What Christmas tastes like around the world: 6 dishes worth travelling for

Thursday, 25 December 2025

If your favourite festive activity is eating your way through Christmas, then here are six festive specialities from Christmas markets around the world.

Turkey, United Kingdom

One of the most popular dishes at Liverpool’s Christmas Market is an unexpected take on a British Christmas classic, turkey, which chefs reworked as a Christmas pie. Full disclosure: assigning this particular delicacy to the UK could be controversial given the wildfowl’s worldwide popularity, but it was 1573 when English poet Thomas Tusser named turkey as the must-have Christmas delicacy. Kevin Bonello, executive chef at The Grand, York, is a huge fan of this festive fowl. “When served with all the trimmings, it's a real winner,” says Bonello, who’s got a tip for anyone serving turkey at home at Christmas. “Resting is the most important part, as it allows the juices to be absorbed, keeping the meat moist.”

Baked ham, Barbados

You can’t go wrong with pork at Christmas, whether it’s pigs in blankets or the Italians’ festive favourite, porchetta. And then there’s baked ham, a staple of both Christmas dinners and Christmas markets in Barbados such as the Providence Christmas Fair in Saint George.

“Glazed with pineapple and studded with cloves, it just smells like Christmas,” says Bajan chef Damian Leach, founder of Bridgetown’s Cocktail Kitchen restaurant.

Panettone, Italy

Italy’s king of cakes, found at almost every Christmas market, is said to date back to 1599, when bakers at Pavia’s Borromeo College used raisins and spices to bake a doughy delight they named pan de ton (luxury bread). Hey presto – a Christmas classic was born. 'I love that it’s part bread, part cake, but all joy,” says Eric Chauvet, executive chef at Carluccio’s. “It’s light, airy, and every slice carries that sense of Christmas. It’s not just a cake - it’s a festive tradition which connects people across generations.”

Borscht, Poland

This ruby-red winter warmer is the ideal fuel for a stroll around Poland’s Christmas markets such as the huge one held in Krakow’s main market square (Rynek Główny). The name of Poland’s bright red broth comes from an old Slavic word for hogweed, once a key ingredient. Beetroots were later added to enhance colour and flavour, and today the dish symbolises hopes for a prosperous new year.

Stollen, Germany

Nothing says festive fun better than stollen-scented Christmas markets. Dresden lays claim to this spicy fruitcake, first baked in 1329 as part of a competition, although the first written mention of stollen came in 1474. A few years later, its popularity rocketed when restrictions on the use of certain expensive ingredients – including raisins and dried fruits – were lifted. German bakers soon began the tradition of giving local rulers 16-kilogram stollens at Christmas - small fry compared to the 1.2 tonne one prepared by Dresden bakers and presented to Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, in 1730.

KFC, South Korea

Now for the wildcard entry – not only because you won’t find it at a Christmas market, but because its inclusion will undoubtedly horrify traditionalists. In Japan, one of the most popular festive delicacies is popcorn chicken - from KFC. More than three and a half million Japanese head to KFC on Christmas Day, when long lines form outside Japan’s branches.

The festive frenzy started in 1970, when the manager of Japan’s first KFC overheard foreigners discussing their love of Christmas turkey dinners. He created a chicken equivalent - KFC’s Party Barrel – and named it Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (’Kentucky for Christmas’). Today, KFC’s Christmas specials account for a third of its yearly sales.