Finnish Christmas Feast

Christmas Ham 

Christmas is just around the corner and the preparations for the Christmas Eve lunch are in full speed.

According to tradition, Finns gather together with other family members on the 24th of December to enjoy the Christmas lunch, to welcome Santa in their homes, exchange the gifts Santa will bring to them and spend some quality time with their loved ones. This same ritual is repeated on the 25th sans the gifts. The time between the 24th and the 27th of December is supposed to be a time to relax, be with family and just take it easy and unwind.

On the morning of the 24th of December the family enjoys the traditional Christmas porridge which is warm rice porridge sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. It is customary to add a peeled almond to the mixture. Being white, te almond blends in with the wtite rice porridge and it is almost invisible. The person who will find the almond in their porridge is the lucky one for the year to come.

The Christmas lunch menu consists of Christmas Ham (recipe below), rosolli salad (which consists of boiled carrots, beetroot, pickled cucumber, and onions, all cut in cubes), carrot, potato, and turnip casseroles (prepared in the oven), mushroom salad, potato salad, beetroot salad, boiled potatoes, roast beef (which is first boiled in beef stock with onions, black peppers and bay leaves), gravlax (raw salmon cured in salt), and Christmas bread (rye bread which is sweeter than the normal rye bread.

The delicacies of the Christmas lunch vary depending on each family's traditions and the region they come from.

Christmas ham, potatoes, roast beef in sauce, carrot casserole (in the oven), and bread. 

Christmas Ham recipe:
2-3 Kg ham
roasting oven bag
carnation cloves
mild mustard
breadcrumbs

Place some cloves on the surface of the ham and then put the ham in the roasting oven bag. Place an oven thermomenter on the ham piercing it through the bag. Cook the ham in 100 degrees for about 2-3 hours. The ham is ready when it has reached 80 degrees. If your ham is more than 2-3 kilos then you can calculate one hour per kilo for the cooking time. Once the ham is ready, let it cool down for a couple of hours. Take the net if there is one and dry it with a towel. Spread some mild mustard on the surface and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place in the oven again and let it get some colour. Once it is brown enough take it out. The ham is served cooled.

Christmas lunch

Christmas desserts may also vary from family to family. I prefer my mother-in-law's mint-chocolate ice cream as it is easy to prepare and it is a favorite with the kids. Moreover, one can offer some glöggi, which is warmed mulled wine served with almonds and raisins, as well as some gingerbread cookies and Christmas tarts, which is a star shaped or snowflake shaped pastry filled with prune jam.

Christmas tarts and gingerbread cookies 

 Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year to all of you!