Christmas food around the world varies more than any other feast, because half the world eats its big meal on the 24th and the other half on the 25th, and plenty of places celebrate the season with their New Year food instead. Here is one dish from each of the 17 cuisines in the Authentic-ish series, with what each weighs before and after lightening.
| Dish | Traditional, kcal | Lightened, kcal | Saving | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roast GammonBritish | 734 | 431 | 41% | 56g |
| StollenGerman | 443 | 286 | 35% | 8g |
| BarszczPolish | 96 | 72 | 25% | 3g |
| Duck a l'OrangeFrench | 961 | 275 | 71% | 31g |
| Baccala MantecatoItalian | 738 | 383 | 48% | 35g |
| ChurrosSpanish | 394 | 204 | 48% | 12g |
| TamalesMexican | 578 | 352 | 39% | 24g |
| Potato LatkesJewish | 408 | 285 | 30% | 10g |
| BaklavaGreek | 373 | 209 | 44% | 5g |
| Halloumi sto TiganiCypriot | 421 | 220 | 48% | 17g |
| Corn PuddingSouthern | 321 | 170 | 47% | 8g |
| Black-Eyed PeasSoul Food | 418 | 367 | 12% | 27g |
| SukiyakiJapanese | 649 | 494 | 24% | 48g |
| ManduKorean | 372 | 302 | 19% | 21g |
| Spring RollsChinese | 429 | 221 | 48% | 16g |
| SamosaIndian | 335 | 244 | 27% | 14g |
| Chicken SatayThai | 625 | 365 | 42% | 40g |
Europe: the 24th and the 25th
Britain often roasts a ham alongside the turkey, or instead of it. Roast Gammon with its fat trimmed carves just as well.
Germany bakes Stollen, the Dresden Christmas loaf of fruit and marzipan.
Poland waits for the first star on Christmas Eve and opens the meatless Wigilia supper with Barszcz.
France eats its big meal, the réveillon, late on Christmas Eve. Duck a l'Orange is a smaller, richer centrepiece.
Italy and Italian-American families eat fish on Christmas Eve, and salt cod is the backbone: Baccala Mantecato.
Spain sees in the New Year with churros and thick chocolate in the early hours: Churros.
Greece and Cyprus bake syrup-soaked sweets for the season; Baklava is the best known. In Cyprus, Halloumi sto Tigani turns up on every meze table.
The Americas
Mexico makes Tamales for Nochebuena, by the dozen, with the whole family on the assembly line.
The American South sets out a corn pudding at Christmas, Corn Pudding, and soul food cooks keep Black-Eyed Peas for New Year's Day luck.
The festival of lights
Jewish families fry Potato Latkes for Hanukkah, which often falls in December. The oil is the point of the festival, so the lighter version is a compromise and the book says so.
Asia: party food and New Year
Japan, Korea, China, India and Thailand don't have a traditional Christmas meal, so these are the celebration dishes they cook for a crowd: Sukiyaki, Mandu, Spring Rolls, Samosa and Chicken Satay.
Build a world Christmas table
Pick one from each continent. Barszcz to start, tamales and a trimmed gammon in the middle, stollen and churros to finish. Everything here is in Authentic-ish Christmas, traditional version first, with the lighter version and what each change costs. For a full menu, see Christmas dinner ideas from 17 cuisines.