[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”]Eastern Europeans enjoy fried carp and pea soup during their holidays. If you lived in Britain, you\u2019d be chowing down on mincemeat pies. Visiting Spain? Savor the suckling pig, chorizo, and roast lamb, but don\u2019t be fooled by fun-loving bakers who might put salt in their cakes. And on Christmas Day in Tokyo, the tables are flush with buckets and buckets\u2026 of KFC. That\u2019s right. Kentucky. Fried. Chicken.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only natural that holiday eats around the world vary so greatly. But would you believe that America itself has Christmas traditions that are just as varied? Forget spending great bags of cash to cross the pond. You can just hop in your car and cross a state line to experience a different culinary tradition than your own!<\/p>\n
Well, getting to Hawaii by car would be a wee-bit difficult\u2026 but Hawaii during the holidays? Can you even imagine? It\u2019s already paradise, and that\u2019s before you even taste the Kalua Turkey. While, for most, turkey is the complete opposite of a \u201cunique\u201d tradition, it\u2019s the way that it\u2019s cooked that brings out the best. Wrapped up in banana leaves and shoved in an underground earth oven (known as an imu<\/em>), the bird is then steam-cooked overnight, resulting in an extremely moist, juicy meal with a bold hint of earthy flavor. Served with pineapple, rice, and the turkey\u2019s own juices, this holiday meal sounds hard to beat.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s continue the theme of warm-weather destinations and hop over to Florida to experience Noche Bueno. A plentiful Cuban community helps keep this tradition alive. So \u201calive,\u201d in fact, that many non-Cubans have even adopted it into their own celebrations. Noche Bueno, or \u201cGood Night\u201d in Spanish, is a Christmas Eve feast that will find you nomming on forkful after forkful of slow-roasted pork, rice, black beans, and Cuban bread. A \u201cGood Night\u201d indeed!<\/p>\n Mosey over to the Southern US and you\u2019ll come face-to-face with Hoppin\u2019 John and Skippin\u2019 Jenny. What\u2019s with these fun-sounding folks? Well, for one, since we\u2019re talking about food, you can probably take a stab at guessing they\u2019re not \u201cfolks\u201d at all. But would you have guessed they\u2019re both the same dish? Black-eyed peas, rice (again!), onion, and bacon are the four ingredients you need for this southern staple of symbolism. You see, eating Hoppin\u2019 John on New Year\u2019s Day is thought to bring you a prosperous year as the peas represent pennies or coins and anything the color of money served alongside this dish adds to that symbol of wealth. Skippin\u2019 Jenny comes to play when you eat it as leftovers on the day after as a sign of being frugal and hopeful for even more prosperity in the New Year.<\/p>\n Time to zip up your winter coats, readers, because we\u2019re heading north. Way north. Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, to be specific. Hailing from Scandinavian stock, these snow-packed states celebrate their Christmas with plates piled high with Lefse. For the layman, Lefse is a potato flatbread you can top with anything you find tasty, but for those that celebrate the tradition, Lefse is much more than that. For instance, in Fargo, North Dakota, there\u2019s a Lutefisk and Lefse festival. And Fosston, Minnesota hosts a Lefse Fest where they crown their Champion Lefse Maker. For many families, however, it\u2019s not the Lefse itself that\u2019s important, but the creation of it, as older generations teach younger ones how to craft it with perfection so they can help keep it alive for years to come.<\/p>\n For our final destination, we\u2019re trading snowshoes for sunglasses and heading to northern California, stomachs prepped and ready for the start of Dungeness Crab season in December. Why have turkey when you have serve massive amounts of ultra-fresh and extra-meaty Dungeness Crab for your holiday feast? When in Rome\u2026 For many in this area, Dungeness Crab is a classic celebration meal during the holidays and, as such, they know how to cook it however you want it. Dipped in butter, cooked Asian style, in a seafood stew\u2026 the list goes on.<\/p>\n Now, we could go on, but honestly, there\u2019s too many regional and state traditions that this would turn into more of a dissertation than a fun-loving food blog. But if you have a unique culinary Christmas tradition that you want to share, we\u2019d love to hear about it through Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, or you could even take a drool-worthy food-pic through Instagram. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And Seasons Eatings![\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider show_divider=”off” _builder_version=”4.21.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.omahasteaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/blogwp_everybody-eats-why-you-should-consider-mail-order-food-gifts-scaled-1.jpg” title_text=”blogwp_everybody-eats-why-you-should-consider-mail-order-food-gifts-scaled” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.21.2″ always_center_on_mobile=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_cta title=”Get Mouthwatering Gifts for Any Occasion” button_url=”https:\/\/www.omahasteaks.com\/buy\/Gifts?SRC=RZ0636″ button_text=”Steak Gifts” _builder_version=”4.21.2″ use_background_color=”off” background_layout=”light” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Steak gifts that are sure to please.