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  • Popular Colombian Christmas Food

Popular Colombian Christmas Food

Posted on Nov 25th, 2021
by Mariana Zapata
Categories:
  • Christmas
  • South American Cuisine
Christmas Foods in Colombia

As in many countries, Christmas in Colombia is the most important holiday. Christmas festivities begin with the novenas de aguinaldo, which are celebrated nightly from December 16th to the 24th. This Colombian tradition follows Mary and Joseph’s journey to Jerusalem. Each night, people gather in different houses to pray, sing, eat Christmas foods, dance and party. A religious celebration in origin, the novenas have become a national tradition for all Colombian people.

The novenas culminate on Christmas Eve, which in Colombia is the main celebration day. At the beginning of the evening, people dance and chatter while enjoying snacks and drinks. The Christmas dinner is served late, and is the central part of the evening.

After dinner, the party continues and the kids play together. Then, as midnight approaches, everyone gathers to pray the last novena, which marks the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Jerusalem and the birth of Jesus. The novenas always end with the singing of Christmas carols, so families wait for midnight while singing together and sharing the joyful spirit of the holiday.

When the clock finally marks midnight, it’s time to open presents! That’s right, Colombians don’t wait until the morning to have fun (except, of course, for small children). They get right to it as soon as it’s officially December 25th.

While there are many components of the Christmas celebration in Colombia, Christmas dinner is at the very center of the evening. Traditional feasts vary by region, but there are certain dishes that are appreciated around the country that make for an exquisitely decadent meal.

Pre-dinner Snacks

As the Christmas Eve dinner is served fairly late in the evening as people wait for midnight, pre-dinner snacks are crucial to keep them from getting too hungry.

1. BuƱuelos

BuƱuelos

The one pre-dinner snacks no novena and certainly no Christmas Eve can be without are buƱuelos. Deep-fried cheese fritters rolled into balls, buƱuelos have a crunchy exterior with a soft, bready interior. Today, you can eat them any time of the year, but they’re traditionally a Christmas food.

2. Empanadas

Empanadas
Empanadas

Other popular snacks include empanadas, savory pastries filled with rice and meat that are one of Colombia’s most popular dishes. There are also hojuelas, batter that is fried flat and dusted with sugar.

Related: Mushroom Empanadas Recipe
Related: Oxtail Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce

3. Hojuelas

Hojuelas

4. Dulce de Nochebuena

Colombian’s notoriously have a sweet tooth, so pre-dinner snacks include a dulce de Nochebuena, which literally translates as Christmas Eve dessert. It consists of different fruits like figs, papaya, and lime in syrup. The dessert is served along with the buƱuelos, hojuelas, and other goodies. Somehow, it never seems to spoil anyone’s appetite.

Dulce de Nochebuena
Credits: tuhuertacasera

People usually enjoy these snacks throughout the first few hours of the evening, when everyone is dancing or talking. But wise people make sure they don’t fill up too much, since the best food is reserved for dinner.

The Main Dishes

Main Christmas dinner dishes vary widely from region to region, but some of the most popular include ajiaco, tamal, and slow-roasted pork.

5. Ajiaco

Ajiaco

Ajiaco is a hearty soup that is mostly popular in the area around the Colombian capital, Bogota. It’s made with three different kinds of potatoes, minced chicken, corn, and gallant soldiers.

6. Sancocho

Sancocho

Another popular soup is sancocho, which is heavier than ajiaco but also consists of meat and potatoes. It usually has yuca, plantains, and corn. Both of these soups will keep you warm in places like Bogota, where the evenings are quite cool.

7. Tamales

Tamales

Another very popular main dish for Christmas is tamal. Made with corn flour stuffed with meat and vegetables, tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed for about 90 minutes. The result is soft in texture yet bursting with flavor. They might seem small at first but the dish is incredibly filling. You’ll wish you could go for seconds, but will probably be too full to do so.

8. Lechona

Lechona

Other delectable alternatives for the main course are slow-roasted pork shank, which is usually doused in dark beer for added flavor, roasted turkey, and lechona, a whole pig stuffed with vegetables, herbs, and spices.

Whole stuffed pig

All of these dishes are so filling that they usually don’t come with too many sides. But depending on the dish, there may be rice, potatoes, bread, or salad.

Colombian Christmas Desserts

Natilla

No Christmas dinner can be complete without traditional desserts. In Colombia, the most traditional Christmas dessert is natilla, sweet custard with panela, which is thick unrefined cane sugar. The dessert is very sweet but fresh, with a soft texture that soothes the palate.

Arroz con Leche

A popular alternative — or additional dessert — is Arroz con Leche. This rice pudding is made with vanilla, cinnamon, and raisins for a sweetness overload that people love. Although it is very popular, it is not specifically for Christmas, as natilla is.

Drinks

Aguardiente

Drinks are an important part of the Christmas Eve dinner and the Christmas celebration as a whole. There will be beer flowing throughout the evening and wine on the table at dinner. But the real star of the show is Colombia’s national drink: aguardiente.

Eggnog

Translated as ā€œfire waterā€, aguardiente is either drunk as a shot to get the party started, or drunk as a long smooth Christmas drinks. And while the children enjoy non-alcoholic eggnog, adults spike theirs with aguardiente to make sabajon.

Canelazo
Credits: franciscodltr

Another favorite drink is canelazo, a hot, sweet drink similar to hot wine. It mixes aguardiente with panela, cinnamon water, and cloves. For added flavor, you can also add a bit of passion fruit juice.

What makes both of these drinks so perfect for Christmas is that they’re sweet and warm, thus helping to create the cozy, welcoming feeling we all look for during this magical holiday.


Related: Most Tasty Colombian Desserts

Colombian Desserts

Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata is a Colombian-American travel and lifestyle writer who has lived around the world. Her travels are mostly motivated by the possibility of trying new food. She's been published in NBC News, The Spruce Eats, Thrillist, Fodor's, Marriott Bonvoy en EspaƱol, and more.

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