Any conversation started about Christmas dinner is always going to have inevitable ‘yum’and ‘I can’t wait’ attached to the formula of  Turkey, parsnips, roasts, pigs in blankets and a few brussels sprouts for good measure.  We’ve had a look at Christmas dinner in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Madagascar. You might get a few tips and have additions to your own festive feast on the 25th.

Ethiopia:

Christmas, known as Ganna, is unusually celebrated on the 7th January. Festivities begin on the night of Christmas Eve. Why not cook up your own Ethiopian storm for this year’s Christmas feast instead! The Christmas day meal in Ethiopia typically includes injera, a sourdough pancake like bread with Doro wat which is a spicy stew or curry and can contain chicken, lamb, beef and / or a variety of vegetables.[1]

Nigeria: 

In the run up to Christmas in Nigeria, the markets become increasingly crowded as people prepare for the all-important grand Christmas feast buying those essential items such as goat and chickens which they will take back to their ancestral villages.

The traditional Nigerian Christmas could include a dish called Jollof rice, with meaty stews, boiled beans and fried plantains. Also popular is a pepper soup with fish, goat, or beef which may also be served with Fufu (pounded yam).

Madagascar:

A hot stomping Madagascar greets you with 28°C even in the height of winter! Some traditional dishes that might grace the Christmas table include: Akoho sy voanio, a chicken dish prepared with rice and fresh coconut, or Foza sy hena-kisoa, a stir-fried crab, pork, and rice dish.[2] This is a spicy number and not for the faint hearted.

Santa Claus in Malagasy is called Dadabe Noely.  

So from all of us in the team, Merry Christmas and remember to keep Seeing Africa Differently! J