7 Historic Christmas Recipes to Try This Year

For many families, Christmas is grounded in tradition. The decorations, customs, and menu are often shaped by the generations that came before. Historic dishes can infuse your holiday with an even greater sense of tradition (even if those traditions aren’t your own). Whether you try one or two dishes or prepare the whole list, these seven recipes can give your holiday season a historic, old-fashioned touch. A fun idea would be to print out little descriptions for each dish with a brief history of where it came from!

The Smoking Bishop via Tori Avey

Mulled wine has long been associated with Christmas. Wine is combined with spices and heated to produce a unique and festive drink. Since this recipe also calls for fruit juice, it is technically a punch. We’ve included this recipe on the list because it is for a type of mulled wine punch mentioned in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. You can’t get much more Christmasy than that!

Old Fashioned Wassail via Accidental Happy Baker

You know the song “Here We Come A-Wassailing”? Well, you might not know it, but that song is talking about going door-to-door drinking. While wassail often contains alcohol, we’ve included this recipe in our list because it’s alcohol-free, so little ones can enjoy the festive treat, too.

Oven-Roasted Chestnuts via Kitchen Confidante

“The Christmas Song” famously references “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” While these chestnuts are roasted in the oven instead, this recipe earned its spot on the list by giving clear instructions on how to prepare the traditional holiday snack.

Roasted Potatoes via Rock Recipes

There’s something about traditional English foods that seems distinctly Christmasy. We blame Charles Dickens. No Christmas feast is complete without side dishes, and we’ve included this recipe because we think it would be a highlight of any carb-lover’s holiday table.

Yorkshire Pudding via The Daring Gourmet

Yorkshire pudding is another traditional English dish that seems befitting of an old-fashioned Christmas feast. We like this recipe because it takes some of the intimidation factor out of the dish. Major bonus: these puddings are freezable.

Orange Five-Spice Roast Goose and Potatoes via The Woks of Life

“A Christmas Carol” set so many Christmas standards. The holiday story prominently features a Christmas goose. We don’t know how Dickens thought the perfect Christmas goose should be seasoned, but we suspect this recipe would make even Ebenezer Scrooge smile. If you don’t have a taste for goose, don’t worry! We think this marinade would also work well on chicken, turkey, or tofu.

Figgy Pudding Recipe via Nitty Gritty Life

Christmas puddings are quite traditional in jolly old England, but perhaps no pudding is associated with Christmas quite like figgy pudding, which is why we couldn’t resist this recipe. It looks so tasty, you might find yourself singing “now bring us some figgy pudding” on repeat.

American 17th Century Gingerbread via The Gingered Whisk

Since gingerbread is so often associated with Christmas, we wanted to make sure it was duly represented on this list, and this historic recipe fits the bill perfectly. This isn’t the cookie-like gingerbread you may be familiar with. Instead, it has a more cake-like consistency, but you’ll probably recognize the familiar spice blend!

What are your favorite traditional Christmas recipes? Share your family favorites in the comments section below!