The holiday season in Spain is all about gathering around the table, and once you sit down, don’t expect to leave anytime soon. Between endless courses, sweet treats, and plenty of cava, Spanish Christmas food is practically a marathon (you’ll want your comfiest pants for it).
But Christmas food in Spain isn’t only about indulgence. Every dish has a story, rooted in tradition and passed down through generations. From rich stews to crumbly sweets, traditional festive food reflects the Spanish culture, history, and love of celebration. Ready to taste it all? Here’s your ultimate guide to the must-try Spanish Christmas food, plus quick tips on how to order food in Spanish during the holidays.
Table of Contents
Top Spanish Christmas foods
Christmastime is a big deal in Spain: schools shut down for weeks, and most people take time off to celebrate with their families. This long festive period includes four main holidays: Nochebuena (Christmas Eve), Navidad (Christmas), Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve), and día de Reyes (Three Kings’ Day).
It’s a time for gatherings with family, friends, and even colleagues for the traditional cena navideña (a Christmas dinner celebrated with coworkers before the holidays begin). And of course, it’s also the best opportunity to enjoy authentic Spanish cuisine and traditional food that you can only taste during Christmas in Spain.
1. Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham)
Jamón needs no introduction. It’s the most iconic of all Spanish tapas and, naturally, it takes center stage at the holidays. During Christmas, you’ll see entire patas de jamón (whole legs of ham) proudly displayed in homes, markets, and restaurants. The art of slicing it by hand, with a long, thin knife is a ritual in itself.
To order jamón like a local, you’ll need to know some key words for food in Spanish:
- Jamón ibérico: the premium variety, made from purebred Black Iberian pork. The most select type, Pata Negra, is 100% produced from free-range pork exclusively fed on bellotas (acorns).
- Jamón serrano (often just jamón): a more common, less expensive ham made from other breeds, still delicious but not as exclusive.
Note: There’s no wrong time to eat jamón in Spain. Locals enjoy it for breakfast with tostas (toasted bread topped with olive oil and fresh tomato), as a quick sandwich snack, or as part of a tapas plate.
2. Cordero asado (roast lamb)
When it comes to savory dishes, few things say “Christmas” quite like roasted lamb. Cordero asado is a traditional Spanish Christmas food from the region of Castile and León, where roasting meat in wood-fired ovens has been a culinary art for centuries, but has spread across all of Spain.
This meat is usually cordero lechal or lechazo (suckling lamb), and it’s so cherished that entire towns like Ávila and Aranda de Duero (Burgos province) are famous for their asadores (roasteries), where they cook the dish in clay pots with recipes handed down through generations.
3. Cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig)
If cordero asado (roasted lamb) is the king of Christmas roasts in Spain, then cochinillo asado is its royal sibling. This iconic dish, especially famous in Segovia (Castile and León), is a true holiday magnum opus.
To prepare cochinillo asado, a suckling pig (typically less than six weeks old) is roasted whole in a wood-fired oven. The traditional way to serve it may be a bit unusual and not for everyone: The Segovian custom is to bring it whole to the table and carve the meat with the edge of a plate instead of a knife, to prove its tenderness.
4. Marisco (seafood)
Seafood has become one of the most luxurious staples of Spanish Christmas food. The tradition likely stems from the Catholic custom of avoiding meat on Christmas Eve, but over time, it has transformed into a true holiday feast enjoyed by families. In many households, seafood is served cold as an appetizer, and some even prepare an entire mesa de mariscos (seafood table) with a dazzling spread of shellfish.
Popular choices include:
- gambas and gambones (shrimp and prawns): grilled or boiled in seawater and sprinkled with salt.
- langostinos (another species of prawn): boiled and served cold with a dollop of mayonnaise.
- percebes (goose barnacles): a rare delicacy harvested from the rocky coasts of Galicia.
Another common Christmas tradition in Spain is to enjoy a steaming bowl of crema de marisco (seafood bisque) or baked vieiras (scallops)—You can easily find these last two in Spanish restaurants.
If you want to see tradition in action, visit a fish market on Christmas Eve morning: It’s one of the busiest and most exciting shopping days of the year.
