The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine, and we ended up talking about Christmas food. I asked him what tradition he has on his family for Christmas dinner and he said that it isn’t too common, because he has cod with a special red sauce.

I was very surprised, because if he asked me the same question I would’ve given exactly the same answer, because, in my family, we also eat cod with a special red sauce. Anyway, today I’m going to tell you the menu for the holidays.

Curiously, I start with dessert. After leaving my house on Christmas Eve, I go to my grandma’s (my mom’s mother) house. Since I’m not having dinner there we eat from whatever is laid out on the table when we arrive, which is usually deserts. These range from aletria, sweet rice, rabanadas (a kind of Portuguese french toast), and filhóses.

After that, I go to my other grandma’s house. For dinner, we have cod with boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, and that special red sauce. The sauce is a mixture of onions, tomatoes, oil, and some other ingredients for which I have no idea of what they are.

On Christmas lunch is Cozido à Portuguesa, another traditional Portuguese dish. This dish is made up of rice, boiled vegetables (cabbage, carrots, potatoes, …), and boiled meat. I don’t know if this is a traditional Christmas dish in Portugal, but it’s traditional in my family at least.

I would like to hear about your Christmas menu. Email your menus to lookingupthestairs@gmail.com

Talk to you tomorrow!