What Do Spaniards Eat at Christmas? Food Traditions from Nochebuena to Reyes
The Spanish Christmas table, from the Nochebuena dinner and turrón to the 12 grapes and roscón de Reyes, plus what you can serve at home this year.
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In Spain the big Christmas meal is on Christmas Eve, Nochebuena (December 24), and it usually starts late, around 9 or 10pm The table opens with jamón, cheese and seafood, moves on to a roast or fish, and ends with turrón and polvorones. Then the season keeps going: the 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve and the roscón de Reyes on January 6.
The Spanish Christmas calendar at a glance
| Date | Name | What’s on the table |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 24 | Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) | The main family dinner: starters, seafood, a roast, sweets |
| Dec 25 | Navidad | Lunch with leftovers, or a stew like cocido or escudella in Catalonia |
| Dec 31 | Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) | Another big dinner, then 12 grapes at midnight |
| Jan 6 | Reyes (Epiphany) | Gifts for children and roscón de Reyes for breakfast |
The starters: jamón, cheese and seafood
Almost every Spanish Christmas table starts with a few plates in the middle to share, tapas-style:
- Jamón ibérico, sliced thin and served at room temperature. It’s the one thing families splurge on. → How to carve a jamón
- Cured meats: chorizo, salchichón and lomo. → Spanish cured meats explained
- Manchego and other cheeses, often with membrillo. → Build a Spanish cheese board
- Seafood: boiled prawns (langostinos or gambas) are a Christmas classic, along with good tinned fish like bonito ventresca, mussels or clams. → How to serve conservas
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Cinco Jotas 5J Jamón de Bellota 100% Ibérico, sliced (70 g)
Cinco Jotas (5J) · Jabugo, Huelva · Pre-sliced leg (jamón), 70 g pack
The benchmark most Spaniards would name first. Jabugo style: intense, long, savoury. The pack to buy when you want the 'this is why people rave about it' moment.
Why we like it
- The reference brand in Spain
- Intense Jabugo flavour
Keep in mind
- Premium price for 70 g
Best for: A first taste of the top tier, a special gift
Price and availability on Amazon.co.uk
Ibérico selection: ham, salchichón, chorizo and cured loin (200 g)
Spanish deli selection · Spain · 4 sliced cured meats, 200 g
The easiest 'Spanish bar at home' kit: ham plus the three classic Ibérico cured meats. Check the label on the ham — it isn't the same grade as a black-label pack.
Best for: Tapas night, trying everything once
Price and availability on Amazon.co.uk
Manchego PDO 12 months aged (reserve)
LalolaGourmet · La Mancha · Wedge
Twelve months gives Manchego its nutty, caramel depth and a crumbly bite. The one to serve if you want people to ask 'which cheese is this?'.
Why we like it
- PDO: real Manchega sheep milk
Keep in mind
- Too firm for sandwiches
El Quijote dulce de membrillo (quince paste)
El Quijote · Córdoba, Spain · Block
Manchego's classic partner: a thin slice of quince paste on a piece of cheese. Sweet, floral, a little tart.
Ortiz yellowfin tuna belly (ventresca) in olive oil (110 g)
Conservas Ortiz · Basque coast · 110 g tin
Ventresca is the belly: the richest, silkiest part of the fish. Eat it straight from the tin with good bread.
Why we like it
- The most prized cut
Keep in mind
- Small tin for the price
Ramón Peña mussels in escabeche 16/20 (set of 4 × 110 g)
Ramón Peña · Galician rías · 4 tins
Galician mussels in escabeche — a tangy sauce of oil, vinegar and paprika. A classic of Spanish vermouth hour.
Why we like it
- A benchmark Galician canner
Keep in mind
- Tangy sauce: not for everyone
The main course
It depends on the region and the family. The classics are roast lamb or suckling pig in Castile, sea bream (besugo) in the north and in Madrid, stuffed turkey in Catalonia and seafood soups along the coast. There is no single national dish, like turkey in Britain.
The sweets: turrón, polvorones and marzipan
- Turrón is the Christmas sweet. There are two classics: hard Turrón de Alicante (whole toasted almonds in honey nougat) and soft Turrón de Jijona (ground almonds and honey, almost like a paste). Both are protected geographical indications (PGI) from the province of Alicante.
- Polvorones and mantecados are crumbly almond shortbreads, wrapped one by one; Estepa in Andalusia is the best-known town for them.
- Mazapán (marzipan), with Toledo’s the most famous.
They come out on a big platter after dinner, with coffee and a glass of something sweet, and stay on the table until January.
New Year’s Eve: the 12 grapes
At midnight on December 31, Spaniards eat one grape for each of the 12 chimes of the clock, watching the bells of Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on TV. Finishing all twelve in time is meant to bring a lucky year. Then comes the toast, usually with cava. → Cava explained
Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut Cava (75cl)
Freixenet · Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Catalonia · 75cl bottle
The famous black bottle: a crisp, dry cava made by the traditional method. An easy, affordable fizz for tapas and parties.
Why we like it
- Traditional method at an everyday level
- Dry: cuts through salty and fried food
Keep in mind
- Simple rather than complex: for everyday, not special occasions
Please drink responsibly. You must be 18 or over to buy alcohol.
January 6: roscón de Reyes
The season ends on Epiphany with the roscón de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread with candied fruit, often filled with cream. Inside are a small figurine and a dried bean: whoever finds the figurine is “king” for the day, and whoever finds the bean pays for next year’s roscón.
Bring it home this year
You don’t need the whole menu. A Spanish-style Christmas Eve at home is three things done well: jamón at room temperature, a good Manchego and one or two tins of premium seafood, with bread, olives and almonds. Put them out while the main course is in the oven.
→ The full plan, with quantities: A Spanish tapas menu for a holiday party · Giving instead of hosting? The best Spanish food gifts for Christmas