Christmas in Australia: Christmas Dinner

Over the years Australians have come up with a number of Christ-mas dishes all their own. Some of these reflect the country’s rugged colonial history. For example, a dish called "colonial goose” substitutes a stuffed leg of lamb for the more traditional English roast goose. "Billy can pudding” offers a simplified version of plum pudding made in a kind of tin tub used to carry water. Other colonial recipes include "Christmas damper,” a quick Christmas bread, and "drover’s plum pudding,” a kind of rice pudding made with raisins and nuts. "Father Christmas salad,” a red, white, and green mixture of cherries, pistachio nuts, and lychees, represents another original Australian Christmas recipe.

Many Australians eat their Christmas dinner out of doors, in order to enjoy the summer sunshine. Some barbecue or take picnics to the beach or other outdoor beauty spots. Others eat a cold meal at home, often combining salads with cold meat dishes. Still others, in spite of the heat, prefer an English Christmas dinner, complete with roasted meat, potatoes and gravy. Many families, no matter what they have for dinner, choose to end the meal with a hot Christmas pudding.