Feliz Navidad! A Foodie’s Spanish Christmas

If you’re counting down the days until the 25^th December, you’ve got it all wrong. In Spain, it’s all about Christmas Eve, also known as La Nocha Buena – The Good Night. The 24^th December hails the biggest culinary day of the year, with family feasts lovingly prepared right across the country and starting at around 10pm. These sumptuous feasts last well into the night with plenty of revelry and some very fine Spanish dishes indeed. After all, “esta noche es Noche Buena, y no es de dormir” – This night is the good night and is not meant for sleeping.

Festive Food

Unlike the traditional, predictable turkey here in the U.S., the Spanish don’t have a set festive food. Instead, there’s just one rule: Indulge.

Pavo Trufado de Navidad (turkey stuffed with truffles) is the so-called traditional dish, but very few Spanish families actually sit down to this meal on Christmas Eve. Instead the truffle-stuffed turkey is usually chosen for very formal, aristocratic affairs, while normal Spanish families choose their favorite luxurious meal. Lamb, cod and shellfish (particularly lobster) are popular choices, although this will vary from family to family and from region to region.

The feast will often kick off with platters of cold cuts and shellfish, followed by soup and a fish dish. Besugo al horno (baked seam bream) is a traditional Christmas recipe, while roasted lamb or suckling pig are often served up as the main course’s piece de resistance.

Celebratory Cava

To accompany the most important meal in the Spanish calendar, there is no other drink but Cava. The Spanish are very proud of their cava, which is their equivalent to the French champagne, often claiming that it is far superior to the French alternative.

Produced almost exclusively in Catalonia, the most Northerly region of Spain, this Spanish sparkling wine is drunk is great quantities right through the Christmas period, but especially during La Nocha Buena - best accompanied by some rowdy caroling (or villancicos).

Tasty Treats

The Spanish love a sweet treat come Christmastime. From crunchy or chewy turrón (nougat made from almonds, honey, sugar and egg whites), to soft, cinnamony polvorones (crumbly cakes made from flour and lard) and pretty marzipan figures (las figuras de mazapán), there are many sweet Spanish delicacies to be enjoyed during the festive season. These are often served after the big Christmas Eve feast, again with plenty of sparkling cava. You can read more about scrummy Spanish treats in our recent sugary blog post!

Will you be taking inspiration from Spanish cuisine this Christmas? We’d love to hear more about what you have planned for your own Christmas feasts. And, if all of that Christmas cooking has you exhausted by New Year, why not reserve a table at Ataula to enjoy an unforgettable, flavorsome Feliç Any Nou 2014!