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Winter holiday food traditions around the world

At The Original Pancake House Denver, we love the holiday season.  Each year during the months of November and December, we add a few holiday favorites to our Denver breakfast menu – Sara’s Granola Waffle with Maple Whipped Cream, Egg Nog French Toast and our much loved Ho! Ho! Ho! Pancakes, to name a few.  These special breakfast traditions always make our season brighter and we love sharing them with our OPH Denver family.  Which got us to thinking – we know what we love for a holiday breakfast in Denver, what are some holiday traditions celebrated by other cultures and religions?  We did a bit of research and found a multitude of delicious dishes to make your mouth water!

Mexican Holiday Feastdonut-179983_640

In a traditional Mexican holiday feast you will likely find tamales on the menu.  Because they take so much time and care to prepare, many families only serve them on special occasions.  Mexican tamales are wrapped and steamed in a paper or a corn husk and are filled with masa, a corn based dough, and either meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables, or chiles.

In addition to tamales, pan dulce is traditional treat during the holiday season. These sweet rolls are made fresh daily in local panaderias. Almost like a Mexican doughnut, you might find them with a red or green topping and festive sprinkles.

Filipino Christmas Treat

Just after Midnight Mass on Christmas Day, many Filipino families enjoy a Bibingka Especial. This coconut and rice flour cake is lightly sweet, and made with rice or cassava flour. Traditionally, these cakes are cooked over charcoal in a banana-leaf-lined clay pot.  Served with tasty toppings, Bibingka Especial is very popular in the Philippines during the Christmas holiday season.

The German Fruitcake

Ah, the infamous fruitcake!  Dresdner Stollen, the original and famous fruitcake recipe from Dresden, is sold throughout Germany during the holiday season.  Made from rich yeast dough and mixed with candied fruits and nuts, these special holiday loaves are folded before baking to symbolize the baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes.

American Kwanzaa Traditions

Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration that links African traditions and American customs. Kwanzaa runs from December 26 through January 1 of each year and is always accompanied by friends, family and feasting! On each day of a Kwanzaa celebration, the host serves a dish from a different symbolic place, such as Africa, the Caribbean, and South America.  These dishes might include black-eyed peas, shrimp creole, mashed yams, corn bread, or creamed collard greens.

Hanukkah Brunch

Also known as the Festival of Light, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and eight nights in the Jewish religion.  A typical Hanukkah brunch always includes several delectable dishes.  Potato latkes, or crispy potato pancakes, are a staple of many Hanukkah meals.  In addition you might find a simple applesauce, or delicious egg frittata.  To round out the meal, Jewish families often serve homemade doughnuts, a tribute to the oil that lasted eight days and nights, and traditional rugelach cookies.

Whatever holiday you celebrate this season, and whatever your heritage, we hope you are able to share a good meal with friends and loved ones! Happy Holidays from The Original Pancake House Denver!