Holiday table in 5 countries: from turkey to Pavlova cake

A holiday table looks different in every country. In December, home cooks face the same questions again and again: what to put on the table and how to surprise guests.

We gathered holiday dishes from five countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Brazil, and Australia. In Brazil and Australia, Christmas falls in the middle of summer, so the menu there is noticeably different from the European one. Most of the dishes are easy to recreate at home with everyday ingredients.

Five holiday tables and their main dishes

💡 In short:

• In the United Kingdom, stuffed turkey or goose is served.
• In Germany, people cook goose, potato salad, and Christmas strudel.
• In China, fish and dumplings symbolize prosperity, and noodles symbolize longevity.
• In Brazil, Christmas is in summer: the table features feijoada, turkey, and caipirinha.
• In Australia, ham, seafood, and Pavlova cake are served.
• Holiday table traditions and menus: 09/2026, according to English Heritage.

Five countries offer five different scenarios. They have one thing in common: almost everywhere the holiday table includes poultry, a sweet dessert, and a hot drink. Below we put the main dishes into a table, and then we will look at each country separately.

© Joli Rumi · CC BY-SAPhoto: Joli Rumi, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

Below you will find the ingredients of each dish, the tradition behind it, and a reason to make it at home.

1. United Kingdom: turkey and Christmas pudding

In the United Kingdom, Christmas is celebrated as a family holiday. People sit down at the table during the day, closer to noon, and stay there for several hours.

© Jürgen Howaldt · CC BY-SAPhoto: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/de/deed.en), Wikimedia Commons

Stuffed turkey is almost always on the table. The bird is filled with oranges, lemons, or apples. While roasting, watch the internal temperature of the bird, otherwise the meat will turn out dry. The host has one more task: to carve the bird and serve it onto plates.

© James Petts from London, England · CC BY-SAPhoto: James Petts from London, England, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes goose is roasted instead of turkey and stuffed with the same ingredients. Pear, quince, figs, or prunes are added to the stuffing.

Beef Wellington also appears on the holiday table. It requires a good beef tenderloin: the meat with a mushroom filling is wrapped in puff pastry. As an appetizer, sausages wrapped in bacon are served, often arranged around the turkey.

The Christmas table is not complete without dessert. The classic here is pudding with almonds and vanilla.

The second most popular dessert is gingerbread cookies, which are baked in many countries. For drinks, the British choose beer or punch. In some families, beer is brewed at home, and punch is made from strong alcohol with fruit juice.

If you are cooking turkey for the first time, start with a small bird and a simple stuffing. We checked the history of the Christmas table on the official English Heritage website (as of: 09/2026): turkey became a mandatory dish only in the 20th century.

2. Germany: goose, strudel, and mulled wine

The German holiday table partly mirrors the British one. Stuffed goose is also roasted here, and gingerbread cookies are baked. The meat is served with knödeln: steamed balls of yeast dough.

Potato salad in Germany is considered a side dish, not a salad. It is made from boiled potatoes with onion, bacon, or pickled cucumbers. The dish is often topped with mayonnaise.

© bjacobdawson · CC BY-SAPhoto: bjacobdawson, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

There is also room on the German table for Christmas strudel. It differs from the regular one in its filling: pine nuts and dates are added to the apples and raisins.

For drinks, Germans love mulled wine. At any Christmas market, grab a glass of hot spiced wine, it is part of the local tradition.

We checked the ingredients and serving of German dishes against German Foods (as of: 09/2026).

3. China: fish, dumplings, and longevity noodles

The dates of Chinese New Year do not match the European ones, but the holiday table is taken just as seriously here. Every dish carries meaning, and it is often hidden in the name.

A mandatory dish on the table is fish. The word for fish (yú) sounds like the word for surplus, so it is steamed. Most often carp, crucian carp, or catfish is used.

Longevity noodles appear both at the New Year table and at birthdays. They are distinguished by their length: they are not cut or broken, so they symbolize a long life.

