OUR CHRISTMAS RECIPES


LE MENU DE NOËL EN FRANCE
In France, for Christmas we cooking the "Bûche de Noël", yule log....  There is all of kinds, to chocolate, fruits, vanilla, peanut, ice-cream... It's very good!

We eat too, Oyster, but a lot of children don't like this! It's special!!!

Christmas Eve Food in Lithuania   Christmas Season is unarguably the biggest among all public holidays in Lithuania - much like in most Western countries. What may surprise you, however, that not Christmas itself, but rather Christmas Eve ("Kūčios") is more anticipated and has more traditions, both cultural and culinary, attached to it. Authentic Christmas Eve celebrations encompass a variety of ceremonies and rituals, some of which date as far as Lithuania's pagan times before the end of the 14th century. Today, Christmas Eve is mostly regarded as an annual occasion to gather family and friends around the dinner table.   Twelve Dishes for the Christmas Eve Dinner Table Lithuanian Christmas Eve Dinner Traditionally, twelve dishes are to be served on a Christmas Eve table (symbolizing twelve months of the year) and the dinner is to start once the Western star rises. So what are the typical 12 dishes that you would find on a Lithuanian Kūčios dinner table? Herring & Beet Salad 1, 2, 3 and maybe more. Various herring salads Not even kidding - you will find on average 3 types of dishes containing herring on a typical Lithuanian Christmas Eve table. Herring with beets, herring with carrots, herring with apples, herring with hot potatoes - you name it. Herring Terrine ... and more herring Kūčiukai 4. Christmas Eve Cookies ("Kūčiukai") Kūčiukai (sometimes called šližikai) are crouton-sized dough bits made of plain flour, water and poppy seeds and baked exceptionally for Christmas Eve only. Once baked, they become rock-hard within a day, yet are served as a table centerpiece because of old traditions. What is Christmas Eve without a cracked tooth! Poppy Seed Milk 5. Poppy Seed Milk Another special for Christmas Eve, poppy seed milk is something like Lithuanian eggnog. It is often served alongside with Christmas Eve cookies - something like breakfast cereal, only for dinner.   6. Cranberry Kissel Drink Kissel is found in many Eastern European cuisines, and it is usually a berry or fruit flavoured thick starchy dessert. In Lithuania, however, kissel is thinned down to a consistency of a drink, and its cranberry variety is a favorite in winter and during Christmas season. Traditionally, cranberry kissel is made by boiling cranberries, straining them, thickening the hot liquid with starch and adding sugar to taste. As a shortcut, you may heat up ready-made cranberry juice and drizzle some starch suspended in a small amount of water to thicken the juice. Voila - you have a kissel.   Cranberry Kissel Drink Communion Wafers 7. Communion wafers Catholicism is the dominant religion in Lithuania, and sharing community wafers during the Christmas Eve dinner is common. Usually a wafer is passed around the table, and each family member breaks and eats a piece, whishing the others a good year ahead. Thus it is not strictly a dish, but one of a better known traditions. One usually can buy wafers from their nearest church.   White Salad   8 and on. The Rest The remaining of the twelve dishes vary from table to table, from family to family. Potato salad - or as Lithuanians call it, "white salad", is a favorite in various celebrations, not only in Christmas season. Traditionally, meat is not allowed on the Christmas Eve table due to Advent observances.   You may by now have come to an impression that Lithuanian Christmas Eve table mostly consists of salads, appetizers and snack-like dishes  - and you would be right. Hot courses, such as roasted turkey, goose or cepelinai are usually reserved for the Christmas day lunch. Nevertheless, the Eve dinner is very rich and filling, and the New Year resolutions for weight loss usually start on Christmas Eve. Peaceful Christmas, everyone!

IC "Manzoni Radice", Scuola Primaria, Lucera  - Italy

Our Christmas Recipes

Our typical christmas cakes

They were made with recipes were handed down by my great-grandmother to daughter. And today our mother prepare the same cakes.
Our typical christmas cakes are:

‘I PETTELE:  lenghted shapes fritters, fried in hot oil,  and we eat them sprinkled with powdered sugar.

‘I MENNELE ATTERRATE: they are made with chocolate and toasted almonds

‘I CAVEZUNGILLE: dumplings stuffed of past chestnut, of grave mustard o chocolate and they are covered of vincotto, it's a sweet wine but not only for cooking purposes. You can even drink it and it tastes really good. 

Accordint to tradition they rapresented pillows on which Jesus resede his head.

‘I MUSTACCJULE: 
pastry  with almonds and chocolate as a diamond-shape.

‘I CRUSTULE: 
They are thin and serrande strips of dough then fried in the oil and then garnished with home and vincotto. According to tradition they rappresent the bed sheets that wrapped the Child Jesus at his birth.