IT REALLY is Christmas time once again.
When you hear Jose Marie Chan’s Christmas In Our Hearts pestering your ears when it is played everywhere, then that means the season of giving is upon us.
If you’ve been living under a rock these past couple of months, this is just a friendly reminder that celebrations have already started since September here in the Philippines, you know, just in case that you’re already surprised that it’s less than three weeks to go before the yearly Noche Buena.
Speaking of Noche Buenas–where all the attention of our Titas and Titos of Manila are directed during the holidays and a single distraction from their cooking would mean certain exclusion from the table–we list down the typical dishes that star in our yearly Christmas dinner.
1. LECHON
To omit lechon from this list is considered sacrilege, so to save us from the backlash of our swine-loving readers, we put this at the top.
There’s just no ultimate piece of delicacy other than Lechon that could ornate a table as much as this roasted thing of beauty. You could just serve lechon, the real highness of any long table, and leave out all the rest on this list. Pero mare, ang high-blood huh!
ON-A-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Lechon Kawali. At least there’s lechon in it. Still counts.
2. HAM
The star of the noche buena, or so adjudged by the collective bunch that want it to be (‘coz any family specialty could be the star of the noche buena). There’s no special treatment here among different Christmas delicacies, but Hams are definite staples in the Christmas dinner table. There’s not much argument there.
ON-A-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Embutido. This should do, or opt with those thin slices you munch on for breakfast. Winner!
3. QUESO DE BOLA
Those big red balls you see since childhood just won’t ever go away, do they? And for good reason. This special cheese was said to have been used as ammo for cannons because it is hard, big and round like a cannonball. And also, in the Spanish era, these Edam balls were famous for maturing well through time, making them a favorite when Christmas time comes.
If that story isn’t enough for food to be historically etched in our digestive memory, then nothing is.
ON-A-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Cheese Sticks. If you haven’t got the moolah for the round stuff, then try out the long, lanky stick-y stuff. Get the pun? Okay, let’s proceed.
4. SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI
From Birthdays, Christening, Baptisms, Fiestas, special celebrations and media noche, Spaghetti always had the immunity stone with it. It just can’t be toppled. It’s cheap, it has few ingredients, and it’s tasty. Boy do we love our istapegi!
Of course we differ the texture and opt with its funky cousin macaroni, but this pasta dish is like the supportive tito. Always there when needed.
ON-A-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Pansit Guisado. If you’re really on a shoe-string budget, then there’s no better alternative than having long life with pansit. Just don’t leave out the liver. That’s considered sacrilege.
5. FRUIT SALAD
Give me one mom who won’t say their fruit salad is the best tasting fruit salad in the world, the universe rather.
Fruit salads are the ultimate dessert, appetizer, kontra umay, umay-inducer dish specialty there is. Just toss all the ingredients in a tub somewhere and let it bathe in its mouth-watering goodness. There’s no secret to the best tasting fruit salad, but every household deem theirs having the edge over the other.
ON-A-BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Sago’t Gulaman. Come on, must you really deprive yourself of a concoction made from heaven that is a fruit salad? Well, if you must, then sago’t gulaman is the (still tasty) option. Try this with condensada and you’ll feel less of the guilt.
