Can You Name These Holiday Foods From an Image?

The historical origins of the classic eggnog could be traced back to the time of the British rule, but it was strictly an upper-class affair. Today’s eggnog tradition is pretty much an all-American affair, with the addition of the rum element, an ingredient missing from its origins.

The gingerbread is actually sweet, and it’s not just limited to the human-looking design that we’re now all familiar with. Gingerbread cookies can also come in varied shapes, but they say it was Queen Elizabeth I who thought of decorating these cookies first.

They can actually be bought in different shapes, such as pear or ball, but the traditional Christmas ham can also be purchased as a whole, or in a chunk, still with the bone attached. This is usually prepared in a honey glazed style, which makes it taste more festive.

Legend has it that the original candy cane is just a sugary sweet all-white long stick, until someone in Europe bent it into the cane shape that we now know, to mimic the shepherd’s staff. Today, there’s an additional red color dye added, which made the candy cane have a stripe-like appearance.

There’s just something about sipping on some hot chocolate on a chilly yuletide evening. It’s a drink that most people like, young and old alike, and it’s always part of Christmas drink lists in many parts of the world.

In the olden days, to prepare pumpkin pie, the pumpkin was either be boiled or roasted, so that it would appear very fresh. Then it can easily be mashed and mixed with the other ingredients to make the pie — an ever-present treat in Christmas meal tables.

Cranberry sauce is actually processed cranberries turned into a jam-like or marmalade-textured substance, and it becomes saucy when it’s heated up a bit. It now becomes a good sauce dip for Christmas dinners.

Did you know that the state of New Hampshire in the U.S. identifies the apple cider as its official state drink of choice? Of course, they prefer the unsweetened, un-fermented cider version that doesn’t have any alcoholic mix in it.

In the U.S., Thanksgiving and Christmas food lists share many things, such as this green bean casserole. It’s basically a cream-based casserole purportedly invented by the famous soup-in-a-can maker Campbell’s.

Sweet potatoes and marshmallows sound like a strange mix, but it’s a common thing to see U.S. households prepare a sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows during the Christmas season, a dish that was allegedly invented by the first marshmallow company to sell ideas on where to use the product.

Just like during Thanksgiving, the turkey could also become the centerpiece of Christmas meals. The usual preparation for this is always roasted, but there have been some innovations done from time to time, depending on the culinary tastes of people.

An interesting Christmastime confection is this peppermint bark, very identifiable for the super-small pieces of peppermint candies on top, usually in the shape of candy canes. The “bark” part itself indeed looks like typical tree bark, but it’s made of a white chocolate sheet and a dark chocolate sheet put together like two cookies in a stack.

Stuffing can actually be eaten as a side dish when served as is on the dinner table. But since its name also suggests another concept, stuffing is usually used to stuff the insides of other food items such as turkey or a hollowed vegetable, to be cooked together.

The true test of the holiday spirit is sometimes measured by one’s reaction to a certain food item that comes out this season: fruitcake! Either people love this dried fruit and nut-filled cake or they don’t, and Santa doesn’t have a clue!

Christmas cookies are basically sugar cookies that take many forms and shapes, often decorated with Christmas-related designs. Though the gingerbread cookie is technically part of this general category of holiday cookie, it earned its own category since most Christmas cookies are the ones shaped like things associated with this holiday, such as holly leaves for example, or even reindeer, stars, Christmas tree shapes, and of course candy canes.

The so-called Feast of the Seven Fishes is a very Italian-American Christmas Eve spread wherein you cook and prepare a total of seven kinds of fish and seafood dishes. There’s no prescribed kind of fish or seafood dictated in this tradition, but the usual choices always include salted codfish called the baccalà, also smelts, shrimp, calamari, mussels, and even octopus.

The pecan pie is often made from scratch in U.S. states that have many pecan trees planted all around. But you can also buy a ready-made whole pie in bakeshops these days if you don’t have time to cook or bake everything for your Christmas meal.

It is said that the corned beef and cabbage combo idea of preparation came from Ireland. Since there are many people of Irish descent in the U.S., this practice of preparing the dish during Christmastime is also practiced there.

Mince pie is actually filled with mincemeat, which is a mixture of dried fruits, spices, some form of liquor, and yes, even some form of meat such as beef or venison. This very British Christmas fave is also served in some parts of the U.S. during the yuletide.