Chinese jiaozi dumplings look similar to regular dumplings. The filling includes ground pork, shrimp, fish, ground chicken, and vegetables. Another dish, nian gao cake, is made from glutinous rice, chestnuts, sugar, Chinese dates, and lotus leaves. Its name sounds like the phrase "to rise higher with each year."

China shows that the name of a dish is just as important as its taste. If you serve fish and dumplings together, you will have an almost authentic Chinese New Year table.

4. Brazil: feijoada and caipirinha

In Brazil, everything is the opposite. Christmas falls in the middle of summer here, so the holiday table looks more like a summer dinner.

The main star of the celebration is the same: turkey, but it is cooked with spices, beans, or fruit. The Brazilians' beloved feijoada is also on the table. It is a stew of black beans with meat, often with offal (according to Wikipedia, 09/2026). Rice or farofa, toasted cassava, is served as a side.

There is also a local custom. Every family member should eat at least a spoonful of lentil soup to attract luck and prosperity. If you want more luck, eat the whole soup.

Brazilians love palm hearts. They are sold in jars, pickled like cucumbers, and home cooks add them to pies.

Instead of the usual sparkling wine, caipirinha is on the holiday table here. This cocktail is made with cachaça, a local distillate from sugar cane. Lime and sugar are added to it. If you want to recreate the Brazilian table, start with feijoada: it is the country's most recognizable dish.

5. Australia: ham, fish steak with pineapple, and Pavlova cake

Australia also celebrates Christmas in summer. There are no strict rules here: every home cook decides for herself what to serve guests.

The main options are ham, which is glazed and baked in the oven, and the familiar turkey. Christmas pudding is served for dessert.

There are also a couple of unique dishes. One of them, fish steak with pineapple, is made not from meat but from fish. A good combination: salmon steak, pineapple, orange juice, and bell pepper. All the ingredients are easy to find in European stores, so you can bring a touch of Australia to your dinner.

© Ole Husby · CC BY-SAPhoto: Ole Husby, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), Wikimedia Commons

New Zealand is considered the birthplace of Pavlova cake, but it is especially popular in Australia. The dessert is made from meringue and whipped cream, and the top layer is covered with berries or pieces of tropical fruit. In Australia, strawberries with passion fruit pulp are most often used.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

What is the main dish on the Christmas table in the United Kingdom?

In most British families, stuffed turkey is served. Christmas pudding with almonds and vanilla is served for dessert. Sometimes goose replaces turkey, but the rest of the dishes hardly change.

Why do people in China eat fish and dumplings on New Year?

The names of the dishes sound like wishes. Fish and dumplings symbolize prosperity in the new year. Long noodles promise a long life.

What is cooked for Christmas in Brazil and Australia?

In both countries, Christmas falls in the middle of summer. In Brazil, feijoada made from black beans with meat, turkey with spices, and lentil soup for luck are served. In Australia, people cook glazed ham, seafood, and fish steak with pineapple. Pavlova cake is often served for dessert in Australia.

What is Pavlova cake?

Pavlova cake is made from meringue, whipped cream, and berries. New Zealand is considered the birthplace of the dessert, but it is especially popular in Australia. The top layer is covered with strawberries, raspberries, or pieces of tropical fruit, such as passion fruit.

Can these dishes be made at home in Europe?

Yes, most ingredients are available in regular stores. For the British and German table, you need turkey or goose, potatoes, and apples. For Brazilian feijoada, black beans and meat work well; for Chinese dumplings, ground meat and vegetables are enough. Palm hearts and some tropical fruits are harder to find, but they can be replaced with familiar ones.

In short: what to cook for Christmas

Five countries offer five different holiday table scenarios, and each scenario can be recreated at home.

• If you want to impress: go for Beef Wellington or stuffed goose.
• If you want simplicity: potato salad, ham, and Christmas pudding.
• If you need a light summer option: Pavlova cake and fish steak with pineapple.
• If the table should carry symbolism: fish, dumplings, and longevity noodles.

Pick one table and host a themed dinner. That way you can experience another tradition without leaving home.