The other day Mr. Muse and I were chatting about what might make a good blog post leading up to the Christmas holiday. I’d been watching Food Network while on the treadmill and there was a show called “The Twelve Foods of Christmas” with the Holderness Family hosting. As they were rolling on through the various food items, I kept thinking “I’ve never had that”. So, without much further ado…a post about Christmas foods I’ve had… or had not.
Traditional Christmas Foods I have not eaten… Yet.
- Eggnog. Haven’t had it. Haven’t had it in any form. Really. Is it good? I know that it typically has booze in it, but… it’s it good? Would I like it?
- Yule Log. Nope. No cake in the shape of a log for me. Mostly because nobody has made it.
- Christmas Pudding. Honestly, I don’t know if I’d heard of it until I really got into reading old cookbooks, but even then, I didn’t have the mind to make it.
- Tom & Jerry. I’ve seen the mix on countertops, but I’ve never had one. As a kid, I always associated this with the cartoon, but somehow knew that’s not actually what the tub on the counter was about.
- Oyster Stew. So, once upon a time my sister and I bought a can of Campbell’s Oyster Stew in a fit of feeling adventurous. We heated up the soup with the requisite milk and… Damn. That smelled pretty terrible. Admittedly, we each tried a spoonful but couldn’t make it through the whole spoon. The contents went to the barn cats, who, if I recall correctly, eschewed the pan until it froze and we had to dump it out. Lesson: if the barn cats won’t eat it, you won’t want to either.
Traditional Christmas Foods I have eaten.
- Other typical, American Christmas dishes. All of them, even fruitcake. No need to list the rest here.
- Lussekatt (aka lussebullar), Swedish Saffron buns. Not my favorite, mostly because of #3. Also, gluten.
- Semla. When I could eat gluten… OH MY LORD! Sadly, this one is off the menu for me until or unless I find a good gluten-free version.
- Glögg. Which is fabulous and best served with slivered almonds and raisins.
- Other typical, Swedish Christmas dishes. Because Mr. Muse and I have a lot of Swedish friends, and when in Rome. Or Stockholm… You eat the herring. Or, the semla.
What is a traditional dish that your family insists is a “must have” for Christmas or any other cultural celebration this time of year?
And and Mom Muse would say: “Be good. Be safe. And if you can’t do that… at least be careful.”
Musings of the Amusing Muse 
Leave a comment (and don’t be creepy).