Festive Feasts

A global potluck of holiday dishes and unique ingredients

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Food is the cornerstone of culture, and during the holidays, it takes center stage. Seasonal memories can be traced back to the smells wafting from the kitchen, the festive delicacies enjoyed by all and those once-a-year customs. Take a seat at the table and embark on a tour of culinary traditions from around the world.

Kitchen Staples

Guajillo chile: A dried chile used in a variety of Mexican preparations from salsa to pozole and around the holidays as a rub for turkey. The chiles are deseeded, soaked in hot water and then mashed into a paste.

Ssalyeot: A Korean rice syrup, ssalyeot provides a hint of sweetness when braising, grilling or marinating. It’s also found in Korean snacks such as mochi cakes and lotus root chips.

Galapong: Made from soaking fermented rice, this dough is the foundation for Filipino desserts. Rice cakes or breads made from galapong have a distinct flavor due to fermentation.

Cubeb: This Indonesian pepper is utilized both ground and crushed. Also known as Java pepper or tailed pepper, cubeb serves as a substitute for allspice and has floral, pungent notes.

Community Connections

Private chef Emmanuel “Manny” Baiden moved to the United States from Accra, Ghana, in 2014 to attend James Madison University, where he studied hospitality management and business administration. Last year, the 26-year-old launched his self-titled catering company, Manny Eats. Around the holidays, Baiden enjoys baking Ghanaian spiced shortbreads and jollof rice.

Richmond magazine: How did you become a chef? 

Emmanuel “Manny” Baiden:  I started as a business major, but my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to be a chef and do something that made me happy. I’ve always had a passion for food. So I switched majors to hospitality management and took cooking classes. I learned by working in restaurants with classically trained chefs, as well as reading a lot of cookbooks and watching a lot of TV shows — anything to expand my culinary knowledge.   

RM: Where did you get your passion for food?  

Baiden: I grew up watching my mom cook. She would use all these techniques that culinary chefs use, but she didn’t know she was cooking like a professional. She used to cook from scratch, cutting up a chicken or scaling a fish; it was all fresh food. My grandmother had a chicken coop in her backyard. 

RM: Describe how you celebrated the holiday season growing up.  

Baiden: Most Ghanaians are Christians, so Christmas is a big time for us. We’d dress up in our best Christmas white clothes and go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We don’t have traditional Christmas trees or gifts. We’d give each other Christmas cards and watch Christmas movies like Home Alone. During the holidays we would buy a live chicken or goat, let it run around the house and then butcher it for a holiday meal for the whole family, which would usually consists of jollof rice, fufu [a type of porridge that is a staple food of West African cuisine], lots of yams and plantains, and smoked salted fish. It’s a good time with the family coming together and enjoying food.   

Grab a Plate

International dishes steeped in holiday tradition

Matang, Korea

Sweet potatoes cut into large cubes, fried and then coated in the hot rice syrup called ssalyeot. Served as a side, these candied creations are crisp on the outside and typically garnished with black sesame seeds.

Birria, Mexico

Originating in Jalisco, this Mexican stew calls for goat meat, but it’s often made with beef as well. Served on celebratory occasions, the meat is slowly marinated in an adobo blend of dried chiles, herbs, spices and vinegar.

Bibingka, Philippines

These slightly sweet, coconut-tinged Filipino rice cakes are commonly eaten for breakfast around Christmas. A popular street food around the holidays, bibingka are cooked over charcoal in clay pots lined with banana leaves.

Jollof Rice 

By Emmanuel "Manny" Baiden of Manny Eats

Serve with protein of choice. I prefer mine with rib-eye or braised short rib. Jollof rice with goat meat is a good combination, too!  Serves six. 

2  large yellow onions, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup  canola oil  

3 whole tomatoes 

6 ounces tomato paste  

1  habanero pepper   

2 teaspoons curry powder 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon nutmeg 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

2 sprigs rosemary  

1 bay leaf  

3 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed  

2 1/2 cups long grain rice, rinsed 

3 cups fresh green beans  

1 1/2  cups  water 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add onions, garlic, tomatoes, habanero and 1 cup of water to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.   

Heat the remaining  1/3 cup of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Once the oil is hot, add in the pureed vegetables and reduce to about half or until slightly caramelized for about 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, spices, herbs and crushed bouillon cubes. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and deep red in color  Reserve some stew to serve with your jollof rice.  Add the rice, cut green beans and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with aluminum foil and a lid. Place your Dutch oven or pot in the oven for 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed; fluff with a fork. You want your rice to come out single-grained and not lumpy.