisco and his reflections 44:28
(CNN) -
Christmas is celebrated in many ways in many corners of the world, and the cuisine that marks the holiday is as diverse as the people who celebrate it.
Food traditions are comforting at a time when many of us have had another very difficult pandemic year.
And Christmas dishes are particularly special in many homes.
Typical Christmas food may be different depending on the destination, but the idea of feasting, either the same day or the night before, is not.
Here's how the inhabitants of seven countries celebrate Christmas through gastronomy.
We asked hospitality experts about these traditions, and they shared their perspective on what is typical for them, as well as for their families and friends.
France
The French enjoy their hearty Christmas meal on December 24, says François Payard, the famous pastry chef who grew up in Nice and now lives in New York.
advertising
The French sit down to dinner around 8 p.m., he says, and savor a first plate of seafood.
That usually means a lobster thermidor (a baked dish of cooked crustacean mixed with mustard, egg yolks, and brandy) or a few prawns.
This is followed by a large capon (a male chicken famous for its tenderness) and an assortment of side dishes including mashed potatoes and chestnuts sautéed in butter and topped with sage.
"Chestnuts are a staple in any Christmas meal for us," says Payard.
In France, the "bûche de Noël" is the final sweet of a copious Christmas meal.
The dessert, the grand finale, is a Christmas log, or bûche de Noël, the French version of a Christmas cake.
Often two are served, one chocolate and one chestnut.
To drink, the best wine you can get, usually a Burgundy red that does not have too much body for the capon.
On Christmas Day, the French savor a hearty brunch that can include creamy scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and toast.
The meal ends with an assortment of cheeses like Brie, Gruyere and Munster, says Payard.
Italy
As in France, Italians celebrate Christmas with its greatest display on the eve of the big day.
Luca Finardi, CEO of Milan's Mandarin Oriental, says locals often attend midnight mass and enjoy a sumptuous meal before going to church.
Smoked salmon with butter crostini or a salted smoked cod is the forerunner to the main meal.
Italians in coastal areas, such as the Amalfi Coast, can start with a crude, such as sea bass with herbs and sea salt, Finardi says.
Brodo tortellini are part of many Italian Christmas Eve dishes.
The next dish is the tortellini in brodo (stuffed pasta bathed in a hot chicken broth and Parmesan cheese), which must come from the homonymous region of Italy.
For the main meal, northern Italians tend to eat stuffed turkey, while those in coastal areas can enjoy a large baked sea bass surrounded by roasted potatoes and vegetables.
"The panettone, a typical sweet bread, is the essential element in any place," says Finardi.
"The secret is to heat it up for just a few minutes."
Spumante, a sparkling wine, is the drink of choice.
As for the famous Italian Christmas meal of the Banquet of the Seven Fishes, Finardi says it is mostly limited to the Campania region, which includes the Amalfi Coast and Naples.
Christmas Day is more about connecting with family and less about food, Finardi says.
"We eat the leftovers and we recover from the day before."
England and Christmas
Brits rarely indulge in making their big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve.
"The 24th is for cooking with our families and going to the local pub for a pint," says Nicola Butler, owner of London-based luxury travel company NoteWorthy, of Christmas in non-pandemic times.
The real festivities begin on Christmas morning with a glass of champagne and a breakfast of smoked salmon and chunks of ground meat, he says.
That same day, after the Queen's annual Christmas speech is broadcast, it is time for dinner.
That means a roast turkey or beef and a number of sides like roasted parsnips and carrots, buttered peas, and Brussels sprouts.
Some families include Yorkshire pudding, a tasty baked good made from flour, eggs, and milk that is made from leftover meat.
Dessert is Christmas pudding, which is actually a dark, dense cake made with nuts, spices, and usually a splash of brandy.
"We have a lot of wine to go with the meal," says Butler.
Greece
Maria Loi, the celebrated Greek chef, says that the country's Christmas celebrations start on Christmas Eve around 7pm.
"Families sit around the fireplace and eat a special wheat bread that is only made at Christmas," he says.
"In some households they also eat pork sausages. It is the only [occasion] that Greeks eat pork, because this meat is not common in our kitchen."
Christmas honey cookies are part of the typical food of Greek holidays.
After attending a morning communion on Christmas Day, Greeks return home for an all-day food festival, Loi says.
The first is the homemade honey cookies with walnuts or almonds, followed by the chicken soup with orzo.
A few hours later, you eat a roast chicken stuffed with chestnuts or variations of grilled pork dishes or stews.
The main course is accompanied by side dishes such as sautéed wild vegetables, romaine lettuce cut into thin strips with chives and feta cheese, and roasted lemon potatoes.
Handmade musical instruments enrich Christmas in Puerto Rico
The dessert is light and can be roasted apples with honey and walnuts or Greek yogurt covered in honey.
To drink, Loi says that the Greeks prefer red wine.
Christmas food in Mexico
Mexicans kick off the Christmas festivities on December 24, according to Pablo Carmona and Josh Kremer, co-owners of Hoteles Paradero, which is going to open a store in Todos Santos, on the country's west coast.
"Families start by breaking a piñata that is filled with all kinds of locally made candy flavored with chili and tamarind," says Kremer.
Dinner usually follows between 7 and 10 at night.
The meal begins with posole, a stew with large grains of corn and pork or beef that is accompanied by up to 20 condiments, such as parsley, coriander, chili peppers and assorted cheeses.
In a nod to the American influence in Mexico, the main course, at least for Carmona and Kremer, is a turkey with all the trimmings, like mashed potatoes and green beans.
Posole is a traditional way to start a Mexican Christmas meal.
The final sweet is usually a creamy flan with strawberries and cream.
But the meal is not complete without tequilas and mezcals to accompany the meal.
On the 25th, many Mexicans warm up the leftovers from the night before.
"We are tired and we don't want to bother cooking," says Carmona.
Costa Rica
Many Costa Ricans celebrate Christmas with a midnight extravaganza, says Leo Ghitis, owner of the Nayara hotels in the country's northern highlands.
"We go to midnight mass and come home and have a big meal at 2 in the morning," he says.
Homemade tamales, stuffed with chicken or pork or with vegetables and cheese, are the first course.
Next, arroz con pollo, Costa Rica's national dish made with green beans, peas, carrots, saffron, cilantro, and a whole chicken in pieces.
The third dish is an assortment of grilled proteins.
Costa Ricans living on the coast have shellfish such as marlin, tuna, dorado, prawns and lobster, while the inhabitants of the interior eat beef, pork and chicken.
The sides are the same for both: rice with black beans, boiled palm fruit with sour cream, and palm heart salad with avocado.
Homemade tamales are a staple in Costa Rica.
The dessert is usually a coconut flan and rice pudding, that is, rice pudding, sugar and cinnamon.
"We topped the meal with lots of rum punch and eggnog and didn't finish until 4 or 5 in the morning," says Ghitis.
Christmas Day itself is about finishing up leftovers and going outside for outdoor parties, he says.
Christmas food in the Bahamas
Christmas Day is the great food celebration for Bahamians, says Vonya Ifill, director of talent and culture at Rosewood Baha Mar. Locals host a grand dinner that includes turkey, ham, mac n cheese, peas and coconut rice pudding. and potato salad.
Peas and rice adorn many holiday dishes in the Bahamas.
"We do this feast at night and then at midnight we go out to celebrate Boxing Day with a Junkanoo Festival," he says.
"After dancing and parading throughout the night and into the early morning, we ended the party with a boiled fish or a fish stew."
Seafood, he says, is always accompanied by potato bread or Johnny Cake, a cornmeal flatbread.
Christmas