The Bunker – News without the nonsense Eat, drink, and be merry: The history of Christmas Dinner
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Dec 19, 2024 Join Thomas Ntinas, host of The Delicious Legacy, as he dives into the fascinating history of Christmas dinner. From Tudor feasts to modern holiday favorites, he unveils how dishes like turkey and mince pies evolved over centuries. Discover the quirky influence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on seasonal meals, and hear how Puritanism briefly dampened festive spirits. With anecdotes and historical insights, Ntinas explores the delicious resilience of Christmas traditions and their intriguing variations across cultures.
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Origins of Christmas Feasts
- Christmas feasts have existed for centuries, stemming from agricultural societies' winter downtime.
- Early feasts used leftover food and celebrated with beer and ale.
Early Christmas Turkey
- Turkey's presence at Christmas dates back to the 16th century, surprisingly.
- It was initially considered an exotic, fancy dish due to its origins in the Americas.
Tudor Christmas Festivities
- The early Christian calendar had many food festivals, especially around Christmas.
- Christmas celebrations used to last for 12 days, a stark contrast to today's shorter festivities.