Spanish Christmas meals

Christmas celebrations and Christmas dinners in Spain are approaching. If you are thinking of taking one of our Spanish courses in Spain or going to spend these special dates in the country, what better way to mimic the language than to celebrate its Spanish Christmas traditions.

Spain is a very diverse country and has different traditions all over the cities, but what all places do agree on is to celebrate with a Christmas meal.

So, if you are learning Spanish, you are going to spend Christmas in Spain or you just want to know what traditional Spanish food for Christmas are, this is your article!

You can also read this article in Spanish or French.

Spanish food for Christmas

In Spain there are several different celebrations during the Christmas season: Christmas Eve and Christmas; New Year's Eve and New Year. Although, in general, during these meals the dishes are usually repeated, so, in this article we will focus more on Christmas food in Spain.

Christmas Eve is celebrated on December 24 and is a dinner with family and friends as the eve of Christmas. Already on December 25, Christmas, a meal is organized in which typical Spanish Christmas dishes are prepared.

Commonly, in many homes the Christmas Eve dinner is more abundant than the Christmas meal, so many dishes that have not been finished in the evening dinner are reused for the next day's meal.

But let's go to the important issue, you can differentiate several Spanish Christmas dishes very typical these dates:

Starters and appetizers

Appetizers are small starters or light dishes served at the beginning of the meal to whet the appetite. Normally Spanish Christmas dinners begin with these appetizers or starters.

They usually include cold meats, seafood or assorted tapas. Below you will find some of the most popular appetizers in Spain:

Tabla de embutidos. It includes Iberian ham, chorizo, lomo, salchichón and a variety of cheeses. In addition, it is sometimes accompanied with dried fruits such as nuts and served with bread sticks or toasted bread.

Ensaladilla rusa. It is not a very typical starter in all Spanish Christmas dinners, but you can find it in many homes. It contains potato, carrot, peas, tuna, boiled egg and mayonnaise, although in every home it is made with some ingredients or others. It is served as a tapa or cold starter.

Huevos rellenos (stuffed eggs). In many homes this starter is very popular, it is served cold, and everyone likes it. Its ingredients are boiled eggs, tuna, mayonnaise and fried tomato, optionally it can have olives and sweet paprika or chopped parsley to decorate.

Canapés. The canapés consist of toasted bread or puff pastry bases with smoked salmon, foie gras, pâté, cream cheese, anchovies... Some are decorated with fresh herbs or fish roe; and are usually accompanied, especially the pâtés, with strawberry jam, onion jam...

Shrimps or prawns. Shrimps can be fresh or grilled and are usually seasoned with coarse salt and lemon; or accompanied with mayonnaise. Also with seafood, another very popular dish is the coctel de gambas (shrimp cocktail) which has shrimp, lettuce and pink sauce, but can also have avocado and tomato, depending on the taste of each person.

Pulpo a la gallega (Galician style octopus). Although you may think it is only eaten in Galicia because of its name, octopus is a very popular dish all over Spain. Originally from Galicia, this starter consists of cooked octopus, potatoes, olive oil and paprika.

Gulas. Another very famous starter in Spanish Christmas dinners. Gulas is pan-fried with a little garlic and chili peppers (if you like it spicy), garnished with parsley and ready!

Main Spanish Christmas dishes

As in any home, these vary according to family tradition and the tastes of the diners. These are the most common:

Sopa de marisco (seafood soup). An intense broth, with sofrito and fresh seafood. It contains shrimps, mussels, clams, hake or monkfish, tomato, onion, garlic and fish fumet.

Cardo con almendras. This recipe is more typical of northern Spain. Its ingredients are fresh or canned thistle, almonds, garlic, flour, milk and poultry stock.

Crema de almendras (almond cream). A soft and comforting option to take between the starters and the first course that triumphs in many Spanish homes. It is a cream of ground almonds, poultry broth, milk, toasted bread and garlic.

Cordero asado (roast lamb). One of the most popular Spanish Christmas dishes in any Spanish home. The lamb is roasted slowly in the oven to make the meat tender. All you need is a leg or shoulder of lamb, garlic, rosemary, white wine, olive oil and salt.

Carrilleras al vino tinto (flesh of the jaw in red wine). This meat is very tender and mellow when cooked over low heat. Although it takes longer to prepare than other meat dishes, they are delicious. Its ingredients are pork or beef flesh of the jaw, red wine, onion, carrot, garlic, meat stock, tomato, flour and olive oil.

Rodaballo al horno (baked turbot). If you are more of a fish lover, this is firm, tasty and perfect for its natural flavor. Elegance and delicacy in a dish with turbot, potatoes, onion, garlic, dry white wine and fish stock.

Rape en salsa verde (monkfish in green sauce). Another white fish with firm, juicy flesh and a mild flavor. Its appearance is very peculiar and combines perfectly with the Christmas holidays. It is simple to cook: you place a bed of potatoes, make a sauce with garlic, parsley, dry white wine and fish stock, and the monkfish on top of the potatoes with this sauce on top. You can also serve it with clams.

Spanish Christmas desserts

Finally, and better known than the main dishes, the Spanish Christmas desserts.

The main one, which is a must in every house, is the turrón (nougat). The most famous nougat is from Jijona, Alicante, and has two varieties: soft and hard. The classic one is usually made of almonds, honey, sugar and egg white. Although some of the most famous and demanded ones also contain chocolate.

Polvorones and mantecados are the next best known for melting in the mouth and having a unique flavor. As well as marzipans, almond figurines that are molded and lightly baked.

And, of course, to close these celebrations, you cannot miss the cava, cider or champagne. Although in some houses you can find homemade Christmas punch, based on egg, milk, sugar, rum, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Are you looking forward to Christmas? Dare to experience a different Christmas and learn Spanish in Spain with donQuijote. You will be able to improve your language skills, experience first-hand the Christmas celebrations and taste the different Spanish Christmas dishes to let your palate fall in love with them.