International Christmas traditions – how the world celebrates
In Germany alone, there are many different Christmas traditions and every family has its very own traditions. We take a look at the SEVERIN sales offices for Christmas traditions in ...
What could be better than taking your time together and enjoying a cozy meal? It’s no longer a secret that you can outdo yourself at a raclette evening and enchant your guests with culinary highlights. I have put together the ultimate raclette menu for this very purpose. Have fun!
First things first: there are a few things that are extremely important to me for every raclette dinner. I think that the welcome always sets the mood for the whole evening. A welcome drink or snack is a friendly gesture that always goes down well.
Trying things out should never be neglected with raclette. No evening offers as many opportunities for experimentation as a raclette evening. For example, in addition to the classic raclette cheese, almost all other types also work. Simply grate it coarsely and spread it on the raclette pan. The right seasoning for the grilled food is just as important. You can get creative here. My colleague Lara has 4 delicious ideas for rubs and marinades for you.
The starter: Pimientos de Padrón – Raclette Edition
- 400 g roast peppers
- 1 ciabatta bread
- Sea salt, to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Introduction
Even if it’s just the starter, this is usually the biggest eye-catcher of the evening. The ready-prepared and marinated pimientos are simply spread out on the large grill surface, ideally on a natural grill stone plate. The surprise effect is twofold: almost nobody knows pimientos from raclette and the fact that there is a shared starter is also something new.
The small, Spanish roast peppers are ideal for this. Quick to prepare, super aromatic and a real eye-catcher on the raclette grill. You should definitely give them a try.
Preparation
- Preheat the raclette grill to the maximum setting so that the grill plate is as hot as possible.
- Wash the pimientos and pat dry.
- Then mix in a bowl with plenty of sea salt and olive oil.
- Now spread the roast peppers evenly over the hot grill plate. Leave the raclette grill on the maximum temperature setting.
- Depending on the raclette machine, the peppers will need about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn regularly.
- The pimientos can either be served on plates or eaten straight from the grill. Dip the ciabatta in the remaining olive oil.
The main course: turmeric beef fillet from the raclette
- 400 g fillet of beef
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 msp. cayenne pepper
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 1 baguette
- 100 g grated Emmental cheese
- 70 ml cream
- Salt
- White pepper from the mill
Introduction
Everyone is already familiar with classic raclette pans with potatoes au gratin. But beef fillet with turmeric and fresh spring onions, gratinated with cream cheese? That’s a real highlight.
Turmeric in particular is all the rage at the moment: delicious, healthy and super versatile. As you can also use pork fillet instead of beef fillet, this recipe even offers a tasty alternative. Don’t be put off, although we are talking about fillet here, the recipe is very simple. Just give it a try.
Preparation
- Remove all fat and skin from the meat and cut into strips suitable for pans.
- For the marinade, mix the oil, turmeric and cayenne pepper and place in a bowl with the meat.
- Marinate the fillet in the oil for at least 3 hours. If it is marinated for longer, it should be placed in the fridge.
- Clean the spring onions and cut into fine rings.
- Preheat the raclette grill to the highest setting.
- Coarsely grate the cheese, whip the cream until stiff and mix the two together.
- Fill the pans first with spring onions, then with the fillet strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then cover with the cheese cream.
- If necessary, reduce the temperature of the raclette grill so that the cheese cream does not burn.
- Bake the pans until the topping is lightly browned.
Dessert: Raclette pancakes with grilled pineapple
- 150 g flour
- 250 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- ½ pineapple
- Sugar (amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit)
- Pinch of salt
Introduction
Desserts are still not a standard at the “Racletten”. Why not? Personally, I don’t think there should be a dinner without dessert. Well, I have the biggest sweet tooth I know anyway.
The raclette pancakes with grilled pineapple are super tasty and versatile: instead of pineapple, you can of course try any other type of fruit. There are no limits to your creativity!
Preparation
- Preheat the raclette grill to maximum heat.
- Mix the flour, milk, eggs, sugar and salt together until you have a homogeneous mixture without any lumps.
- Cut the pineapple into small, pan-sized pieces. Grill on the grill surface of the raclette for 3-4 minutes until the pieces of fruit are lightly browned.
- Place the pineapple pieces in the pans, pour over the batter and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake the pans in the raclette grill for approx. 5 minutes until the batter is cooked through and the sugar is lightly caramelized.
