The Best Dishes, Desserts & Drinks to Celebrate a Traditional Latino Christmas
The holiday season is a big deal across the Latino world. For a lot of people, the celebration begins weeks before Christmas Day – and sometimes extends through the first week of January.
The season is peppered with celebrations centered around traditional food and drink. Some of the recipes are so labor intensive that their preparation becomes part of the holiday ritual! Every country, and every community, has their own traditions and riffs on themes that cross country lines.
Here in the US, Latino communities are always on the hunt for the niche ingredients and hard-to-find specialty produce required to create these traditional dishes with the kind of authenticity that brings people back to their roots. Below are some of the most popular Christmas recipes from around the Latino world and the ingredients that make them truly taste like grandma made:
Mexican Ensalada Nochebuena
Ensalada Nochebuena (translated as Christmas Eve Salad) is a Mexican side salad traditionally served on Christmas Eve. Depending on the region of Mexico and the tradition of the family, the dish will vary – but jicama, beets, and a sweet-tangy dressing are typically staples in this colorful salad.
Essential Produce:
- Jicama
- Red Beets
- Fresh Pomegranates
- Plantains
- Apples
- Navel Oranges
Click here to view our favorite Ensalada Nochebuena recipe.
Dominican Pasteles en Hoja (Tamales)
Tamales are a traditional dish in dozens of countries around Central and South America. People have been making tamales from scratch since the pre-Columbian times. Tamales are time-consuming and labor-intensive, but getting together to make them with family and friends is part of the tradition. The occasion even has a name: “tamaladas”. Tamales are eaten year-round, but they are especially cherished during the holiday season, especially on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Tamale recipes will vary between countries and even families – like the popular Dominican variation, Pasteles en Hoja, where plantains and roots are used as the base instead of corn masa. But, the filling normally remains the same – either chicken, pork, beef, cheese, beans, and/or veggies.
Essential Produce:
- Corn Husks or Banana Leaves
- Yautia/Malanga
- Poblano Peppers
- Cubanelle Peppers
- Dried Guajillo Peppers
- Dried Pasilla Peppers
- Yukon Potatoes
- Cilantro
Click here to view our favorite Tamale recipe.
Puerto Rican Pasteles
Pasteles are a classic holiday dish and are bound to appear on almost every Puerto Rican table this Christmas. Another labor-intensive dish, making pasteles is usually turned into a large event with the whole family. An assembly line is formed in the kitchen and each family member plays an important role in the pastele-making-process. Recipes for pasteles vary from family to family, but traditionally follow a pattern of yautia, green plantains or green bananas, and calabaza squash to make the masa (dough). They’re then filled with a mixture of shredded or diced meat (chicken or pork), and sofritos (a fresh seasoning mix of vegetables and herbs).
Essential Produce:
- Green (Cooker) Bananas
- Yautia/Malanga Blanca
- Yautia/Malanga Lila
- Green Plantains
- Calabaza Squash
- Banana Leaves
- Culantro
- Aji Dulce Peppers
- Onions
- Garlic
- Fresh Oregano
- Bell Peppers
Click to view our favorite Pastele recipe here.
Cuban Yuca con Mojo
Yuca is an edible root vegetable native to Central and South America. Yuca con Mojo (yuca with garlic sauce) is a traditional Cuban dish popularly served on Christmas Eve. The yuca is boiled until fully cooked, and the mojo, a sauce made with onions, garlic, lemon/lime, olive oil and parsley/oregano, is then poured over the root. It’s often served as a side dish to the rich, unctuous pernil (slow-roasted marinated pork).
Essential Produce:
- Yuca
- Limes
- Garlic
- Yellow Onion
- Lime Juice
- Cilantro
- Fresh Oregano
Click here to view our favorite Yuca con Mojo recipe.
Venezuelan Dulce de Lechosa
Dulce de Lechosa is a popular Venezuelan dessert eaten year-round, but often made for the Christmas holiday. It’s often given as a holiday gift among family and friends. Depending on the region of the country, the recipe may have small variations, however it is always made with green papaya (known as milky in Venezuela).
Essential Produce:
- Green Papaya
- Sugar Cane
Click here to view our favorite Dulce de Lechosa recipe.
Mexican Ponche Navideño
Ponche Navideño is a warm Christmas punch made by simmering Mexican fruits (primarily tejocotes) with sugar cane and spices. Tejocotes, small apple-like hawthorne fruits, are exceptionally high in pectin, which lends the punch a rich, thick, velvety texture that makes it particularly satisfying. It is typically consumed on Christmas Eve and throughout the posadas, a 9-day celebration leading up to Christmas.
Essential Produce:
- Tejocotes
- Fresh Tamarind
- Mexican Cream Guavas
- Sugar Cane
- Raisins
- Pears
- Apples
- Oranges
Click to view our favorite Ponche Navideno recipe here.
Puerto Rican Coquito
Also known as Crème de Vie (Cuba), Rompope (Mexico), Crémas (Haiti), and Ponche Crema (Venezuela), Puerto Rican coquito is a sweet and strong drink that’s often served as a shot after a big dinner. A traditional Christmastime drink, coquito is made with coconut milk, coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla bean, spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and, of course, rum.
Essential Produce:
- Dry Coconuts
- Vanilla Beans
