Which foods are important in which countries at Christmas

A.� Roast turkey is a newcomer to the British table and only made its way to Europe from North America in about 1650. Before that, roast swan, goose or peacock was considered traditional fare. Mince pies originate from the Middle Ages and contained a mixture of finely chopped poultry, pheasant, partridge and rabbit.

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Q.� What about other countries

A.� Christmas culinary traditions owe as much to ancient custom and religious belief as they do to modern tastes. In some countries, December 24 is the traditional day for culinary indulgence: Ukrainian families embark on a 12-course feast; each one dedicated to the 12 Apostles of Christ.

In Japan, Christmas has been celebrated since the 1930s but with a distinctly Western feel. Parents and children have been known to queue for hours outside Kentucky Fried Chicken for a bucket of chicken for their traditional dinner. (This practice is allegedly due to the similarity between Colonel Sanders and St Nicholas). The dinner is traditionally rounded off with strawberry shortcake.

Culinary treats in Germany begin on December 6 when children leave their newly-cleaned shoes on the doorstep. If you were good, St Nikolaus would fill them with chocolate and fruit; if you were bad, you would find only a 'rute' (a rod). Germany indulges in three days of serious eating, beginning on Christmas Eve with a lighter meal but on Christmas Day proceedings kick off with a traditional roast like goose or duck. This is served with potatoes, dumplings, red cabbage, and sprouts. The essential drink of the season is mulled wine (gluhwein), rounded with a variety of cakes, the most popular is Stollen (a fruit loaf).

Meanwhile in the Ukraine, Christmas is a very important holiday that still observes ancient customs. The most important traditional meal is Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) on Christmas Eve. A sheaf of wheat stalks called didukh (meaning Grandfather) is placed under the icons in the house. This is a very important Christmas tradition in the Ukraine as the stalks of wheat symbolise the ancestors of the family with the belief that their spirits reside in it for the holiday.

The most important food of thr Christmas Eve supper is Kutia (boiled wheat with poppy seeds and honey) and is also called God's Food. To accompany this is God's Drink. This is made from 12 different stewed fruits. There are 12 meatless courses in total that make up a Christmas Eve supper, each devoted to one of Christ's Apostles. The courses are vegetarian because there is a period of fasting required by the Church until Christmas Day.

However in Mexico, they celebrate the occasion like a carnival. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the birth of Christ is heralded with fireworks, ringing bells and blowing whistles. After Mass, families go home to a huge dinner of traditional Mexican foods - tamales (a fiery corn wrap), rice, relenos (green chillies stuffed with cheese) and atole (a sweet drink).

The eight-day Jewish festival of Chanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, is sometimes thought of as the Jewish Christmas because it begins on December 25. But Chanukkah is not mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures and is marked more by lighting oil candles than settling down to particular foods. Fried foods are usually eaten during this festival because of the signifiance of oil to the holiday.

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Q.� Whewre did Christmas crackers start

A.� Tom Smith, a baker of wedding cakes from London, invented the Christmas cracker in 1847. As he stood by the fireplace, the crackle of a log allegedly gave him the necessary inspiration - resulting in today's cracker.

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by Katharine MacColl