What Are the Regional Differences in The Traditional American Christmas Dinner

Isn't it funny how people assume that everyone east the same meal for Christmas dinner?  There are regional and cultural differences. If fresh oysters are plentiful, as they are in Virginia, you would expect to see them on the menu. Same with Salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Or the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" in Italian communities. Have we missed one?  Use the feedback form to let us know!

Dish	Region, Group or States where it is most popular
Bread pudding with a dash of bourbon	Kentucky
Chinese food	Jewish-Americans, and of course, families who burn the turkey.
Christmas cookies	Michigan especially, but everyone likes them
Cornbread stuffing	South
Crab legs	Alaska
Feast of the seven fishes	Italian communities
Flan	Arizona
Green bean casserole	Georgia and Utah
Ham	Virginia and much of the South
Mashed potatoes	Kansas
cheesy fondue potatoes	Wisconsin
Oysters	Virginia
Pork: kālua pig & cabbage	Hawaii
Red Velvet cake	South
Salmon	Pacific Northwest
Shrimp	Gulf coast areas (MS, LA, )
Steak - cast-iron skillet steak	Montana
Sweet potatoes: mashed, baked in a pie, or covered with marshmallows in a casserole	New England
Sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping	Deep South
Tamales	Southwest

 

 

United Kingdom

A typical and traditional Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom includes roast turkey, cranberry sauce, roast parsnips and/or roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts;  stuffing; some sausages, gravy; and often a Yorkshire pudding.

For dessert, a plum pudding is traditional. That's a very dense somewhat fruitcake-like substance made of suet, candied fruit, which is soaked in brandy for weeks, then before it is served, it is steamed for hours , more brandy is added and it is set on fire and served. It is then topped off with a sauce made of brandy, sugar, and butter.

 

References

1. Morton Williams - /traditional Christmas dinners in America

 

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