Everyone waits for Christmas every year, no matter which part of the world you are in. Also, it is the time when families and friends enjoy the day together while having delicious food and fun gifts.
So, this year, if you want to try something different and are looking for Japanese Christmas food, this article has some unique dish ideas you can try this Christmas.
However, you should know that Japanese people don’t have traditional Japanese food for Christmas dinner. So let’s find out what are the top 7 delicious Japanese Christmas food,
Table of Contents
Top 7 Japanese Christmas Food
Fried Chicken
We can say that Japanese Christmas dinner means fried chicken day. It has become a tradition to eat a bucket of KFC fried chicken on the day of Christmas.
Japanese people love to eat fried chicken and to enjoy the Christmas holiday fun and special, they prepare fried chicken on their own.
However, as most Japanese people like to relax during Christmas, ordering KFC fried chicken buckets is the best option.
Christmas Cake
It doesn’t matter your culture; Christmas cake is for everyone. It’s a staple dessert that lights up everyone and makes Christmas more special.
The Christmas cake is mainly light and fluffy sponge cake topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
And if everyone wants to take a few steps ahead, then they go for chocolate or matcha-flavored Christmas cake, which tastes incredible if cooked perfectly.
Pizza
Pizza is another easy but tasty option to enjoy at Christmas for Japanese people. For youngsters to old people, pizza is something that is Loved by almost everyone. And to make it even more interesting the pizzas are made with a Japanese twist.
In the pizza for the Japanese Christmas celebration seafood, Teriyaki chicken, and mayonnaise drizzle are added. It has become a comfort food for youngsters as it’s affordable and perfect for casual celebrations.
Tempura
Japanese people are very serious about the tempura dishes. It is a traditional dish and to make it stand out ensure that all the ingredients and elements are used to make the tempura delicious.
This lightly bettered Hindi fried delicacies are commonly made with shrimp, and seasonal vegetables in mushrooms. Tempura dishes can be made easily at home but you can bite from restaurants as well.
Sushi Platter
The Sushil platter is the next great thing about the Japanese Christmas. A slightly traditional take on the Christmas festival where you will get to eat elegant Sushi dishes specifically for Christmas celebrations.
Most commonly in Sushi dishes, you will find Nigiri, maki roll, sashimi, mixed vegetable roll, etc. so as it’s a special day that’s why trying out some salmon and delicious seaweed is the only valid explanation.
Roasted Sweet Potato
On the day of Christmas celebration, Japanese people also love to eat roasted sweet potato aka Yaki Imo. It depends on the individual were the day like sweet potato or regular potato but it has to be roasted.
But most people prefer sweet potato as it has a sweet taste and is earthy which makes it a comforting side dish to try during the holiday.
Wagashi
Now after trying all those crunchy, tangy, and salty elements, it’s time to try the Japanese sweets. Among those Japanese sweet dishes Wagashi it’s very famous.
It’s a sweet that is served with tea and comes in different shapes and colors, making it a perfect dessert for Christmas. However, the taste can vary based on the traditional or modern Wagashi recipes.
What is the Japanese Christmas Dinner Traditions
The Christmas celebration for Japanese people is a beautiful blend of Western influences and Japanese traditional customs. To celebrate the Japanese Christmas dinner families gather together and enjoy their meal.
Whether it’s friends or family this day everyone shares their meal, with their loved ones. Some prefer cooking and some go for the holiday restaurant menu. And it’s generally a feast with delicious snacks foods and sweets.
Drinks to Pair With a Japanese Christmas Dinner
While going through the list of Japanese Chinese food for Christmas we can’t forget about the Japanese beverages. For any occasions and festivals for Japanese people beverages play a huge role.
The favor is this or decided systematically to complement the festival meal. So the most common beverage menu for Japanese Christmas is traditional options, it’s mainly warm Sake or Japanese green tea. Then if you are looking for a modern approach you can go for sparkling wine or non-alcoholic festival drinks.
If you want to try any alcoholic beverage with pizza or crispy chicken then you should go for Shochu or Japanese beer, or you can try Coke as a non-alcoholic drink as well.
Then with Sushi and tempura Sake, sparkling Yuzu Drinks or Genmaicha make the perfect blend. And if you want to keep things simple then you can simply arrange green tea or matcha with Wagashi dessert.
Conclusion
The Christmas food in Japan is very versatile as it is not a historically Christian country. As a result, the Japanese population on Christmas go for modern and traditional food.
And even outside Japan, people don’t go for traditional food. It is a day when people celebrate KFC chicken as their Christmas dinner. But besides the food, Japanese people also like to enjoy interesting beverages as well.
