Earlier this month, I reached out to chefs, food writers and other culinary professionals, asking them to share delicious holiday traditions stemming from other parts of the world. Some shared stories of childhood or family traditions, others shared desserts they may have learned from living in another place, and still others shared traditions they’ve learned from friends of theirs who celebrate holidays around the world.

Because not all of us celebrate Christmas, or even the New Year, at the same time, these desserts reflect a variety of holiday traditions in the sweetest possible way. I loved reading about them, and am excited to share them with you. And while not all of the stories were able to make it into the published story, CLICK ON “READ MORE” TO CONTINUE READING for additional compiled stories (and a recipe!) reflecting traditions from Costa Rica, China, Spain, Taiwan, Ghana and Thailand.

Thank you so much to all of the incredible contributors, and Happy Holidays, everyone!

— Noelle

Roxana Jullapat — Christmas Cake (Costa Rica)

“I grew up in Costa Rica where gifting Christmas Cake is not unusual. This European staple is quite common during the holidays, where local ingredients make it into the recipe — soft bark Canela instead of cinnamon, macadamia nuts instead of walnuts or pecans, fresh pineapple in addition to all the dried fruits, and dark rum instead of brandy or Cognac. 

“Christmas cake isn’t popular among younglings, and I was no exception, but when I was a teen, I started baking Christmas Cakes to sell and make a little extra cash over the holidays. I adjusted the recipe so it would only include my favorite dried fruits, I skipped the step of soaking them in rum for a few days so they wouldn’t be too boozy, and I upped the ratio of cake batter to fruits so that it would be more cake-like rather than a brick of dense, chewy fruits. When the cakes come out of the oven, you’re supposed to bathe them with more rum while they’re still warm. Crafty, little me, I decided to make a cocktail of pineapple juice and rum. Also, I offered them for a lower price to be more competitive.” 

(Find Roxana’s incredible recipe at the end of this post.)

Roxana Jullapat is a baker, pastry chef, and co-owner of Friends and Family in Los Angeles. She is working on her first cookbook, Mother Grains, which is due out in April 2021. 

Paloma Chen — Turrón de Navidad (Spain) and Yuan Xiao/Glutinous Rice Balls (China)

“Whenever I feel homesick, these two winter desserts would bring me back to my childhood instantly:

I grew up in Beijing in the 1990s with a Spanish father and a Chinese mother. I have one twin sister, but that’s it, a small family. I have six Spanish aunts and more than 20 cousins living in Europe that I rarely get to see. One crucial way for them to express their love for their Chinese relatives is through food. Whenever mom or dad goes back to Spain near Christmas, they always come back with turrón in their suitcases.

Turrón are thick pastries that remind me of bricks, and there are five types I remember: toasted “yolk”, soft almond, hard almond, chocolate, and fruit. While Chinese desserts, to me, always appear cute and well-presented, turrón is rough. Also, it’s very oily, and thus needs to be wrapped excessively with paper and plastic. 

In China, there are two festivals with great desserts, and both happen be related to the full moon. One is the lantern festival during the Lunar New Year holidays, one is the mid-autumn festival. Lantern festival happens on the first night of the year with a full moon, which is the 15th of Chinese New Year. Glutinous rice balls are cute, sweet dumplings that resemble the shape of the full moon. They can be as big as the Ferrero chocolate balls and might contain traditional fillings such as sesame or peanut, or innovative fillings that color the outside of the balls, such as egg yolk (yellow) and taro (purple). 

We always enjoy them using a Chinese spoon, to contain the filling in the spoon after the first bite, though sometimes I just swallow the entire ball in one bite to make sure no filling is wasted.” 

Now a documentarian based in Los Angeles, Paloma Chen grew up in Beijing, China. She started her career in Guangzhou, the gourmet capital of China, and her work has included Chinese food shows. 

Brian Inocencio — Tang Yuan/Glutinous Rice Balls (Taiwan)

Similar in style to the glutinous rice balls described by Paloma (unlike yuan xiao, tang yuan do not contain any filling, and are usually served in a sweet flavored broth), Brian remembers tang yuan as a favorite dessert growing up in Taiwan. 

