Food is an important part of Christmas. Long ago people associated eating with wealth, health, and happiness. Meats are traditionally an important part of the holidays, most notable turkey, ham, goose, and fish. Pastries are also very popular at Christmas, an uncountable number of holiday specific cookies, cakes, and candies. Many of the pastries could be hung on the Christmas tree as well.Each family has their own christmas food traditions, whether they be roasted turkey, stuffed sausage, plum pudding, sweet potatoes, or lasagna. Find out what your own family`s favorite holiday foods are, and why.
During the Colonial Era, the need to make a holiday dessert out of foods available in winter most likely led to the popularity of the fruitcake in America. It was often made from fruit preserves.
Wassail
Most are served hot and they frequently use cored, mashed, baked apples, eggs, spices, madeira, brandy and cider. The word wassail comes from times past when Saxon lords and ladies called out was hail, which means literally "be in good health." It became a custom in England to drink a toast of health, or "Wassail" from a large punch bowl filled with the brew. It later became popular to offer a cup of wassail to carolers.
These small items were traditionally hung on christmas trees as decorations. Many were eated before Christmas, and some became too heavy for the branches, which led to the switch to glass and wooden ornaments.
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