I have been fortunate to be part of holiday celebrations with several family members and friends over the years, some of which originated here in the United States, and others from different parts of the world. Each is unique and wonderful, some containing superstitions and traditions that get passed from one generation to the next. But one thing I have observed, as well as embraced, is the food that has become part of those traditions and make up the memories associated with the holidays.
In the southern United States, where I grew up, Christmas dinner typically included a beautifully glazed ham, sweet potatoes, baked beans, homemade macaroni and cheese, cooked greens, cornbread, and big pans of homemade, fluffy yeast rolls. There were usually all kinds of pies and cakes, including pecan pie, sweet potato pie, Red Velvet cake, and a gorgeous fluffy, white coconut cake. And somebody always brought a Jello salad and a big tray of devilled eggs. Of course, if you didn’t have a fruitcake in the house, you were sure to get one as a gift. Southerners are really big on fruit cake.
The leftover ham and ham bone became part of the New Year meal, which consists of black-eyed peas, ham hocks, collard greens, and homemade skillet cornbread. In other parts of the South, and even into the Midwest, black-eyed peas are also used in a dish called Hoppin’ John, which adds rice and chile peppers.
When I moved to California as a college student and later married, I became part of a family whose heritage originated in the Sonora region of Mexico. I learned that Christmas Eve was the biggest celebration of the season, with all of the family coming together that evening for a huge feast. I remember sitting in the kitchen watching my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and other women in the family making tamales from scratch. Their hands seemed to fly as they deftly spooned masa and meat filling into corn husks and dropped the tied and wrapped packages into huge pots to steam.
On the other side of the kitchen was the enchilada assembly line, which I eventually became part of. To this day, enchiladas are one of my favorite things to make, and I have done a pretty good job of developing my own recipe over the years. Rice, beans, homemade tortillas, rolled tacos (what we call taquitos) homemade pico de gallo and salsa, as well as guacamole, rounded out the meal. While the women were in the kitchen, I think the men felt it was their responsibility to make sure everyone didn’t go thirsty, as cervezas (beer), shots of tequila, and glasses of wine were in abundance!
I learned that one of the best ways to enjoy leftover tamales and enchiladas was to chop them up and add them to a scrambled egg mixture (let the chopped up tamales or enchiladas sit in the scrambled egg mixture for a few minutes before turning the mixture into the skillet). These are SOOO good!
When I remarried some time later, my then-husband’s mother was Japanese. In Japan, New Year’s is HUGE! There is a ton of activity that goes into preparing for the new year, including making sure all of your bills are paid and all debts are paid off before the end of the year. It is considered ill luck to carry bad debt into the beginning of a new year. Likewise, the entire house must be cleaned, all laundry done, all dishes washed, and no dirt or dust must remain in the house – – all corners, baseboards, ceilings, etc., must be cleaned. Old grievances and bad feelings between family and friends should be settled to the extent possible, or the new year will bring a foreboding of misfortune for the party that is unwilling to let go of the grudge.
The new year’s meal literally takes days to prepare, with shopping trips to special Asian markets and even ordering of foods and supplies from Japan occurring months before New Year’s Day. Different foods and ingredients mean different things in the Japanese culture – – some represent prosperity, some represent health. Others represent fortune or luck. And no proper Japanese household should be without these ingredients or foods on the table come New Year’s Day.
The first thing Japanese people eat on the morning of New Year’s Day is Ozoni (oh-zone-ee). This is a very special, very flavorful soup containing chicken, fish cake, vegetables, and grilled mochi (a compacted brick of rice]. The first time I experienced a traditional Japanese New Year meal and a large bowl of this soup was placed in front of me, I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought it must be a mistake – – I mean, who eats SOUP for breakfast? I soon learned that eating this soup is good luck and starts the year off right. It was one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth.
One of my other favorite Japanese New Year dishes is called Gomoku. In Japanese, this literally means “five ingredients.” It is a special sushi rice that is prepared with thinly sliced carrots, shitake mushrooms, and other root vegetables. It is then topped with a layer of either shrimp or crab, and then a layer of very finely shredded scrambled egg on top of that. Since I cannot eat shellfish, I was always given my own special dish of gomoku made with imitation crab.
Finally, one of the most beautiful holiday meals I ever experienced was during Hannukah. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, often includes foods that are fried in oil, symbolizing the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Latkes (potato pancakes), beef brisket with onions and garlic, roast chicken or turkey, kugel (both savory and sweet), Challah (bread), and Tzimmes (a sweet stew) are just some of the wonderful dishes served at my friends’ home. The focus during the meal was on family, blessings, the miracle of the oil, and the rededication of the Temple. I think my favorite thing about this celebration is the balance between the reverence and holiness of the occasion with the absolute joy of everyone who attended.
Whatever your traditions are or where they come from, I wish for you a season full of deliciousness, precious memories, and absolute joy!
Categorized in: General
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