We have Turkey and Christmas pudding on Christmas day.

There are 364 other days of the year to cook something different.

As my partner will be working from home again, and will be hogging the kitchen table, he's actually requested the spinach breadstick Christmas Tree that I made last year... https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/chri...eadsticks.html ...with a few dips and side platters so that he can pick at it whilst working. My all time favourite side dish is caramelised shallots because there are so many different ways to make them. My preference is with dark sugar, a good dollop of wholegrain mustard and a glass of wine, doesn't matter if it's red or white.

My sis-in-law in the UK got me a supply of individual Christmas Puddings last year, with a use by date of March 2019, so I'll be having them at some point. And from a link that Curley's already seen, I'll finally be making the Lindt lava cakes https://soyummy.com/recipe/6-easy-fancy-desserts/

Exactly, Christmas Day is Christmas Day and we keep to the traditional menu.

Yes, but around here that means Chinoise!

God forbid I cook something else!

Tom

Yeah, curley has ..... but they're all microwave-recipes and I don't have a microwave
Those lava cakes could tempt me to buy one ..... and then I get reasonable again.

I remember your spinach tree from last year too and just wondered, why I never prepared that yet.
I just wanted to bookmark the recipe and had to learn - it already is bookmarked. LOL.

I like the way you use the word cook in connection with Fondue Chinoise

Fondue Chinoise isn't cooking - it's basically a ready meal - even a Pot Noodle is a bit more complex.

(Unless you make your own stock, of course which takes a few hours).

I choose and prepare the meats (all hand sliced).

I make all of the sauces from scratch.

Bunging a turkey in the oven is far simpler (and what I will be doing tomorrow in Zollikerberg ).

Tom

Not if you make stuffing from scratch (and more than one type)

The stock will be made from tomorrow's turkey carcass, the sauces require homemade mayonnaise, etc.

Tom

Just wrap them in tin foil and warm them in the oven

I've done turduckens with three types of stuffing.

However, oyster stuffing is a bit more work.

Tom

Is that so ..... google says 34 minutes for me to get there and as I lived there once, I can find it in my sleep. Okay, did not try that but I know I can find it drunk.

Never mind ... have fun. Guess you'll be shopping Schwartenmagen and other lovely things first.

Lucky for us we’re not from around there then.

Cough cough......actually Chinoise and its counterpart Bourguinonne are inventions of newer times.



Switzerland, believe it or not, had and still has some foodie traditions/meals around Xmas before the advent of those 'fondues' (even the term is wrong, as fondue comes from french 'fondre' = melting).

It's near the church.

Tom

Actually, I also grew up on Fondue Chinoise on Christmas.

So what was the traditional meal in Switzerland before that? Ham or porc fillet in dough might come to mind?

That was one of our failed Christmas dinners (schinken in teig).

My wife decided on 'filetto di puledro' when my sisters were visiting one christmas, but were shocked at being severved 'raw pony'!

Tom

Cough, cough.

Swiss Fondue Chinoise is a bland copy of old Chinese recipes.

Japanese versions such as Shabu-shabu are actually pretty modern but, IMO, much, much nicer.

The Asian versions are so aromatic and flavoursome, they don't need the 'sauces' in which to dunk the meat.

But it's an interesting question - what is a traditional Swiss Christmas meal? I guess even then, it depends on the region.

Boiled capon, tripe soup.

Tom

I only scroll back about 100 years, ok? I do know about a few overall Swiss traditions, but consider that my knowledge is heavy on Ct.Bern.



In catholic households, but also in other homes, fish was often served on Christmas Eve.



Then on 25th the boat was really pushed out. I want to add, that people should consider that the Swiss folks were not rich, especially the so called middle classes, whether before nor after the 2 WW's. The general Swiss public only got more wealthy towards the change between the 1940s to the 1950s, but then it almost soared.



During the week, meat was scarce and so that is why, high holidays such as Christmas, were quite 'meaty' in regards to the food served. Also, only hotels, Hospitals, some businesses and the like owned fridges.Thus for the reason of storing the foodstuffs, people tended to buy what could be stored on the window sill in cold temperatures, as the 'Gänterli' (a lead lined kitchen cupboard), did indeed chill the food a little, but not sufficiently. Some people had a so called ice box, again a lead lined contraption to keep food fresh longer.



In general people bought fresh on the market, at the butchers, cheesemongers etc. everyday what they needed, the ascent of buying food in stock only came, when fridges were more widely available and didn't cost an arm and a leg anymore.



Since slaughter season was only 1-2 months ago, the middle class offered a lot of pork (as it was cheaper than beef or veal) meat such as:


Cured meat like Schüfeli, Rippli, Rollschinkli with a variation of salads or just potato salad

Ham in breaddough or a big cured and smoked pork hind leg, called 'Hamme' was served hot or cold, again with maybe plaited loaf and salads to go along.


Not unheard of, as equally rich, luxurious and a feast was the dish 'Berner Platte' to serve on Christmas with a dessert of 'Brönnti Creme' (caramel custard) or Meringue with whipped cream.


Riz Casimir,(the Swiss Curry every Asian woman laughs out loud about) was only invented in the 50's.



A roast with gravy and mashed spuds was also high on the list of Chrimbo meals.



New food stuffs were frowned upon, the bonmot 'Was dr Buur nid kennt, frisst er nid' (what the farmer doesn't know, he won't eat) is really appliclable onto the Swiss population of those times.



As the Ef'ers well know, changes in CH take much longer :P they come, really they do, but they take tiiimmmmmmmeeeee.



People with less money served entire, roasted chicken or rabbits.


My paternal grandmother, born in 1906, for example served traditionally Pastetli (vol-au-vents), also something very traditional for Christmas and something cheap. Her's were made a bit more luxurious for Christmas with meat, veal sweetbreads, brätchügeli (white sausage meat) and mushrooms. Without fail she served canned peas and carrots with it and in my memory (from early 70s) the best french fries ever





The filet in pastry dough curley mentions, is something that came onto common Swiss tables during the late 60's and soon, in the 70s the Fondue Bourguinonne (it was a little before the Chinoise) came onto the Swiss tables.


With globalisation, people getting more wealthy and an influx of people from other countries, I'd dare say that our traditions got a bit watered down, if even anyone remembers them. This is not a bad thing per se at all.



Though, I admit, I prefer to keep on learning about CH of old and its customs and traditions of days long gone, but at the same time I am open for new things as well (as my cookbook collection of over 400 items from all over the world proves).



Hence my quest to learn what YOU ALL will serve, as funnily enough I am not serving any traditional meal of olden swiss days either