Christmas dinner in Belgium.

 Christmas dinner in Belgium.

Christmas is one of the most important times for Belgians because the family comes together to spend a special moment together. As Christmas approaches in Belgium, pepole begin to buy the necessary ingredients for the family Christmas dinner that takes place on December 24, for Belgians, Christmas dinner is very sacred because the usually get together with their whole family (cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents) to enjoy delicious dishes of food. As it´s one of the most important days for Belgians, dinner usually lasts many hours.

The meal is divided in three parts: during the first part the usually give appetizers such as paté toast, fresh cheese with herbs, crab salad, the famous salmon foam on toast, ham, eggs, tomatoes, black pudding and sausages. After the delivery of gifts, the family sits down at the table to have dinner together and enjoy their typical Christmas dishes. Later the dessert is delivered, either a cougnou or a buche from Noel, the Christmas dinner is very long because many dishes are served during the night.

The most common proteins for Christmas dinner are pheasant that is garnished with lozenges of bread browned in butter, you can also add truffle slices to the sauce with mushrooms; the turkey with compote of grapes is a very elegant dinner that is ideal for Christmas dinner in Belgium; seafood such as steamed mussels and cougnou for dessert, it´s a sweet bread in the shape of baby representing Jesus or the buche from Noel is a Christmas sweet made of cream, butter or homemade ice cream.