The height of Nativity in Germany is Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, followed by the two holidays Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Christmas festivities involve numerous traditional activities and attributes, the most important of which are the Christmas tree, the Christmas meal and the visit of the tomte (Christmas gnome).
Then there are the amazing cuisines that follow suit. Browse Christmas Carnivals for information on Swedish Christmas Recipes.
The German Christmas Kola (Caramel Candy) comprises granulated sugar, dark corn syrup, butter, vanilla extract, cream, chopped almonds. Mix all ingredients except the almonds in a large sauté pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally. If you can make a soft ball by rolling it between your fingers, it is ready. Pour caramel onto a large nonstick baking sheet, and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Refrigerate to chill. When partially set, slice into small portions and wrap in wax paper squares cut to fit.
Maundy Thursday Soup (Gründonnerstagssuppe) the history behind whose name is an interesting one. The Thursday before Easter is often called Gründonnerstag in Germany. However in this case, grün, or green, is a modern day corruption of an old, medieval word,
greinen, which means to cry. In Christian tradition, the Thursday before Easter is the day on which Christ held the Last Supper and was later betrayed. The medieval word greinen marked this day as one of sorrow for Christ's martyrdom. Today, despite the origin of the day's name, many Germans eat green meals on Gründonnerstag. It uses spinach leaves, sprouts (bean or sweet sprouts to avoid a bitter flavor), parsley, white wine or grape juice, spring onion, peeled, chopped cucumber and chicken or veal stock fresh dill to taste. | |
