Celebrate the Yuletide in a brand new German way
In Canada, we carry on many other German-based traditions. Advent calendars, wreaths, Christmas markets, Christmas trees, stockings hung by the fireplace, Christmas carols and even candy canes are all holiday specialties brought to us by German immigrants. Even the word “yuletide” has German roots.
To tap into the traditions of Christmas past, visit Germanfoods.org, the Web site of the German Agricultural Marketing Board (CMA). The site’s homepage will be filled with a variety of holiday tips and recipes during December.
To keep with this traditional approach to holiday entertaining, Germanfoods.org suggests the following ideas for Christmas dinner and breakfast.
• Feast on a gemütlich (that’s “cozy”) dinner. Try roasted duck, goose or rabbit on Christmas Eve, following German Christmas tradition. Serve it with potato dumplings, either made from scratch or from a German-imported mix. Or, try spätzle on the side, a German version of pasta. Top it off with some traditional tangy pickled red cabbage.
• Lay out an easy Christmas breakfast: Christmas is a busy morning – but with extended family often around, a company-suitable breakfast is necessary. What to do? Try the Germans’ take on breakfast by laying out an assortment of German deli meats, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, fruit, muesli, yogurt and pastries. This can all be prepared on platters in advance, wrapped and refrigerated until needed – so all you need to do on Christmas morning is make coffee and tea.
If you’d like to add a new twist to the old traditions, while still emphasizing the German attributes of your celebration this year, here are some ways to spice things up:
• For the holiday sweet tooth, find a new fix in Dark Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes with Kirsch Frosting. This delicate dessert, made with German dark chocolate and German kirschwasser (cherry brandy), is an out-of-the-ordinary treat that your family will want to turn into a new tradition.
• Gingerbread, a German staple, is spiced up a bit in Dunkel Gingerbread with Chocolate Chunks.
For more ideas on how to make your holiday entertaining more traditionally German or for recipes, visit Germanfoods.org. You’ll find recipes, entertaining ideas and a list of retailers in your area that sell authentic German foods and beverages.
- News Canada
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