Matching the theme. Store now!
… Germany
Let’s start with SEVERIN’s homeland – Sundern in the Sauerland region. In addition to typical Christmas traditions such as baking cookies, lighting Advent candles and drinking mulled wine, more and more people are cutting their own Christmas trees.
… the Netherlands
Not far from the Sauerland we find the first SEVERIN sales office. Welcome to the Netherlands. Here, people celebrate on the evening of December 5, because the hero of all children here is not Santa Claus, but Sinterklaas. Each gift contains a personal poem about the recipient. However, many Dutch families now also have a small Christmas party with presents on Christmas Eve.
… France
Our journey continues to France to our next sales office. Christmas is celebrated very briefly here. All the points are visited within a day and the festivities are over again on December 25. Other days, such as December 24 and 26, are normal working days.
How about a French crêpes suzette with flambéed orange liqueur?
… Spain
After our short visit to France, we travel on to our sales office in Spain. Probably the best-known “tradition” in Spain is the Christmas lottery. Here, the winner has the chance to win 4 million euros as early as December 22.
The Spanish celebrate in a similar way to us Germans, with a delicious feast. However, there are no presents here, instead the “urn of fate” is served. This contains small gifts or even rivets and is drawn until everyone has a gift. There is a big gift-giving ceremony in Spain on January 6.
In Catalonia, on the other hand, the “shitting tree trunk” is fed throughout December. On December 24, the children beat it with a wooden stick to stimulate its digestion. While the children go into another room for a prayer, the Christmas tree excretes the presents that the children find when they enter the room.
… Italy
After such a crazy tradition, we take a boat trip from Spain to the next sales office in Italy. With a total of 4 festivals during the Christmas period, the Italians can’t get enough of celebrating and giving presents.
They start with the Festival of Lights on December 6, when small gifts are placed outside bedroom doors. Next up is the Santa Lucia Festival of Lights on December 13. Here people celebrate church services and there are festive processions. One day before it finally gets going, on December 23, the adults observe a day of fasting and the children go from house to house dressed as shepherds and shepherdesses and sing Christmas carols.
Christmas Eve is similar to that in Germany. The largest mass is held in Rome. Here, after the traditional cannon shots from Castel St. Angelo, a large service is held in St. Peter’s Square, which is broadcast on television and radio. Also something special in Italy: small change is collected all year round to be gambled away in a raffle on Christmas Eve. It all ends on 6 January with a visit from the good witch, who symbolizes Santa’s wife and brings sweets.
… Poland
Now we are heading north again. We visit SEVERIN in Poland. Here, the family spends Christmas Eve together. They decorate the tree and prepare the festive meal, which is traditionally served without meat but with fish dishes such as herring and carp. There are 12 different dishes and everyone has to try a little of each.
Poles fast during the day on Christmas Eve and only eat as soon as the first star shines. The festive meal begins with the traditional Polish wafer, from which each person breaks off a piece and wishes are made for the coming year. In Poland, the gifts are brought by the star man and his helpers, the star boys.
… Sweden
From Poland on to Scandinavia. More precisely to Sweden, to our penultimate sales office. In contrast to Germany, virtually nobody in Sweden knows St. Nicholas and so December 6 is not a festive day. Here, similar to Italy, the festival of Lucia, the Queen of Lights, is celebrated on December 13 with festive parades.
Christmas Eve is the most important day of the cold seasonfor Swedes. Before giving presents, people eat Julskina, a traditional Christmas ham. On this day, all doors and windows are open in Sweden so that friends and neighbors can simply put their presents in the house while the presents are being given. Swedish Christmas ends on January 13 with St. Knuts Day. On this day, the remaining sweets are eaten and the tree is danced around one last time before simply being thrown out of the window.
… China
For our last stop, we board the plane to China. As Christmas is a Christian festival, there are no time-honored traditions here. However, Asia is increasingly embracing Christmas. Most Chinese see it as an opportunity to spend time with family and friends without knowing the exact Christian background. Hong Kong is an exception, where Christmas is a public holiday. Christmas is usually only celebrated in the major Chinese cities. In the evening, people spend time together in a decorated bar with a Christmas tree and Santa Claus.
Back home, we have a big bag of new Christmas traditions in our luggage. Perhaps a Christmas tradition or a feast from another country will find a place in your Christmas celebrations. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful Advent season!
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