Life Overseas

For many people their holiday choice is as much about other attractions as it is about the kind of weather a location has to offer. For sure the poor British Summers of recent years have placed a greater emphasis on resorts and countries that are likely to provide warm sunny days, as opposed to the mix of average and poor weather the UK has been able to provided. But in addition to weather there are other aspects that people look for.

Location or geography is one feature, affordability, local culture but also food or cuisine. For the traveller taking a winter break in December, during the festive period for many countries, there is the added opportunity of being to sample all kinds of traditional Christmas food that would otherwise be unavailable at other times of the year.

In Britain when you think of traditional Christmas food you immediately think of roast Turkey, Christmas Pudding and Mince Pies. Just like we do, other countries have their own food customs that emerge over the festive period and they make interesting choices for anyone interested in trying the customs of other countries.

In Spain whole sections of supermarkets become stacked with boxes of turron, an unusual Christmas speciality. Made from a mix of almonds and honey and formed into block-shaped cake, turron looks very average and unfestive on first impressions. But it can taste wonderful and the stories of how this became to be a favourite of the Spanish at Christmas are also interesting. The Ancient Greeks were the first to make turron according to some tales. Its dense mix of dried nuts and honey packed into cake form was used as nutritional food for Olympic athletes, who were said to have favoured the high nutritional value of the combination of nuts and honey. Nowadays energy bars come in hundreds of varieties and are used by all athletes, so it’s no surprise to imagine that the Ancient Greek athletes also had something similar. In other stories it is claimed the origins of the delicacy were linked to the nomadic Arabs. Turron remained fresh, was easy to transport, provided much needed energy and had no unpleasant characteristics. Most people believe the history of the snack is linked to a Spanish king in Jijona, or Xixona, whose homesick Scandinavian princess was comforted when the king planted thousands of almond trees so that the blossom would remind her of the snow covered landscape of her homeland. With such a huge amount of almonds the local people decided to invent a use for the crop and invented Turron.

The varieties of Turron are many, with all kinds of flavouring added from pineapple, whisky, apple, chocolate and even truffle. On the island of Lanzarote the Turron treat is a feature of Christmas for local families, who will buy boxes as presents for friends and relations.

In Germany the Christmas period is full of customs, with the German Christmas Market a sight in many towns and cities for hundreds of years now. At these festive events food and drink are high on the agenda, with Gluhwein and Egg punch being used to wash down all kinds of edible delights. German Gingerbread or Lebkuchen as they call it, is a staple part of festive celebrations. Originally it was made by local organizations under government control. These guilds, such as the Nuremberg guild, became well known and their names remain today as indications of the humble gingerbread’s past. The Nuremberg guild also decorated their bread with icing and, since the seventeenth century, it has been recognized as the standard by which other brands of Lebkuchen are measured.

In Greece Christmas food will always include Christmas bread or Stravropsomo that is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. This is a fruit-filled loaf that is decorated with a cross symbol on top and is sometimes called Chistopsomto or “Christ’s Bread”. It includes sesame, spices, orange, cloves, peel and cinnamon. The Germans too have a similar bread called Stollen, while the Dutch also have a Christmas fruit loaf called Kerststol.

Anyone visiting Germany, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Mallorca, Menorca, the Greek Islands or places like Malta and Madeira will have a wide choice of unusual Christmas cuisine to sample and enjoy.