Christmas Eve is the time for the final posada, followed by a big family meal in the evening. After the meal, many families will go to midnight mass (called 'Misa de Gallo' because it is said that the only time a rooster crowed at midnight was the night Jesus was born).
At midnight, church bells ring and fireworks are set off to announce the celebration of Christ's birth. The centerpiece of the meal may be a large roasted turkey or a roasted pork leg. You will always find tamales on the table. These labor-intensive delicacies are reserved for special occasions and holidays. It's also common to serve a soup on Christmas Eve, such as pozole or a cod soup called bacalao.
There are many festive drinks like chocolate atole and Christmas punch. And of course, there are desserts like buñuelos (crispy fried dough), sweet tamales, or wedding cookies.
Cabbage Salad is a bright and crunchy salad that is eaten almost daily as a nutritious complement to any meal throughout Latin America. El Salvador's pickled cabbage salad has a high vinegar content and can be spicy.
For Christmas, it's a perfect dish for the cold season with all its crunchy and bright flavors. It's also a wonderful accompaniment to empanadas or tacos, adding a good nutritional punch and a nice crunch. It's best to prepare this salad a few hours or a day ahead to let the flavors meld.
One accompaniment you will find on almost every Christmas Eve table in Mexico is Nochebuena Salad.
This salad is a wonderful mix of seasonal fruits and vegetables that create a bright and beautiful display on the table.
There are many different versions of this salad, depending on the region of Nicaragua and individual family preferences. But the concept is always the same: layers of fruits and vegetables along with some nuts (or seeds) and a citrus dressing.
Most versions of this Nochebuena salad start with a base of green lettuce, which is then topped with layers of beets, jicama, apples, oranges, and other seasonal produce.
It's common to find variations using plantains, bananas, pineapples, pomegranates, and more.
Everything is topped with peanuts or pumpkin seeds for an extra crunch. A light citrus juice dressing (typically orange), sometimes with fresh herbs like mint or cilantro, brings the fresh ingredients together. (Sometimes a little Mexican cream is mixed into the dressing to make it slightly creamy).
