Pulpo a la gallega (Galician style octopus). Although you may think it is only eaten in Galicia because of its name, octopus is a very popular dish all over Spain. Originally from Galicia, this starter consists of cooked octopus, potatoes, olive oil and paprika.

Gulas. Another very famous starter in Spanish Christmas dinners. Gulas is pan-fried with a little garlic and chili peppers (if you like it spicy), garnished with parsley and ready!

Main Spanish Christmas dishes

As in any home, these vary according to family tradition and the tastes of the diners. These are the most common:

Sopa de marisco (seafood soup). An intense broth, with sofrito and fresh seafood. It contains shrimps, mussels, clams, hake or monkfish, tomato, onion, garlic and fish fumet.

Cardo con almendras. This recipe is more typical of northern Spain. Its ingredients are fresh or canned thistle, almonds, garlic, flour, milk and poultry stock.

Crema de almendras (almond cream). A soft and comforting option to take between the starters and the first course that triumphs in many Spanish homes. It is a cream of ground almonds, poultry broth, milk, toasted bread and garlic.

Cordero asado (roast lamb). One of the most popular Spanish Christmas dishes in any Spanish home. The lamb is roasted slowly in the oven to make the meat tender. All you need is a leg or shoulder of lamb, garlic, rosemary, white wine, olive oil and salt.

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Ensaladilla rusa. It is not a very typical starter in all Spanish Christmas dinners, but you can find it in many homes. It contains potato, carrot, peas, tuna, boiled egg and mayonnaise, although in every home it is made with some ingredients or others. It is served as a tapa or cold starter.

Huevos rellenos (stuffed eggs). In many homes this starter is very popular, it is served cold, and everyone likes it. Its ingredients are boiled eggs, tuna, mayonnaise and fried tomato, optionally it can have olives and sweet paprika or chopped parsley to decorate.

Canapés. The canapés consist of toasted bread or puff pastry bases with smoked salmon, foie gras, pâté, cream cheese, anchovies... Some are decorated with fresh herbs or fish roe; and are usually accompanied, especially the pâtés, with strawberry jam, onion jam...

Shrimps or prawns. Shrimps can be fresh or grilled and are usually seasoned with coarse salt and lemon; or accompanied with mayonnaise. Also with seafood, another very popular dish is the coctel de gambas (shrimp cocktail) which has shrimp, lettuce and pink sauce, but can also have avocado and tomato, depending on the taste of each person.

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Christmas celebrations and Christmas dinners in Spain are approaching. If you are thinking of taking one of our Spanish courses in Spain or going to spend these special dates in the country, what better way to mimic the language than to celebrate its Spanish Christmas traditions.

Spain is a very diverse country and has different traditions all over the cities, but what all places do agree on is to celebrate with a Christmas meal.

So, if you are learning Spanish, you are going to spend Christmas in Spain or you just want to know what traditional Spanish food for Christmas are, this is your article!

You can also read this article in Spanish or French.

Spanish food for Christmas

In Spain there are several different celebrations during the Christmas season: Christmas Eve and Christmas; New Year's Eve and New Year. Although, in general, during these meals the dishes are usually repeated, so, in this article we will focus more on Christmas food in Spain.

Christmas Eve is celebrated on December 24 and is a dinner with family and friends as the eve of Christmas. Already on December 25, Christmas, a meal is organized in which typical Spanish Christmas dishes are prepared.

Commonly, in many homes the Christmas Eve dinner is more abundant than the Christmas meal, so many dishes that have not been finished in the evening dinner are reused for the next day's meal.

But let's go to the important issue, you can differentiate several Spanish Christmas dishes very typical these dates:

Starters and appetizers

Appetizers are small starters or light dishes served at the beginning of the meal to whet the appetite. Normally Spanish Christmas dinners begin with these appetizers or starters.

They usually include cold meats, seafood or assorted tapas. Below you will find some of the most popular appetizers in Spain:

Tabla de embutidos. It includes Iberian ham, chorizo, lomo, salchichón and a variety of cheeses. In addition, it is sometimes accompanied with dried fruits such as nuts and served with bread sticks or toasted bread.

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Spanish Christmas meals

Spanish Christmas meals. Learn about the most traditional Spanish food for Christmas. Spanish Christmas appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, dishes and desserts.

Spain Spanish Christmas meals. Learn about the most traditional Spanish food for Christmas. Spanish Christmas appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, dishes and desserts. spanish christmas meals, spanish christmas dishe, spanish food for Christmas, traditional spanish food for Christmas, spanish christmas dessert, spanish christmas dinner Off Marta Díaz

10. Words with accent have specific rules

The Spanish accent or tilde is used to indicate the tonic syllable in a word or to differentiate words that are spelled the same way. Thus, we distinguish two methods to put a tilde on Spanish words:

In Spanish, the accent serves to mark emphasis. For example: lámpara (lamp), rápido (fast), canción (song), camión (truck).

While the diacritical tilde is used to differentiate words that are spelled the same:

• tú (pronoun) and tu (possessive)
• sí (affirmation) and si (conditional)
• él (pronoun) and el (article)
• más (adverb/adjective) and mas (conjunction)

With these 10 Spanish grammar rules, the language becomes more accessible to students, especially if you are a beginner. So don't forget to practice the simplest structures and concepts that are key to rapid improvement in Spanish language.

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7. Adjectives go after the noun

In Spanish, adjectives are generally placed after the noun they describe. This order is different in other languages such as English. For example:

• Un coche rojo (A red car)
• Una camisa amarilla (A yellow shirt)
• La taza rosa (The pink mug)
• El libro viejo (The old book)

But there is an exception in some adjectives, such as “bueno” or “grande”, which can come before in certain contexts. For example: “Un buen día” (a good day) or “Un gran tamaño” (a great size).

8. Pronouns precede the verb (almost always)

There are several types of pronouns in Spanish (personal, reflexive, direct and indirect) that are placed before the verb. For example:

• Me dio el libro (She gave me the book)
• Se levanta tarde (He gets up late)
• Le gusta la pasta (He likes pasta)

In addition, in compound verb forms or with infinitives, pronouns can be attached to the verb. For example:

• Voy a dártelo (I'm going to give it to you)
• Siéntate, por favor (Please sit down)
• ¿Puedes coserme el pantalón? (Can you sew my pants?)

9. Adverbs are very flexible

The placement of adverbs is very versatile, and they can be used in different positions within the same sentence. Some Spanish adverbs are: cerca (near), aquí (here), allí (there), rápidamente (quickly), etc.

For example:

• María come rápidamente una manzana
• Rápidamente, María come una manzana
• María come una manzana rápidamente

All these forms are correct and convey the same idea, regardless of where the adverb is placed.

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