Bright Christmas is a special holiday. It’s no good to put olivier or mimosa on the guests again. Yes, and it's time to take a break from mayonnaise salads. The body along with the figure will say this only thanks. There are dishes that must definitely stand on the Slavic Christmas table. Some have their own symbolism. It is important to know that the Christmas table is divided into two parts: a lean evening option and the subsequent holiday conversation.
Cabbage soup for the holiday? On Christmas Eve, be sure!
Christmas Eve (January 6) is the last day of fasting, eating vegetable food in the evening. The feast begins with a common prayer and a first course. By tradition, ordinary cabbage soup was often served on the table, sometimes they were cooked with sauerkraut.
You can add lentils or beans, mushrooms. Sometimes, instead of cabbage soup, cabbage was prepared for the last fasting dinner. An ancient dish, which is a thick stew. You can also add mushrooms, beans, pickles, tomatoes and other products that provide satiety and brightness.
Lent Christmas Eve is not always celebrated in our time, but many people continue to adhere to a modest diet on this day. Dinner is the first and last meal, after which they are sent to the service. In the morning, you can have a hearty breakfast, the conversation begins.
Sochi or Kutia with a pattern
At all times, the obligatory dish on the festive table is sweet porridge - kutia or kutia. But it is much better to cook its old counterpart - comically. This dish is much more interesting in taste and color, has its own zest and many symbolic ingredients. It was from him that the name of Christmas Eve came. Component products promise revival, well-being, health. In addition, it is prepared oily from a large number of nutritious components, it has a rich and rich taste.
What cereals can you make porridge from:
- wheat;
- rice
- bulgur.
It is served on the table with the very first dish along with lean soup, and the meal begins with them. Be sure to serve it saturated compote of dried fruits - Uzvar. But you can replace the juice, a rosehip broth. By the way, according to the rules, they are soberly seasoned with the Uzvar. The drink helps to achieve the very juiciness, which is mentioned in the title.
Whole bird or piglet
There must be something whole on the Christmas table. They used to bake a milk pig and it looked gorgeous. Now it’s not always possible to find a pig for the holiday. Therefore, they are increasingly limited to rabbit, hare, and game. One of the easiest and most affordable options is a bird. Now there is no problem with its acquisition, you can find a carcass of any size and type of your choice.
What can be cooked whole:
- goose
- turkey
- Chicken
- a duck.
The bird is made with apples and citruses, cereals and mushrooms or just like that. Particular attention should be paid to the crust. It is important to brown the carcass well, so that it really becomes a decoration of the festive table.
In addition to poultry, you can put whole cooked fish on the Christmas table, we can stuff it at will. Pike looks especially impressive, but other species will do. You can stuff with herbs, lemon, onions and carrots, a matter of personal taste, but you must cook with your head.
Jellied, brawn, jelly
Mandatory dish on the festive table - jelly. By Christmas, it is customary to slaughter some kind of animal, usually a pig. But you can also cook less fatty beef jelly. Or mix several types of meat and poultry, it is at your discretion. Do not forget about mustard, it is even better to put horseradish sauce or horseradish with tomatoes on the table.
A great substitute for jellied meat is brawn. You can also make homemade meat, liver or blood sausage. No ham or salami from the store, only natural meat products. You can bake pork knuckle, leg of lamb or other large piece of meat. It is important not to miss the size. Also on the Christmas table, boiled pork, again baked in a large piece, will not be out of place. Meat dishes are decorated with apples, cranberries, sprinkled with onion rings.
Roast vegetables
On hot it is customary to serve boiled potatoes, stewed cabbage, stew from various vegetables. You do not need to cook such dishes a lot, since more emphasis is placed on meat and poultry. The Christmas table should be hearty, but simple, without any artsy and overseas dishes.
Instead of fatty salads, pickles and pickles are always put on the table. You can mix cabbage with mushrooms, put soaked apples, cucumbers, tomatoes and other preparations on plates. From salads, you can make vinaigrette, make carrots with garlic or beets with prunes. All these snacks go well with meat.
Pies and other pastries
For the Christmas table, you definitely need to bake something. This is not about cakes and pastries. Most often they cook big and round bread, decorate it with braids from dough, and put a salt shaker. Such a loaf leads a festive feast. Often it is replaced with stuffed pies, various kulebyaki. It’s good for them to use a mixture of wheat and rye flour. Also good on the table will be old and good pancakes, which also have many symbolic meanings. Pancakes can be served simply with something or stuffed with minced meat, fish, mushrooms.
Recently, it’s fashionable to cook Christmas cookies, gingerbread cakes, gingerbread cookies or gingerbread houses. These traditions came to us from Western countries. There is nothing bad in them; they do not contradict our rules. If you like aromatic pastries, then we boldly cook, treat our relatives and guests. Other desserts are usually not cooked, but in the old days at Christmas apples with nuts and honey were baked, sometimes cooked in the oven with pumpkin.
Decoration and table setting
Of great importance is not only the set of dishes on the festive table, but also its design. Beautiful tablecloths, festive dishes and objects - all this can be present and set the atmosphere. It is allowed to use fir branches and cones in the decor. Be sure to put various drinks on the Christmas table, but not soft drinks and not bottled. Decanters and jugs look prettier and more neat.
The last important element that should be on the table is the candle. A symbol of faith, purity and love, it will give comfort and set a festive mood.
