Fried Chicken is foreign but an immensely popular food in Japan, and it owes that to the American fast-food giant, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Fried chicken is different from the Japanese version Karaage for its thick and crispy outer layer. Fried chicken becomes highly in demand in Japan as the Christmas season approaches, leading to long queues forming at restaurants. This unique phenomenon is deeply rooted in the cultural aspects of Christmas celebrations in Japan.
Christmas Cake is a round layered cake, usually a sponge cake, filled with fruits, and frosted with whipped cream. The fluffy sweet cake is loved by all generations in Japan, and it has become an annual custom for the last several decades. Christmas cakes are seen everywhere in Japan during the season, such as at cake shops, supermarkets, and convenience stores. It plays a significant role in Japanese cuisine today, even though it’s not a traditional Japanese sweet.
Teriyaki Chicken Leg is braised chicken legs in Teriyaki sauce. It has been a favorite Christmas dinner in Japan that is made at home or bought from stores.
The Buche de Noel cake comes from an old European tradition of burning a huge log at the winter solstice to end the year and bring good luck, and later during the Christmas season to celebrate Christmas. It’s a little unclear when exactly people started making cakes instead of burning giant logs, but it seems to be connected to houses and fireplaces becoming smaller. The French name and the use of thinly rolled sponge cake points to 19th century France. In any case, at some point, people started to replace their wood yule logs with delicious cakes and now everyone can enjoy them!