The Hits: Christmas table 'treats' from around the world

The Hits DJs, Adam Green and Megan Banks.

OPINION:

This week on The Hits Hawkes Bay we discussed the foods that while delicious, also make it feel a little bit like you walked into the set of The Brady Bunch.

You know the ones, your curried eggs, shrimp cocktails and cheese fondue. Maybe a little cheese ball and beef wellington. All perfectly great in their own right, but all conjuring up the image of brown and mustard carpet and a grainy old box TV in the corner.

With Christmas on the way, you may be tempted to put these disco delicacies on the table, and by all means, go ahead, but, if you'd like to get a little more exotic, I've saved you some time and looked at Christmas table treats from around the world, because we can't travel the world this Christmas, but we can bring the world to us!

In Norway, a nice plate of smalahove doesn't go astray. The literal translation is sheep's head. Which is what this dish is. A lamb's head, boiled for roughly three hours and served up brains and all. You can start with the brains (apparently the best bit) and then work your way down to the neck.

Imagine your guests' delight when you suggest a Slovakian main course of delightful kapustnica.

"Oh what exotic delight will adorn my plate" they'll be thinking. Now imagine their surprise when you serve up a bowl of cabbage.

Yes, in Slovakia Christmas is often celebrated with a lovely bowl of hot cabbage soup. Because when I think of celebrations, I think cabbages. If the kids are lucky maybe Santa will bring cabbage to the Santa Sack, and we could spend Christmas morning preparing our feast!

To really impress with your international culinary delights requires quite a bit of forward preparation.

First, find someone in Greenland who can send you the required ingredients for kiviak. Then, follow this recipe. Take the raw flesh of the aucks (A type of seabird, not the short version of NZ's biggest city) and make a bag of seal skin. Place the aucks inside the skin, and bury to decompose for several months. After decomposition remove from seal skin bag and chow down on the 25th!

Armed with this newfound knowledge of international Christmas culinary inspiration, you are sure to impress and delight – and if you can't find the required ingredients, a tray of curried eggs is probably a safe bet!