by Julie R Butler In Latin America, Christmas has a rather different feel to it, whether in the Tropics of Mexico, Central America, and the Northern parts of South America, or farther south, where summertime is in full bloom. Not only is it a little strange for those who grew up dreaming of a white Christmas to have weather that is just perfect for a picnic or a day at the beach, but the tastes and textures of Christmastime can be quite different, as well. Thankfully familiar scents of cinnamon and cloves wafting out from the oven will inevitably bring back cherished childhood memories. And each culture has its own versions of Christmas standards such as fruity punches, festive alcoholic concoctions, comfort foods, some kind of Christmas cake, nuts, candied and dried fruits, cinnamon and cloves, and sweet holiday treats mark the season everywhere you may be.Here are some Christmas holiday foods that are enjoyed in different parts of Latin America, beginning with a few variations on Turkey Stuffing, as these big birds have become a popular Christmas meal for many Latin American families:· beef, bacon, apples, almonds, ham, prunes, sherry, and white wine (Mexico)· onion, garlic, French style mustard, dry white wine, chicken broth, butter, salt and pepper (Brazil)· dried peaches, raisins, prunes, pieces of sponge cake, sherry, butter, and almonds (Argentina)The most traditional food enjoyed in Mexico during the Christmas season of Las Posadas is tamales. They are made of masa, a hominy dough, filled with anything from meats to chilies to raisins, wrapped in cornhusks or plantain leaves, and either boiled or steamed. For a meal, they are unwrapped and served with sauce and cream, or perhaps the crumbly, salty cheese that is common throughout Mexico. This is one of Mexico’s oldest comfort foods, reaching back to the pre-Colombian Aztecs.Sweet tamales for desert go hand in hand with another ancient Mexican comfort food called atole, a warm, thick drink made of masa, cane sugar, and water or milk. During the holidays, it is mixed with chocolate and flavorings such as vanilla, cinnamon, or anis. Mexican buñeulos, which are fried, sweetened flour tortillas flavored with cinnamon, are the other traditional treat enjoyed with chocolate atole during the Christmas season.And of course, for the holidays, there must be ponche, the Mexican version of hot apple cider that combines apples, cane sugar, prunes, and a yellow Mexican fruit that is much like a crabapple called a tejocate, with tequila or rum added for the adults.In Mexico, as in most countries of the world, the main Christmas celebration and meal takes place on Christmas Eve, known as noche buena in Spanish. The Mexicans have a unique ensalada de noche buena that is an explosion of colors and flavors. While based on apples, peanuts, and celery, other ingredients may include bananas, jicama, oranges, limes, radishes, pomegranate, beets, and either a mayonnaise or a sugar and vinegar dressing – riquísima!A popular alternative to tamales for the nochebuena meal in and around Mexico City is cod accompanied by romeritos, which are patties made of dried shrimp, potatoes, and sprigs of a rosemary-like plant that are served with Mexico’s famed mole, a complex and indescribably-flavored concert of smoky chilies, chocolate, nuts, seeds, fruits, and many other flavors of Mexico. Elsewhere, hearty stews such as pozole and menudo are consumed.The culinary traditions vary somewhat according to different cultural habits in Mexico. The traditions in Central America follow a similar pattern, with Christmas tamales marking the holiday season throughout the region.Throughout most of South America, a special cake is enjoyed during the Christmas holidays called pan dulce or panetón. It is a light and fluffy leavened sweetbread with candied and dried fruits, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips that is traditionally in a tall, circular shape resembling a copula. To get the lightest texture, the dough is left to rise three times over a period of several days. In Italian, it is called panettone, and it first gained wide popularity in Milan, Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. Soon, northern Italian immigrants to Argentina, Brazil, and elsewhere transported this Christmas custom with them to the New World. Due to the strong German influence in Chile, there is a unique version of this Christmas cake called Pan de Pascua, or Easter Bread that combines the Italian panettone with the German Stollen. This Chilean cake is similar to a ginger and honey sponge cake.The Chileans also have their own Christmas drink concoctions. For warming up, there is Cola de Mono (tail of the monkey), where aguardiente, a strong alcohol, is added to coffee with milk, cinnamon, and cloves. To cool down during the summertime holidays, a festive mix of champagne with pineapple ice cream called Ponche a la romana is popular.The Brazilians have some unique Christmas customs, as well. Being a culture that regularly celebrates life with an abundance of amazing foods, the Christmas Eve meal is sure to be a grand feast of luscious flavors. Among the dishes that are traditionally served are rabanada, which is cinnamon-flavored French toast, and bolinhos de bacalhau, which are fried codfish and potato cakes. This dish was a finalist in the 2011 competition for the 7 Wonders of Portuguese Gastronomy, while a Brazilian variety that originated in São Paulo, known as pastel de bacalhau, has a pastry crust and is more like a Latin American empanada. The feast will be sure to include a appetizers, cold cuts, and bowls of Brazil nuts; a variety of fresh salads; cooked vegetables such as garlicky fried collard greens; fruits of all kinds; colorful rice dishes; farofa, which is the ubiquitous Brazilian comfort food made of toasted manioc flour; and meats ranging from roasted turkey or pork to chicken and fish. While the assortment of desserts run the gamut from sweet nut pies to zesty lemon tarts to rich chocolate cakes, pan dulce will also make an appearance during the holidays, as it is a Brazilian Christmas staple.Although customs vary by region, a few Christmas holiday staples that make an appearance in South America will be familiar items such as hot chocolate, nuts and dried fruits for snacks, roasted potatoes, and fruit purees like applesauce. Other Christmas foods include special Christmas cookies and pastries; and more variations Christmastime foods that resemble atole, flan, or pudding, such as Colombian natilla, and a different type of buñuelos that are fried dough balls (One might equate them doughnut holes, except that they don’t have the doughnuts that they would be the holes of in South America!).I had the great pleasure of sharing a Christmas Eve meal with an Argentine family last year of spinach canelones and pionono. The former is an Italian dish that is enjoyed at any time of year in Argentina consisting of what are basically thin crepes that are filled, covered with sauce, and baked. Ours had a spinach and ricotta filling and was baked in a light tomato sauce, then doused in hot béchamel sauce that transformed it into a salsa rosa. The latter, pionono, is a large, thin square of sweet sponge cake that comes rolled up, which the host had spread out, laid a layer of lettuce salad ingredients from the garden on top, and rolled it back up again. We sliced it and enjoyed the pretty spirals that made for an interesting combination of flavors and textures. Christmas meals in Argentina tend to be light summer fare, and ours was very Argentine, with a big bowl of fresh-picked raspberries, a few bottles of a non-alcoholic sparkling pineapple drink that the children could enjoy, and pan dulce for dessert.Merry Christmas, and Happy Eating to All!Julie R Butler is a traveler, blogger, freelance writer, and editor who has authored several books, self-published as eBooks, including Nine Months In Uruguay and No Stranger To Strange Lands (click here for more info). To contact Julie about writing or editing work, email: julierbutler [at] yahoo.com.
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