CAMDEN — What would Christmas be without food? Whatever your inclination is for a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day celebration you can darn well count on food and lots of it.

From roast turkeys and hams to pumpkin pie and every conceivable cookie decorated in icings and colors of Christmas.

Like most I was sitting and thinking about what delights I could come up with to make the Christmas Holiday zing with gastronomical flair. I was looking on Facebook and realized I had friends from all over the world.

Sending out a message I asked them to forward me their menu for the upcoming festivities.

All traditional, the world eats its way through Christmas.

Linda Lindeberg lives in Norway. In southern Norway it’s a meal of cod and potatoes, carrot and butter with eggs in it. This is typical Norwegian fare and could be had any day of the week, but Linda says that, “nothing compares to the cod that’s served on Christmas day.”

Fare will include grilled pork ribs and salted, dried and smoked ribs from sheep.

For libations the Norwegian’s are big on homemade beer and aquavit, but spelled akevitt in Norway. The two are drunk together with a sip of aquavit from a shot glass followed by a drink of beer.

Across the bay in Denmark, the traditional Christmas meal is served on Christmas Eve and consists of duck, roast pork, turkey or goose. Sides of boiled and roasted potatoes, cooked red cabbage and plenty of gravy round out the fare.

Dessert is rice pudding served with cherry or strawberry sauce with a whole almond hidden inside. Find the almond and you get an extra Christmas present.

Krisztina Bajcsai lives in Hungary and enjoys the traditions of the holiday that her family and generations before her have taken pleasure from. As with most European communities the big meal is on Christmas Eve and it starts with a fish soup with paprika and served very spicy and hot.

The next course is roasted turkey with dried plums and apples and fried fish with potato salad. Christmas day is reserved for stuffed cabbage and of course all the sweets.

A traditional Hungarian Christmas roll is stuffed with poppy seeds or walnuts. Its name is Bejgli.

My friend Maria Mykytyn lives in Poland with her family. They enjoy their big meal on Christmas Eve. She says the rules state no meat and no alcohol.

Based on old world tradition the dishes are prepared mostly from mushrooms, sauerkraut and fish.

Maria tells me her favorite dish is red barszcz. It’s a clear beet soup with no beets. I do not comprehend it, but it is Christmas.

The soup has the smallest of pierogi with a filling of mushroom and onion only. The pierogi are called uszka which translates into ears because they are small and shaped similar. And lots of cakes made with ginger and/or poppy seed. 

Mimi Hospodarova lives in Slovakia with her family. Her Christmas meal starts with Christmas wafers toped with honey and garlic before they move on to a Christmas soup called Kapustnica.

The soup is akin to cabbage soup with cream, dried mushrooms and smoked sausage. The soup is eaten with sweet bread called Vianocka.

Next up is Bobal’ky, which are small dough balls or mini buns served with poppy seeds and powdered sugar. After dinner it’s time to unwrap gifts, but later if you are still hungry, potato salad and fish is served.

I didn’t hear back from my friends in England, Mexico and Greece. Where ever in the world you might be, on land or sea, it’s the time of year to celebrate peace on earth and goodwill towards all mankind. 

The traditions of Christmas reach from your kitchen, around the world and back to your heart.

It’s a time for family and friends, and it all goes back to one person, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, for low, it brings you tidings of great joy.