Sugar cookies and candy canes. Ham and stuffing. Pumpkin pie and yule logs. These are just a few staples that will grace American dinner tables this Christmas.

But which foods will people around the world tuck into this Yuletide? Let’s take a culinary tour of international Christmas traditions.

United Kingdom:

First stop, our neighbors across the pond. Throughout the UK, the main meal is typically eaten in the early afternoon on Christmas day. The dinner features many of the same foods we enjoy here in the US - roast potatoes, stuffing, and turkey. At some point before dessert is served, however, the Christmas crackers are pulled. A round of tug-of-war is played to break these cardboard tubes and reveal their contents, usually a paper crown, a joke or proverb, and a small toy. After the hats have been worn and the jokes told, it’s time for dessert - or, more specifically, Christmas pudding. Also known as plum duff, pud, or plum pudding, this heavily-spiced boiled fruit pudding is traditionally doused in a brandy sauce and served on fire.

Iceland:

In Iceland, Christmas celebrations begin promptly at 6 p.m. on the 24th, a throwback to the old Iceland tradition of marking each new day at 6 p.m., not midnight. The main meal, Hangikjöt, consists of a leg of roasted lamb, sometimes accompanied by a sea bird. Laufabrauð, or leaf bread, is also prepared by frying thin sheets of dough which each family cuts into its own unique patterns.

Laufabrauð

Germany:

Duck, goose, rabbit, or even a whole suckling pig are the centerpieces of the Christmas dinner in Germany. The supporting cast includes German specialties such as apple and sausage stuffing, potato dumplings, or red cabbage. According to legend, those who do not dine well on Christmas Eve will be haunted by demons, so seconds and thirds are heartily encouraged. The real star of the meal, however, is Stollen, a traditional Christmas cake of dried fruit, nuts, and spices draped in a layer of white icing sugar which, in its typical shape, represents the Baby Jesus wrapped in diapers.

Stollen

Mexico:

In Mexico, the main meal is generally eaten on Christmas Eve, or la Noche Buena. Tamales feature prominently as the traditional Yuletide food. These cornmeal dumplings are stuffed with a variety of fillings, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, and steamed. The labor-intensive preparation of tamales, known as the tamalada, is its own tradition, in which each family member is assigned a task. Because of all the time and energy required to make tamales, they are saved for consumption on special occasions (such as Christmas). For dessert, Mexicans enjoy buñuelos, sweet fritters sprinkled with sugar or soaked in syrup. After indulging in the buñuelos, it is customary to make a wish and smash your clay plate on the ground. This practice stems from the pre-Hispanic festivity in which the end of the calendar cycle was marked with the breaking of all dishes.

Peru:

In this Latin American country, the main meal, consumed on Christmas day, usually features a roast turkey or lechón (roast suckling pig). Tamales and applesauce also make an appearance on Peruvian dinner tables at Christmastime. The classic Yuletide dessert is panetón, a sweet bread loaf filled with candied fruits and raisins originally from Milan, Italy. Peruvians like to pair their panetón with hot chocolate spiced with cloves and cinnamon. The drink is so popular this time of year that churches and other community organizations organize social gatherings, called chocolatadas, in which they hand out free hot chocolate (along with panetón) to poor families

Panetón