5. Rape en salsa verde (monkfish in green sauce)
Fish also play a big part in Spanish Christmas food. Besugo (blackspot seabream) and merluza (hake) are included in every restaurant’s Christmas menu in Spain. But rape en salsa verde (monkfish in green sauce) from coastal regions, deserves a seat of honor. The dish features tender monkfish fillets simmered in a sauce of garlic, parsley, white wine, and olive oil, often enriched with clams or peas.
Language tip: When someone serves you a dish, it’s common to hear ¡Buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal). If a server says it, the polite answer is simply saying “thank you” in Spanish. If it’s another guest at the table, you can reply:
- Gracias, igualmente. = Thank you, same to you.
- Gracias, a usted también. = Thank you, same to you. (with the Spanish formal “you”).
6. Pavo relleno (stuffed turkey)
In Spain, turkey isn’t as popular as in the US, but pavo relleno (stuffed turkey) has lately become one of the country’s popular holiday centerpieces.
The stuffing makes it uniquely Spanish: even though the recipe can change according to each family tradition, it is usually a mixture of minced beef and pork, garlic, onion, tomato, raisins, almonds, olives, and spices.
7. Cardos con almendras (cardoons with almond sauce)
Not all Spanish Christmas savory dishes are heavy roasts: Cardos con almendras (cardoons or thistle with almonds) is a humble, vegetarian, Spanish Christmas recipe. This traditional peasant dish is especially popular in northern Spain, particularly Navarra and La Rioja, where cardoons thrive in the cold season. They are so tied to Christmas that they’re often called la verdura de Navidad (the Christmas vegetable).
8. Turrón (nougat)
After all those savory dishes, it’s time to satisfy your sweet tooth. No Spanish Christmas food tradition would be complete without turrón (almond nougat). This beloved sweet dates back to Moorish times, and it has two traditional varieties, both from the Alicante province and protected by a D.O.P. (Denomination of Origin):
- Turrón from Jijona: Soft, smooth, and chewy, made by grinding almonds into a paste with honey.
- Turrón from Alicante: Hard and crunchy, with whole almonds mixed with caramelized honey.
Turrón is sold in supermarkets and specialized stores. Today, you’ll also find plenty of modern variations: chocolate, coconut, praline, even mojito-flavored turrón!
9. Polvorones (crumbly shortbread cookies)
If Christmas in Spain had a soundtrack, it would surely include the sound of people coughing their way through a mouthful of polvorones. These crumbly, shortbread-like cookies get their name from the word polvo (dust), because the moment you bite into one, they dissolve into a sweet, powdery cloud.
They are so dusty that locals even have a fun Christmas challenge, trying to say Pamplona (a name of a city) clearly after stuffing a whole polvorón in their mouth. But here’s a trick to make eating them easier: Before unwrapping a polvorón, gently squeeze it while it’s still inside the wrapper so it doesn’t completely crumble apart when you take a bite.
10. Mantecados (lard shortbread cookies)
Close cousins of polvorones, mantecados are slightly less crumbly, and get their name from manteca (lard), the ingredient that gives them their distinctive melt-in-the-mouth texture.
They are originally from Andalusia, so if you plan a trip to the region at Christmas, don’t miss the chance to try them at the source. The towns of Estepa (Seville) and Antequera (Málaga) are famous for producing millions of mantecados every holiday season. Mantecados are also typical of other areas, such as Toledo and the province of Valladolid.
11. Rosquillas/roscos de vino (wine doughnut)
Rosquillas de vino are soft ring-shaped cookies flavored with sweet wine and a hint of anise, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. They pair perfectly with coffee or a glass of cava after a Christmas meal.
If you’re looking for an edible souvenir, you’ll find boxes filled with a mix of rosquillas, polvorones, and mantecados all over Spain: A sweet way to bring the flavors of your Spanish Christmas holidays back home.
12. Pestiños (fried dough)
We can’t forget about pestiños, another beloved Spanish Christmas food, also eaten during Easter in Spain. These Andalusian pastries have spread across the country and can be found almost everywhere in Spain during the holidays.
