Christmas is usually associated with good food – traditional dishes such as stuffed turkey or pork with plums – and equally delectable desserts such as panettone and puddings.

Some peoples prefer fish instead of meat: carp for the Czechs and Slovaks, cod for the Portuguese.

However, there are also traditional Christmas dishes that are very…advanced (at least by our standards)

For example, the Icelanders must have on their festive table roast reindeer .

On the other hand, the Norwegians they love it smalahovewhich literally means “sheep’s head”, and is substantive boiled lamb’s head soup. In fact, the most curious ones let the brain cook inside the animal’s skull to enjoy it later with a spoon!

There are more extreme ones.

In South Africa mopane (Christmas caterpillars) are the ultimate holiday treat. It’s about fried caterpillars which are not missing from the Christmas tables.

Actually, it is not about the usual, common caterpillars but the species Pine Tree Emperor Moth that live inside the specific pines.

The protein-packed larvae are harvested just before winter, fried and served with a type of polenta.

At Greenland they are crazy about Mattak – raw whale skin with its fat – and the kiviak, a kind of small Arctic bird (sea ​​parrot), a popular Christmas treat in Iceland as well.

The bird is usually wrapped in sealskin, buried for many months, and after it has begun to decompose, is served as an excellent Christmas dish.

About appetite indeed… Christmas pumpkin pie!

Happy Holidays!