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s only natural that holiday eats around the world vary so greatly. But would you believe that America has Christmas traditions that are just as unique?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":6956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Eastern Europeans enjoy fried carp and pea soup during their holidays. If you lived in Britain, you\u2019d be chowing down on mincemeat pies. Visiting Spain? Savor the suckling pig, chorizo, and roast lamb, but don\u2019t be fooled by fun-loving bakers who might put salt in their cakes. And on Christmas Day in Tokyo, the tables are flush with buckets and buckets\u2026 of KFC. That\u2019s right. Kentucky. Fried. Chicken.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s only natural that holiday eats around the world vary so greatly. But would you believe that America itself has Christmas traditions that are just as varied? Forget spending great bags of cash to cross the pond. You can just hop in your car and cross a state line to experience a different culinary tradition than your own!\r\nNoche Bueno<\/h3>\n
Christmas in the South<\/h3>\n
The Snow-Packed States Love Lefse<\/h3>\n
A Californian Christmas<\/h3>\n
Hawaiian Christmas Traditions<\/h3>\r\nWell, getting to Hawaii by car would be a wee-bit difficult\u2026 but Hawaii during the holidays? Can you even imagine? It\u2019s already paradise, and that\u2019s before you even taste the Kalua Turkey. While, for most, turkey is the complete opposite of a \u201cunique\u201d tradition, it\u2019s the way that it\u2019s cooked that brings out the best. Wrapped up in banana leaves and shoved in an underground earth oven (known as an imu<\/em>), the bird is then steam-cooked overnight, resulting in an extremely moist, juicy meal with a bold hint of earthy flavor. Served with pineapple, rice, and the turkey\u2019s own juices, this holiday meal sounds hard to beat.\r\n
Noche Bueno<\/h3>\r\nLet\u2019s continue the theme of warm-weather destinations and hop over to Florida to experience Noche Bueno. A plentiful Cuban community helps keep this tradition alive. So \u201calive,\u201d in fact, that many non-Cubans have even adopted it into their own celebrations. Noche Bueno, or \u201cGood Night\u201d in Spanish, is a Christmas Eve feast that will find you nomming on forkful after forkful of slow-roasted pork, rice, black beans, and Cuban bread. A \u201cGood Night\u201d indeed!\r\n
Christmas in the South<\/h3>\r\nMosey over to the Southern US and you\u2019ll come face-to-face with Hoppin\u2019 John and Skippin\u2019 Jenny. What\u2019s with these fun-sounding folks? Well, for one, since we\u2019re talking about food, you can probably take a stab at guessing they\u2019re not \u201cfolks\u201d at all. But would you have guessed they\u2019re both the same dish? Black-eyed peas, rice (again!), onion, and bacon are the four ingredients you need for this southern staple of symbolism. You see, eating Hoppin\u2019 John on New Year\u2019s Day is thought to bring you a prosperous year as the peas represent pennies or coins and anything the color of money served alongside this dish adds to that symbol of wealth. Skippin\u2019 Jenny comes to play when you eat it as leftovers on the day after as a sign of being frugal and hopeful for even more prosperity in the New Year.\r\n
The Snow-Packed States Love Lefse<\/h3>\r\nTime to zip up your winter coats, readers, because we\u2019re heading north. Way north. Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, to be specific. Hailing from Scandinavian stock, these snow-packed states celebrate their Christmas with plates piled high with Lefse. For the layman, Lefse is a potato flatbread you can top with anything you find tasty, but for those that celebrate the tradition, Lefse is much more than that. For instance, in Fargo, North Dakota, there\u2019s a Lutefisk and Lefse festival. And Fosston, Minnesota hosts a Lefse Fest where they crown their Champion Lefse Maker. For many families, however, it\u2019s not the Lefse itself that\u2019s important, but the creation of it, as older generations teach younger ones how to craft it with perfection so they can help keep it alive for years to come.\r\n
A Californian Christmas<\/h3>\r\nFor our final destination, we\u2019re trading snowshoes for sunglasses and heading to northern California, stomachs prepped and ready for the start of Dungeness Crab season in December. Why have turkey when you have serve massive amounts of ultra-fresh and extra-meaty Dungeness Crab for your holiday feast? When in Rome\u2026 For many in this area, Dungeness Crab is a classic celebration meal during the holidays and, as such, they know how to cook it however you want it. Dipped in butter, cooked Asian style, in a seafood stew\u2026 the list goes on.\r\n\r\nNow, we could go on, but honestly, there\u2019s too many regional and state traditions that this would turn into more of a dissertation than a fun-loving food blog. But if you have a unique culinary Christmas tradition that you want to share, we\u2019d love to hear about it through Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, or you could even take a drool-worthy food-pic through Instagram. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! And Seasons Eatings!","_et_gb_content_width":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2824],"tags":[1184,2835],"ppma_author":[8165],"class_list":["post-1269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hosting-gatherings","category-christmas","tag-christmas","tag-gatherings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n