Christmas may not be considered as a holiday in Japan but they still have Christmas festivities done the Japanese way-- Christmas markets, LED lights illumination, festive trees in shopping malls, and of course, Christmas foods that are simply fit for the winter season. Here are the top 5 favorite foods that the Japanese enjoy during Christmas season.
Hot Sake
Among the wines that can be seen in the markets during Christmas, sake is among the most popular. Hot sake is best enjoyed during winter when the temperature is slightly cold, making it one of Japan’s favorite drink during Christmas time. Aside from the warmth, it helps one’s stomach calm down after a full meal of fried chicken, cake and other delicious Christmas food.
Christmas Wagashi
Another popular indulgence is the Christmas wagashi. It is a Japanese-style sweet which is very adaptive, as its decoration changes as the season changes, making it well-suited for a Christmas make-over. Japanese patissiers, who are masters in wagashi-making, incorporate Christmas themes such as reindeers, santas, leaves and snowmen into the sweets. The flavor inside, however, is still the same like red bean, burdock root and green tea.
Yuzu
This Japanese citrus is harvested from the middle of November to the middle of January, making it a perfect fruit to recreate for Christmas. This fruit can be transformed into a butter cake, or as an additional flavor for KitKat and yokan or agar jelly cake. It can also be served as a cold-curing yuzu tea. These variations of the yuzu citrus fruit is abundant and are served during Christmas time.
Christmas Cake
Strawberry shortcake is one of the classic cakes in Japan, which is enjoyed in any type of celebration. But because white and red are the colors of Christmas and strawberry shortcake has the same color, it becomes the official dessert on Christmas Eve in Japan. This cake should be bought ahead of time since its price peaks on Christmas day. Most families share one Christmas cake on Christmas Eve, once everyone, especially those who comes from work, is at home.
KFC
Who could have believed that one of the popular food chains in the world has become a Christmas tradition in a country with very little Christmas celebrations at all?
It became a tradition in Japan to eat chicken particularly KFC chicken as part of the Christmas celebration. In fact, it is the most loved food during Christmas in Japan! It started in the 70’s after KFC made a successful commercial campaign that chickens were the smaller version of the Christmas turkey. And the Japanese people really make a pre-orders weeks in advance. Those who didn’t make their pre-orders end up waiting in long lines just to have a KFC chicken. Because of that, Christmas has been the busiest time of the year for KFC.
Itadakimasu! What will you be preparing for Christmas Eve? Be sure to include any of these for that signature Japanese Christmas feast.
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