How we eat and gather is central to who we are: the diaspora at Christmas

Our personal and shared communal traditions across food and drink play a dominant role in festive celebrations

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For us, what makes the Christmas period so special is how the nature of our celebrations and observances can be profoundly personal and widely shared at the same time. And nothing symbolises this better than the food and drink that fill our tables. In today’s newsletter we explore Christmas food traditions across the diaspora and how they represent our familial identities and wider communal histories.

There isn’t a single route to crafting a Nigerian Christmas table. Traditions vary from family to family, but there are a few staples that you will find at any large, celebratory gathering, regardless of the time of year: mountains of plantain; coleslaw smothered in salad cream or mayonnaise; an array of starters (spring rolls, chicken wings, savoury donut-style puff puff balls, samosas) endearingly known collectively as “small chops”; two types of rice: fried, and the regional favourite jollof. In our home, we have inherited the coloniser’s turkey, but most people choose chicken or beef, either roasted or prepared in a stew.