Christmas Cuisines From Around The World

At Gourmet Deliveries, we provide high-quality yacht provisioning services to private and charter vessels across the globe and we have a reputation for sourcing the hardest-to-find items.

We typically source luxury meats, fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables. However, when Christmas approaches we get an influx of requests for items used in traditional Christmas meals. That’s why we’ve decided to share our expertise and take you through a few traditional Christmas meals that our clients are planning on eating this festive season.

FRANCE

A classic French Christmas menu.

Our French customers always ensure there is the best quality food at the Christmas meal. In addition, the main meal of the festive period is enjoyed on Christmas Eve – a day earlier than in most other parts of the world.

The multi-course dinner usually begins with champagne and nibbles, sometimes referred to as “Apéro”. These nibbles might include: fresh smoked salmon and a smorgasbord of luxury cheeses to get things started. Guests may also dine on foie gras, which is a French delicacy that’s popular around the world.

It’s then onto the main course. Typically, our French customers will serve turkey with roasted potatoes, made with chestnut stuffing and sometimes cooked apples. However, goose is also commonly served at the table and for smaller tables, a “chapon” (capon), “caille” (quail) or “poularde” (a fattened hen) are common choices.

After a round of palette cleansers, the dessert is served. This is traditionally a bûche de noël, which is a rolled-up génoise cake frosted with chocolate buttercream. It’s certainly not uncommon for this cake to be brought from a local bakery. So don’t feel bad if you add one to your yacht provisioning list rather than the ingredients needed to make it from scratch!

SPAIN

A traditional menu for Christmas dinner, Spanish-style.

Our Spanish customers want to eat well and for an occasion like Christmas, they spare no expense. That’s why it’s common to see high-quality seafood at the Christmas Eve dinner, which may include prawns or lobster, either fresh or in a seafood soup or stew.

After this light, refreshing course, guests will likely be served a board of one of the country’s most famous offerings: jamón, chorizo, morcilla, and manchego cheese. It’s also a prime time to eat jamón, as many people choose to gift a full leg of ham to their guests to enjoy over the year.

When it comes to the main course, meat is often the centrepiece of the dinner table, but don’t expect to find a roast turkey under the silver cloche. Guests are more likely to be served a beautifully cooked saddle of lamb or suckling pork, as they are both traditionally eaten in the region of Castilla y León.

What’s for dessert?

Turrón – a sweet treat made from a mixture of honey, eggs, sugar and, perhaps most importantly of all, toasted nuts. The most common type of nut used in the elaboration of turrón is almonds, although other nuts (e.g. pistachios) can sometimes be used.

ITALY

Eat like the Italians this Christmas!

Italian food is arguably one of the most popular cuisines on the planet and during Christmas (known as ‘Natale’) the quality of food is only enhanced by the special occasion.

There are three key meals that take place over the festive period, including Christmas eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing day. However, it’s traditional on Christmas eve for Italian families to only enjoy fish rather than heavier dishes, including meat. This is sometimes referred to as ‘The Feast of the Seven Fishes’ and can include tuna, salmon, octopus salad, smelts, swordfish, calamari, spaghetti with clam sauce and the famous Italian classic: salted cod (baccalà).

On Christmas Day, the meals are usually meat-based and dinners can last for hours at a time. The appetizers include delicious, dry-cured meats, salamis, fine Italian cheeses, briny olives and artichokes. Next up are pasta-based dishes, including lasagne, manicotti, and ravioli. Then comes the main meal, the pièce de résistance that everyone has been waiting for, the meat. This often includes roasted veal, baked chicken, sausages and/or braised beef.

Finally, to set off the occasion, guests may enjoy an array of sweet options, such as biscotti, pandoro, and a candied loaf of panettone.

CARRIBEAN

A Caribbean Christmas involves food – and lots of it!

A traditional Caribbean Christmas dinner involves a huge amount of food and an extremely varied menu depending on each guest’s particular preference. Preparation for the festivities can also take place a long time before Christmas. So make sure you get your provisioning list together early if you are prepping for a Caribbean-style Christmas this winter! There are so many wonderful Caribbean dishes that can be served for Christmas dinner that it would be almost impossible for us to list them all. Instead, here are some must-haves for the holiday table:

Gungo peas and rice: During the rest of the year, an everyday side dish in the Caribbean is red kidney beans and rice. However, when the holiday season rolls around, the red kidney beans are replaced with green gungo peas.

Sorrel: A traditional holiday drink made from the sorrel flower – this beverage is stewed with ginger and spices before being mixed with rum.

Salt fish fritters, Jamaican patties, Trinidadian doubles, smoked herring, fried dumplings, and jerk-spiced chicken wings are all favourites at the table.

Christmas pudding: This holiday cake, made with fruits soaked in wine or rum, is the perfect way to end the festivities.

Whilst we have touched on some Christmas options, there are many more from around the world that you may be interested in sampling. The festive season is a fantastic time to enjoy great food and drinks in the company of family and friends no matter where you’re anchored.

So, if you are considering trying something different this Christmas and would like your provisions delivered directly to your vessel then contact us today. Our expert team will source all the items you need to ensure you have a perfect Christmas experience.