Festive Feasts Around The World: Traditions Or Modern Adaptations

It’s that time of the year when people gather, exchange gifts and most of all, feast! With virtually everyone adhering to the Gregorian calendar, the festivities start and end around the same time. When do chefs start preparing their menus for the festive season and is there still a demand for traditional dishes? What about countries that Christmas have been introduced to: what sort of food do they serve?

How do chefs cope with the large volumes of people and maintain the food quality? How do suppliers deal with the demands from the food and beverage (F&B) industry? What about wastage? We speak to established chefs from varied backgrounds and cultures around the world.

Traditional Dishes: Tales As Old As Time

The most celebrated of year-end festivities would probably be Christmas – the result of evangelism, migration and popularised media influence. The first noted instance where Christmas was celebrated was during 336AD. in the home of Roman Emperor Constantine The Great. Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol published in the year 1843 tells us the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge – the infamous penny-pincher whose name has become synonymous with miser-like qualities. Dickens was said to have written the Christmas classic in a period where the region was examining past traditions and modern customs. In the novel, Scrooge calls for a large turkey to be sent to his employee after realisation hits him and he turns over a new leaf. All over the world, the requisite preparation for year-end festivities begin almost three months ahead as most chefs have their menus planned out and their bulk orders already punched in. “The tradition of Christmas is one of family and everyone getting together, and in my opinion, the turkey was a premium item back in the old days. I guess it was seen as a luxury item with that central piece focus a wow factor if you like, that was served on the table which the whole family would sit around the table in a family style sharing, bringing the family together as one in celebration.