Fudge is usually made up of a sugar, milk and butter mixture, technically forming a kind of chewy candy. The most popular kind of fudge is, of course, the chocolate fudge, also a popular Christmastime treats in many parts of the world.

Jewish people often serve latke, or the potato pancake, as part of their Hanukkah holiday food fare. But since it overlaps sometimes with Christmas yuletide season, it is also seen as part of Christmas holiday food fare.

Did you know that in the southern and also the midwestern parts of the U.S., the deviled eggs appetizer is popularly served during the Christmas season? It’s actually too cute to eat sometimes, and it’s deliciously made of eggs sliced into vertical halves. Each half is then stuffed with a pasty mixture made up of the mashed yolk, mustard and mayonnaise, and other types of fixings and sprinkles on top, such as salt, cayenne pepper, pickle relish, or whatever you want to add onto it.

Rum seems like a favorite drink mix during the holiday season, and you can also find it in the form of hot buttered rum during Christmastime. That’s basically a mix of rum, sweetener, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, hot water and yes, butter.

Americans love their mashed potatoes alright, that’s why it’s also part of the traditional yuletide season servings.

The oyster stew is a popular preparation in the southern part of the U.S. They love to sip this warm stew during Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, in New England, it’s more of a Thanksgiving thing.

Mulled wine is a warm beverage served during Christmas, wherein the base drink is red wine. Then it is mixed with a kind of spice mixture called mulling spices; usually, the wine is already heated with these spices on it. The spices will then be removed before serving the mulled wine.

It’s interesting to note that the Russian tea cake has a very international list of other names, notably the Mexican wedding cake, and the Italian wedding cake. This pastry is actually not a huge cake as we know cakes to be, but it’s more of a small pastry like a cookie.

Figgy pudding is made up of figs, which is also similar in texture to the Christmas pudding. A fancy way of serving this is to pour some flaming brandy on it, and light it up!

Nothing could get more American than apple pie, so of course, it should also be served during the Christmas season. Some prefer to put a scoop of ice cream on top of it, while others prefer whipped cream.

The ever-present punch is actually a favorite wholesome holiday drink made up of different kinds of juices and mixed with spices and even chunks of fruits, usually served in a huge punch bowl. Some tend to spike it with some kind of liquor — and that rocks as well!

Germans actually have many kinds of baked treats or pastries for many occasions, including Christmas. The lebkuchen is one of them, which is basically their kind of gingerbread, but it’s a much larger cookie, like really, really large!

The panettone is a kind of Italian bread loaf that’s actually sweet to the taste. While it originated from Italy where it’s still being made, the bread is enjoyed in many parts of Europe and Africa, and basically where there are Italians craving it comes to Christmastime.

The Christmas pudding originally hails from the UK, as far back as medieval times, where it has been popularly prepared and served during the yuletide season, hence the name. So of course, since the British Empire expanded, the Christmas pudding went with this expansion and was brought to different parts of the world like the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other territories where British people went and settled.

If you’ve heard of the crème anglaise, that’s basically what the boiled custard is, since it’s the same mixture but with a different name. This creamy liquid can be poured over other foodstuff for serving, like on desserts, or it can also be served as a form of sauce.

Persimmon pudding is a very moist concoction that is taken either as a dessert or as a dish per se. A small portion of this is usually topped with some ice cream, whipped cream, or similar savory things.

Tom and Jerry is actually a cocktail drink that uses the eggnog as its base, hence its qualification as a Christmastime treat. What differentiates it from eggnog is the addition of rum and brandy in the mix, and then there’s also nutmeg added on top.

A kourabiede is actually a kind of shortbread that has some almonds inside of it. The Greeks roll it in confectioner’s sugar, that’s why it’s all-white in appearance.

Pan de Jamon is basically the Spanish term for ham bread. Yup, the baked bread is filled ham, sometimes with bacon mixed in, as well as some peppers or olives. This is a popular Christmas bread in Venezuela and can be prepared at home, too.

The Yorkshire pudding is, indeed, a popular kind of side dish in the UK. It’s versatile enough to be served in many ways, and Christmastime foodies can taste a variety of it in many places now.

The panforte is a very chewy dessert of Italian origin. It’s similar to the German lebkuchen, but it’s not made to be that big.