Christmas at the Table: How Holiday Food Traditions Connect Honduras, the U.S., Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico

Every December, I’m reminded that food—especially holiday food—is a language we speak without words. It’s a rhythm we fall into instinctively, a shared cultural heartbeat that crosses borders, softens differences, and invites us to understand one another through taste, memory, and ritual.

Elegant Christmas dinner table with candles and festive décor.

Just as music becomes the emotional soundtrack of the season, stirring nostalgia and connection, our holiday dishes carry stories that speak to the heart.

This year, I’ve been reflecting on the holiday foods I’ve shared across continents—from my birth country, Honduras, to my home in the United States, and through unforgettable meals with friends from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, and beyond. Each place brings its own history and traditions, yet all reveal the same truth:

The holidays are meant to be felt around the table.

Honduras: Where Christmas Begins With Nacatamales and Togetherness

In Honduras, the season doesn’t start with decorations—it starts with nacatamales wrapped in banana leaves. The preparation is the celebration. Grandmothers, neighbors, cousins, children—everyone finds a place around the kitchen table, elbow-deep in masa, stories, and laughter.

The Honduran Christmas table often includes:

• Nacatamales

• Pierna de cerdo

• Rice and sweet plantains

• Rosquillas en miel (honey-soaked corn donuts)

Try it at Home: Honduran-Style Stuffed Chicken (Pollo Relleno)
(Full recipe in the Holiday Recipes From Around the World section below)

United States: A Mosaic of Comfort and Cultural Fusion

Christmas in the U.S. feels like flipping through a cookbook written by many hands. Depending on the region or family story, the table may include:

• Roast turkey or glazed ham

• Stuffing, mashed potatoes, biscuits

• Sweet potato casseroles

• Pies of every kind

American holiday cuisine is a reflection of the nation itself—expansive, diverse, and shaped by global influence. Every guest brings a piece of their story, and together they create a new one.

Spain: Time-Honored Rituals and Festive Flavors

Spanish holiday traditions read like a love letter to heritage. Families toast with cava, slice jamón, enjoy regional seafood dishes, and pass around turrón and roscón de reyes.

Meals stretch late into the night—full of conversation, warmth, and that distinctly Spanish art of savoring the moment.

Cuba: Flavor, Resilience, and the Drama of the Holiday Table

Traditional Cuban lechón asado being served.

Cuban Christmas cooking carries both flavor and spectacle. Lechón asado roasted over coals is the centerpiece—smoky, rustic, dramatic, and unforgettable.

Classic Cuban holiday dishes include:

• Moros y Cristianos

• Tostones

• Yuca con mojo

• Maduros

Try It at Home: Cuban Flan
(See full recipe below.)

Puerto Rico: A Christmas Season of Music, Breezes, and Coquito

Festive tamales with salsa, lime, and avocado.

Christmas in Puerto Rico erupts in parrandas, joyful caroling gatherings full of music and community. The island’s holiday table is a feast of soul and tradition:

• Arroz con gandules

• Pernil

• Pasteles

• Tostones and maduros

• And of course — coquito

Try It at Home: Traditional Coquito

(Full recipe in the recipe section.)

Food as a Passport to Culture

The more I explore global Christmas traditions, the more I believe food is the most intimate way to travel. A single spoonful of black beans, a bite of nacatamal, a slice of roscón—each carries history, migration, climate, and the fingerprints of generations.

Holiday traditions become even richer when paired with music, storytelling, and mindful seasonal rituals.

How Holiday Traditions Nourish Connection and Well-Being

Holiday food does more than feed us—it grounds us. It slows us down. It invites us to gather, listen, share, and remember.

During a season filled with pressure and expectation, incorporating small rituals of self-care and presence can help anchor our mental and emotional well-being.

Exploring global cuisines opens the door to:

• Belonging

• Curiosity

• Empathy

• Joy

These rituals—culinary or otherwise—help nourish our cultural and emotional wellness.

The Universal Truth Behind Every Holiday Table

No matter the country, recipe, or language, every Christmas dish carries a story. And when we taste those stories—wrapped in a Honduran nacatamal, spooned from Cuban black beans, layered in Puerto Rican pasteles, sliced from an American roast, or shared over Spanish cava—we’re reminded:

Human connection is always closer than we think.

May the flavors you share this season broaden your world and bring you closer to the people and places that make life meaningful.

🎄 Holiday Recipes From Around the World

Below are the full recipes featured in this post—easy to print, share, and bookmark for your family gatherings.

Honduran-Style Christmas Pollo Relleno

🎄 Honduran-Style Stuffed Chicken (Pollo Relleno)
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
• 1 whole chicken
• ½ lb ground turkey
• ½ lb ground pork
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion
• 1 green pepper
• ½ tsp cumin
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup raisins (optional)
• Salt, pepper, pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp oil
• ½ cup white rice

Preparation:

1. Sauté chopped onion, garlic, and pepper in oil.

2. Add tomato paste and water; simmer 15 minutes.

3. Mix meats, rice, and sautéed vegetables.

4. Stuff chicken.

5. Roast at 350°F (180°C), basting regularly.

6. Bake ~2 hours (20–25 min per lb).

7. Serve with rice, salad, or plantains.

🎄 Cuban Flan

Classic Cuban Flan Dessert with Caramel

IIngredients:
• ½ cup sugar
• Water + squeeze lemon
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can water
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 whole egg + 4 yolks
• Cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Caramelize sugar; coat mold.

2. Mix condensed milk, water, eggs, and vanilla.

3. Strain into mold; sprinkle cinnamon.

4. Bake in water bath at 350°F for 45 minutes.

5. Chill and invert to serve.

Puerto Rican Coquito

🎄 Puerto Rican Coquito

Ingredients:
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 15 oz cream of coconut
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cups white rum
• Cinnamon sticks

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients.

2. Chill at least 1 hour.

3. Shake before serving.