While you’re sitting down to turkey and dressing next week, some of your friends from other countries will be wishing they were eating some of their favorite holiday meals as well.

Foie gras ⸺ France

People in France enjoy duck liver, also known as foie gras. It was originally from ancient Egypt but later spread to Europe. It is a very popular dish in French restaurants and is mostly eaten during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“We put foie gras on warm toast or bread, it’s very buttery and salty,” junior Paul Delour, a foreign exchange student from France said.

Chicken tikka masala ⸺ Nepal

In Nepal, people savor chicken tikka masala with naan. It was invented by a Nepali chef named Krishna Bahadur Thapa who came to the UK with a work permit in 1965. It became popular in South Asia and the Middle East.
“Naan is like a butter tortilla and chicken tikka masala is like a sauce but it tastes delicious,” junior Sushant Subedi said. “We mostly eat it on Diwali or any other day.

Pork Sisig ⸺ Philippines

In the Philippines, there are a lot of traditional holiday meals that include Adobo, Turon, and Pork Sisig, which is very popular and loved by many people.
“Pork Sisig is one of my favorites out of all,” senior Mika Emphasis said. “It originated from Pampanga Philippines. People from Pampanga didn’t like wasting food so they made Sisig. it includes almost everything like pork ears, face, and chicken liver and reminds me of home.”

Pho ⸺ Vietnamese

Pho is a very popular and traditional meal for any Vietnamese. It also became Vietnam’s national food and it was invented in northern Vietnam.
“It has rice noodles, sliced meat, bone broth, and sometimes meatballs. We also put vegetables like bean sprouts, green onion, mint leaves, and many more greens. You can add hot sauce if you want but it’s totally optional. Pho can be eaten anytime but mostly it is famously eaten during the New Year in February,” senior Peter Tran said. “ It is very savory.”

Tamales ⸺ Mexico

Tamales is one of the most famous traditional holiday meals in Mexico. Tamales were also considered sacred food for the gods and originated in Mesoamerica from 8000 to 5000 BC.
“Tamales is like dough with a lot of meat inside and the meat is either pork or chicken,” Junior Betzaida Silva said. It is wrapped in leaves, mostly green banana leaves and then they are steamed.

Miso Soup ⸺ Japan

Miso soup is very popular in Japan as it is very loved and very easy to prepare. Miso soup originated in China and was introduced to Japan later. It is considered a traditional Japanese soup.
“I eat miso soup with rice and it is very healthy like it is rich in vitamins and minerals,” Junior Aoka Tamaru said.