Skip to content
Menu
Weekly edition
The world in brief
Search
Subscribe
Log in
Christmas Specials | Use your loaf
How food affects the mind, as well as the body
It turns out you are what you eat after all
Dec 20th 2022
Share
Aglistening roast turkey. Rounds of golden, roast potatoes and parsnips. Pigs in blankets (because what meat-based meal is not improved by a side of sausages wrapped in bacon?). Brussels sprouts. Bread sauce. Cranberry sauce. Gravy. And, to finish, brandy-sodden pudding topped with butter.
Countries vary in their Christmas-meal traditions. Poles prefer fish, often carp. A Swedish julbord groans with variety, though herring will never be far off. But the repast served at most British tables on December 25th is iconic, and has been (with goose sometimes standing in for turkey) since the time of the Victorians.
Already have an account? Log in
Get the full story
Enjoy a month of insightful analysis for free.
Cancel at any time
Start trial
Distinctive global analysis with more than 100 articles a week on The Economist app and economist.com
An immersive world with podcasts and digital newsletters
Intelligent debate with a global community in subscriber-only digital events
Or continue reading this article
Register now
Christmas Specials
December 24th 2022
In a corner of Java live the Amish of Indonesia
Should we care about people who need never exist?
What Brazil’s 19th-century rubber crash could teach today’s oil drillers
How food affects the mind, as well as the body
What makes certain dogs popular in certain countries
The great inflation of the 1500s is echoing eerily today
The decline of the city grid
Why cricket and America are made for each other
Share
Reuse this content
THE ECONOMIST TODAY
Handpicked stories, in your inbox
A daily newsletter with the best of our journalism
example@email.com
Sign up
More from Christmas Specials
Can you solve our Christmas crossword?
Test yourself with our cryptic challenge
Try your hand at our Christmas quiz
Test your knowledge with our drink-themed questions
In a corner of Java live the Amish of Indonesia
The Baduy of Indonesia shun modernity. But growing numbers are abandoning their way of life
Subscribe
Group subscriptions
Reuse our content
The Trust Project
Help and contact us
Keep updated
Published since September 1843 to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”
The Economist
About
Advertise
Press centre
The Economist Group
The Economist Group
Economist Intelligence
Economist Impact
Economist Events
Working Here
Economist Education Courses
Which MBA?
Executive Jobs
Executive Education Navigator
Terms of Use
Privacy
Cookie Policy
Manage Cookies