How to Plan an Australian Christmas Feast

In Australia, you might forego the traditional Christmas dinner in favor of a barbecue on the beach or a picnic meal that will allow you to take full advantage of the beautiful summer weather.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sunglasses
• Barbecue Grills
• Lawn Chairs
• Picnic Tables
• Hamburger Buns
• Hamburgers
• Hot Dog Buns
• Hot Dogs
• Suntan Lotion

1. Remember that anything goes in Australia. You need not follow traditional standards - customize whatever type of feast you would like.

2. Consider all of your options. For instance, you might choose to eat your meal on a sailboat, in a park or on a sandy beach.

3. Decide if you prefer to make hamburger or hot dogs on the grill with watermelon for dessert, or would prefer a more traditional meal with turkey and other Christmas foods.

4. Remember you can mix different types of foods. You might make sandwiches and serve them with stuffing, plum pudding and apple pie, if you choose.

5. Cook the foods ahead of time and serve them cold.

6. Make Australian Christmas desserts such as white Christmas cake, which contains glacé cherries, fruit peel and ground almonds. Or try frozen fruit pudding made from ice cream with raisins, currants and other fruits mixed in.

7. Keep in mind that the weather is hot at this time of year, so plan a light meal instead of anything heavy.

8. Learn the local jargon for eating and food. For instance, if you're going to "bend the elbow" means you're going to have a drink, and if you're "full as a goog," you're completely full. (Goog is an Aussie term for "egg".)

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that Christmas falls during the summer months in Australia.
• The first Christmas in Australia was celebrated in 1788 in a region called Sydney Cove.

on 11/22/2005 It is impossible to have the oven on during the day! It's too hot. I prepare all the meats the day before and roast them on Christmas Eve. We spend the evening together, wrapping "pressies" and getting into the spirit of things (being a family).
The only other hot preparation is the veggies and gravy (we love our roasts down here). Have platters of cold cuts, salads, fruit and cheese, along with Grampa's pudding with ice-cream, and it's the perfect Aussie Christmas! And then there's Santa, though he may trade his trousers and boots for a pair of stubbies and thongs!

on 11/22/2005 Australians who opt out of a heavier meal might serve a cold shellfish platter instead. This usually includes prawns, crayfish, oysters, crabs, yabbies or Moreton Bay bugs (small cray-like creatures)cooked simply and served with dipping sauces.