These anise or sesame-flavored dough knots are fried until golden and then coated in honey or sugar. The result? Crunchy, sticky, and irresistibly sweet, but eating too many can leave you feeling heavy and sleepy. In fact, the word pestiño has made its way into Spanish slang to describe something tiresome.
- Esta peli es un pestiño. = This movie is a bore.
- Venga, no seas pestiño. = Come on, don’t be such a downer.
13. Uvas de Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve grapes)
Did you know that grapes bring good luck? According to a Spanish tradition, eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve will bring you fortune for the year ahead—one grape per month.
These uvas de la suerte (lucky grapes) are a must on December 31st. Families and friends gather around the TV to watch the countdown broadcast live from Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where the famous clock tower marks the campanadas (chimes). With each bell toll, everyone hurriedly pops a grape into their mouth: It might sound easy, but keeping up with the twelve chimes while chewing the grapes always gets chaotic and hilarious.
14. Roscón de Reyes (Three Kings’ cake)
January 6th, día de Reyes (Three Kings’ Day), marks the grand finale of the holiday season in Spain: It’s a national holiday, kids open their gifts, and families gather together. No celebration would be complete without roscón de Reyes, a crown-shaped sweet bread decorated with colorful candied fruits to represent jewels, often filled with whipped cream or custard.
You can order a slice in cafés, but the true fun is to buy a whole roscón in a bakery or shop to share with family and friends. Inside it, two hidden surprises: a tiny figurine and a dried bean. Whoever finds the figurine is crowned king or queen for the day, while the one who discovers the bean must pay for next year’s cake.
15. Cava (sparkling Spanish wine)
Technically, it is not Spanish Christmas food, but it is essential for holiday cheer. Cava is a sparkling white wine produced in Catalonia and Spain’s counterpart to French Champagne.
Want to toast in Spanish like a local? Use these Spanish expressions to impress everyone:
- ¡Salud! = Cheers!
- ¡Chin-chin! = Chin chin!
- ¡Feliz Navidad! = Merry Christmas!
- ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! = Happy New Year!
- ¡Feliz Reyes! = Happy King’s Day!
- ¡Por nosotros! = To us!
- ¡Que no nos falte de nada! = May we never lack anything!
Regional Spanish Christmas food specialties
Beyond the classics you’ll find across the country, many regions in Spain have their own traditional Christmas dishes that reflect local flavors and history. If you’re traveling around Spain during the holidays, here are a few festive specialties you might come across.
- Caracoles a la montañesa (mountain-style snails): A hearty snail stew from Cantabria, slow-cooked with chorizo, jamón, and spices.
- Escudella i Carn d’Olla: A Christmas dish from Catalonia whose name literally means “clay bowl and meat in a pot” in the Catalan language (escudella refers to the traditional bowl the soup is served in). It’s a comforting stew made with various cuts of meat, sausages, chickpeas, and vegetables, served with large pasta shells called galets.
- Cazuela de merluza a la koskera (hake casserole with koskera sauce): A flavorful cod or hake casserole with asparagus, peas, clams, and hard-boiled eggs, all simmered in a white wine sauce. You can eat it in the Basque Country.
- Canarian sancocho: Not to be confused with the Colombian meat stew of the same name, this Canary Islands version is a salted fish stew with potatoes, mojo sauce, and gofio (toasted cornmeal flour).
- Sopa de Nadal (literally “Christmas soup” in Catalan): A Balearic Islands variation of Catalonia’s escudella or Madrid’s cocido, made with meat broth, small stuffed pasta, and seasonal vegetables.
Be holiday ready with Rosetta Stone
Traveling to Spain to discover Christmas traditions and taste delicious local food is the best way to immerse yourself in the language. But you don’t have to wait until you get there!
Start learning Spanish at home with Rosetta Stone‘s Dynamic Immersion method. You’ll pick up the language the way locals speak it, through real context, not memorized lists and rules. And if you’re on the go, the Rosetta Stone App makes it easy to fit a Spanish lesson between shopping trips, flights, or holiday errands.
0 Commentaires