“I remember eating tang yuan — a traditional Taiwanese winter dessert (not really for Christmas, since we don’t really celebrate Christmas there) — when I was growing up. It brings me back to my early childhood where I would sit at a big round table with my family; they would be chatting with one another and I'd be there digging through these delicious, chewy rice balls. Tangyuan is served hot during the winter, and it's a pretty traditional dessert on the table when the family gathers.”

Brian Inocencio is a Los Angeles-based cinematographer and documentary filmmaker whose work has included Chinese food shows.

Veronica Hendrix — Fresh fruit (Ghana) 

I was on the phone with Veronica Hendrix recently, and she mentioned that a friend of hers, whose move to Ghana she chronicled in her food blog, noted that a favorite dessert was nothing more than fresh fruit — so special it was even a favorite holiday tradition. This reminds me of my grandmother noting how special fresh fruit — particularly fresh citrus, such as oranges — was for her during the holidays for her growing up. Seemingly simple, but special nonetheless.

“Dawn Sutherland, a former executive of Xerox Corporation moved to Kumasi, Ghana in May of 2014. She said that in her new county, fruits are usually eaten for desserts: pineapple, watermelon, mangoes, and bananas are the favorite fruits served as desserts. So when the holiday season comes around, they are part of their tradition. She stated that ‘gift-giving in Africa is not like it is in the USA. For example for my birthday or on certain holidays if you have been a good steward; someone can give you a crate of eggs, a chicken,  guinea fowl, yams, or harvest from the farm.’”

Veronica Hendrix is a food journalist, cookbook author, Food Network Finalist and author of the blog Collard Greens and Caviar. 

Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong — Pumpkin with coconut (Thailand)

“This dessert is simple and is called pumpkin in coconut milk. It’s found everywhere in the small towns in Southern Thailand and can be made using other fruit. For this, it’s made using excess pumpkin laying around after the holidays.

“The dessert is made by stewing cut pumpkin with canned coconut and palm sugar. Vegan and dairy-free, it’s perfect for serving after a spicy dish, and it’s a wonderful, warm dessert for the colder months.”

Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong is the longtime owner of renowned restaurant Jitlada in Hollywood, which specializes in spicy Southern Thai cuisine.

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Christmas Cake (Roxana Jullapat)

About 2 ½ hours, plus cooling time. Makes two large or four small loaf cakes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried black figs, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

• 8 ounces prunes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

• 4 ounces dried pears, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

• 2 ounces candied ginger, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

• 4 ounces dried apricots, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

• 8 ounces golden raisins

• 8 ounces currants

• 2 ounces candied grapefruit zest

• 2 ounces candied orange zest

• 2 ounces candied kumquats 

• 2 ounces candied yuzu, citron, or lemon zest 

• 6 ounces pecans or walnuts, toasted and rough chopped

• 6 ounces sliced almonds, toasted

• 6 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

• 3 cups (400 g) Sonora wheat flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 4 large eggs, separated

• 1 1/3 cups (260 g) dark brown sugar

• 1 cup (240 ml) orange juice

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) blackstrap molasses

• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

• 12 tablespoons (6 ounces/1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 

Instructions

1. Coat two large loaf pans (or four small loaf pans) with non-stick spray and line them with parchment paper. Heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a large bowl, combine the fruit mix (figs, prunes, pears, ginger, apricots, raisins, currants, grapefruit and orange zest, kumquats, yuzu, walnuts, almonds and pineapple). Cover with lukewarm water by 1 inch. Soak for 5 minutes, then strain through a sieve or colander over the kitchen sink, shaking and draining until the mixture no longer releases any liquid. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cardamom, ground ginger, and nutmeg). Add the drained fruit mix and toss until all the fruits are covered in the dried ingredients. 

4. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold medium peaks. Add the yolks, one by one, and continue mixing to incorporate. With the mixer running, add the brown sugar, a little bit a time, and continue mixing until creamy. The sugar won’t dissolve completely, but it should be thoroughly incorporated.

5. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the orange juice, molasses, and vanilla extract by hand. Add the butter and fold just to incorporate. Add the liquid mixture to the flour and fruit mix. Mix with the spatula vigorously until thoroughly incorporated.

6. Divide the batter into the prepared loaf pans. Use the spatula to even out the top.

7. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Cool the cakes completely and store, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. 

Note: From chef Roxana Jullapat. As an option, save the juice from the pineapple, season with dark rum, and brush the cakes with this mixture when they come out of the oven.