Traditional family recipes for the holidays

By : Leah | 0 Comments | On : December 10, 2012 | Category : Uncategorized

By Ryan

The holidays are rapidly approaching and with them come floods of memories and family traditions. And of course, no holiday traditions are quite as integral as those that center on food.  Each family, culture, and community has its own holiday food traditions.

For me that means some Norwegian and German food traditions that have been passed down through the generations.  The Norwegian side of my family goes to a local bakery to find a potato-based flatbread known as lefse.  Christmas would not be the same without grabbing lefse, spreading a little butter on it while it’s still hot, adding cinnamon and sugar, and rolling it up for a delicious breakfast or snack.  No Christmas on the German side of my family is complete without braised red cabbage and lebkuchen.  As a kid I remember dreading the red cabbage, but in recent years it has become one of my favorites!  And the lebkuchen is the star of the Christmas cookie platter.  A cookie that dates back to 13^th century Germany it’s a lightly sweet gingerbread-type cookie loaded with nuts, candied fruits, brandy and spices.  It’s chewy in texture and a Christmas tradition in our family for generations!

So, what are your holiday food traditions?  What foods are a staple of the holiday season for you and your family, we’d love to know! Please share your memories in the comments below.

Lebkuchen photo via Wikipedia