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Holiday Recipes

The holidays are a time for big family gatherings and festive food. Some recipes are passed down the family tree, some are borrowed, and some are made up on the spot. Whatever your traditions, make sure to save a spot on the holiday menu for a few more this season.

In Cooking with Shelburne Farms, Melissa Pasanen and Rick Gencarelli recount recipes and stories from the institution—a 1,400-acre nonprofit environmental education center, working farm, and National Historic Landmark on Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont. Two of the succulent recipes are featured below.

In Santa's North Pole Cookbook, Saint Nicholas himself delivers classic Christmas recipes from around the world. Each recipe is accompanied by a rich history of the dish. Below are two of Santa's favorites—but first, some Foody Fun Facts:

In South Africa, an important part of holiday celebration is when neighbors visit each other's homes. Karringmelkbeskuit (buttermilk biscotti) is usually served to visitors, along with coffee or hot chocolate.
In Peru, holiday observances continue through Epiphany on Jan. 6. On that day in Peru, families often prepare Rosca de Reyes, or “King's Ring.” This tasty confection honors the three Kings or Wise Men who brought their gifts to Jesus, which holiday legend suggests was on the 6th of January.
Today Turkey is one of America's favorite Christmas dinner dishes, but how did this popular bird come to have its name? Historians tell us that around 1530, English traders acquired some wild fowl from Turkish merchants, and when they sold their haul back in Britain they described them as “turkey birds.” Others suggest that Columbus gave these birds their famous name. In 1492, the Italian captain believed he had landed on the coast of India rather than a small island. Columbus's mistaken belief was that the large indigenous birds he saw there were some species of Indian peacock. Since peacocks were known in India as tuka, Columbus identified the fowl with a version of that name.
At one time Plum Pudding was considered an extravagance and even sinful. When Puritans controlled the British government in the 1660s, they declared plum pudding to be “unfit for God-fearing people” because of its rich ingredients. It was actually against the law to prepare or eat it, but after the Puritans were deposed, King George I reinstated the dish as part of the holiday season simply because he loved it so much.