Bûche de Noël (Yule log)
The Buche de Noel, commonly referred to as the “Yule Log,” is a popular dessert served in French culture during the holiday season. The Yule Log is a delicious chocolate cake with a cream filling rolled up to look like a log of wood. The dessert has been a tradition for hundreds of years, and is meant to symbolize the yule log burned on Christmas Eve.

Latkes
Latkes are a traditional food served in Israel during Hanukkah. They are potato cakes fried in oil until crispy. Latkes are traditionally thought to commemorate a miracle that occurred during biblical times when a one day’s supply of oil lasted eight days.

Mince Pies
Mince pies are a traditional food served in England during the holiday season. They are pies filled with different spices, dried fruits, or mincemeat. There are many varieties to this classic treat.

Spiced Hot Chocolate
This Peruvian treat is a traditional hot chocolate beverage filled with spices such as nutmeg, chili powder, cinnamon, and cloves. During the holiday season, it is given to the less fortunate to make their days a bit more bright.

Roast Pig
In the Philippines, it is traditional for a full pig to be roasted and used as the centerpiece for a Christmas feast. This tradition can be seen in many Christmas cartoons and movies.

Bahn Chung
Bahn Chung is a traditional food served during the New Year in Vietnam. It is a large rice cake with layers of pork, mung bean, and other ingredients inside a layer of rice. It is usually wrapped in the leaves of lá dong, a type of bamboo.

Kutya (Kutia)
Popular in Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe, this is a dish full of wheat, poppy seeds, and nuts. It is sweetened with honey and is a generally healthy dish for the holiday season. It cannot be enjoyed until the first star appears in the night sky on Christmas Eve.

Melomakarona
In Greece, Melomakarona is a popular dish to be eaten on Christmas feast day after fasting on the days leading up to Christmas. It is a honey-soaked cookie that is topped with ground walnuts.

Kransekake
In Denmark and Norway, Kransekake is an almond-flavored cake with up to 18 layers. It is formed into the shape of a Christmas tree. It may also be called “wreath cake.”

KFC
While it is not as fancy or homemade as the other foods on this list, eating KFC chicken is a popular tradition during Christmas time in Japan. This tradition began in the 1970s when KFC launched an ad campaign persuading people to eat their chicken and drink wine for the perfect Christmas feast.