Food for Thought: Christmas Edition
By Janna P.
Gingerbread House by Ruth Black
Created in Canva
In honor of the upcoming Christmas festivities, I thought I’d take an unconventional spin with this article. Bear with me as I become a talk show host and interview food which most definitely can speak with me. Excuse me while I grab my heels and Christmas sweater…
Happy Holidays folks, and welcome to Food for Thought, where we interview the world’s leading cuisine to learn about their finer points. Today we have some classic Christmas friends from across the globe – please welcome Gingerbread House, Cinnamon Roll, Christmas Cookie, Panettone, Stollen Bread, White Fudge, and Christmas Pudding!
Gingerbread House, old buddy, old pal, I know you’re loved by children everywhere, but can you pinpoint your origin for us?
Gingerbread House: I come from Germany and date back to the early 1800s. I’m an oldie but a goodie!
You’re looking great today. What are you decorated with?
Gingerbread House: Families use any and all varieties of candy to spruce me up, like candy cane wall paneling, butterscotch walkways, mini chocolate chip doorknobs, and gummy bear occupants. I’m held together with white royal icing. Some kids get a little messy and dump sprinkles on my roof for snow.
Candy stores probably aren’t short of business when the holiday season hits.
Ah, Cinnamon Roll, you smell way too good to just stare at. I won’t eat you, don’t worry, but who does have the pleasure of savoring you?
Cinnamon Roll: I have the good Swedes to thank for my existence. Northern Europeans and North Americans love to enjoy me year-round, but I’m a special Christmas treat for some.
What sizes do you come in?
Cinnamon Roll: Oh, lots. I can be tiny enough to be bite-sized, large enough to be as big as your head, and anything in between. Usually, I’m a comfortable diameter, around your average cookie size. Only I’m tastier. No offense, Christmas Cookie.
Christmas Cookie (with hands on hips): Hey! Well, at least I have way more variations than you do. Everybody makes their own, unique version of me.
Cinnamon Roll: Sigh.
Christmas Cookie: I may be a sugar cookie cut into winter- or Christmas-related shapes, sour cream cookie, butter cookie, Italian pizzelle, German pfeffernusse, Russian teacake, gingerbread cookie, peppermint chocolate cookie, checkerboard cookie, or peanut butter mouse cookie.
Hold it. Did you say peanut butter mouse cookie?
Christmas cookie: Sure did. They’re about the cutest little things you ever saw.
I’ve never tried them. They’re definitely going on my list of Christmas cookies this year.
Panettone and Stollen Bread, you guys look kind of like twins on the inside, except Panettone, you’re like a huge muffin, and Stollen Bread, you’re a thinner bread loaf.
Stollen Bread: We are indeed similar in texture. Both of us have pieces of fruit inside – I have golden raisins, candied cherries, candied pineapple, and other candied fruit.
Panettone: And I have golden raisins, dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried pineapple, and orange or lemon zest.
Stollen Bread: I’m from Germany. Many American descendants of German immigrants make me every year.
Panettone: Italia is my home. Ciao, baby! I may also be found in Peru, but I’m a little different there. I have fake chocolate bits inside in addition to the fruit.
Fake chocolate?
Panettone: My chocolate isn’t real; it’s only a small percentage of real chocolate but does taste like chocolate.
White Fudge (jumping up and down): When are you going to interview me? Huh?
You’re up next, no worries. Tell us where you’re from, White Fudge.
White Fudge (talking very fast): The States! I was invented on accident in the late 1800s!
A happy accident, then. I like your creamy appearance, but why are you white?
White Fudge (barely containing excitement): Confectioners use white chocolate instead of milk or semisweet chocolate for me! I also have marshmallow cream – a whole jar! – and evaporated milk. Some varieties use sweetened condensed milk which is of course also white and-
I’ll stop you there, buddy. Unfortunately, I have to keep things moving.
White Fudge (excessively disappointed): Aww.
Christmas Pudding, I saved you for last but not least. Forgive my Americanized perspective, but you sure don’t look like pudding as I know pudding.
Christmas Pudding: Quite all right, young lady. I’m more of an upside-down, dried-out muffin in looks. In tastes, though, the British say I take the biscuit.
What ingredients do you have, good man?
Christmas Pudding (straightening glasses): Jolly good of you to ask. Traditionally, I’m made up with almonds, apples, candied peel, nutmeg, raisins, flour, sugar, eggs, brandy, and butter. I’m also the finishing touch to a British Christmas meal.
Uh oh. I can’t have alcohol.
Christmas Pudding: Not to worry. Eight hours’ worth of boiling or oven steaming me is quite enough time to cook all the alcohol away.
Whew! I’m saved.
That brings us to the end of today’s show. Till next time everybody. Have a very Merry Christmas!
Columns: 🔎Informational 🧑🚀NSA Culture 🗓️Seasonal
Janna P. is a senior and seventh-year NSA student who lives in Idaho with her family of five. She enjoys reading, cooking, baking, traveling the Northwest, hanging out with her family, and spending time in God's creation. This is her first year on the Navigator. After her schooling career is over, she hopes to become a librarian and published author.