Mapped: Where your Christmas dinner originally came from

It all seems so British, so traditional and familiar. But assuming you are one of the millions who still follows the tradition, when you sit down for your Christmas lunch on Monday, you will actually be indulging in a taste-fest of flavours from all over the world. Many are foods which were once considered exotic and highly-prized, which were traded on spice routes, imported from the Americas, or shipped from the East Indies. Today you can find them on the supermarket shelves. Here is our global tour of where they actually came from in the first place.

Main course

Turkey and Cranberry sauce 

New England

You probably know this one. Turkeys are native to North America and they were first brought back to this country from New England after the Pilgrims had established themselves there in the 17th century. Eating turkey on Christmas Day is a much more recent tradition – they started to replace goose in the 19th century. Frankly I think we should have stuck with the latter.

Cranberries – which are also native to New England, were probably first consumed with Turkeys by native Americans. You may not spot a wild turkey in New England today, but it makes a great destination for a summer holiday on the coast – try My America Holiday (020 3733 1420; myamericaholiday.co.uk).

Brussels sprouts

Brussels

It’s impossible to explain the enduring appeal of these revolting vegetables. As far as I’m concerned, they should go back to where they came from. It’s not hard to work out where that is. The sprouts we eat today are probably indigenous to the Mediterranean, but were first cultivated in the Low Countries, near Brussels. If you really want to shop for them today, try the markets at Flagey on Saturday and Sunday morning or Châtelain on Wednesday. You can get there and back in a day from London on Eurostar (eurostar.com).

Parsnips 

Germany

Wild varieties were indigenous to the whole of Europe and Asia. But I’m going to give this one to Germany, because the Roman Emperor Tiberius accepted part of a tribute due to him from that country in the form of parsnips – so 2,000 years ago it seems that the Germans had mastered the art of its cultivation.

I admit to being slightly hazy on the best place to buy them now, but apparently the vegetable market at the appropriately named Marketplatz in Stuttgart is a good one and has been going since 1304 (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings; stuttgart-tourist.de). 

Roast potatoes 

Peru

Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh are traditionally given credit for bringing back potatoes from the Americas – although there is no conclusive evidence which confirms how and when they first arrived. Like Paddington, they come originally from Peru, however, though many varieties have obviously been developed since and roasting them with meat seems to be a British tradition. Thankfully there is plenty more to see in Peru than tubers. Telegraph Travel’s Ultimate Itinerary picks out the highlights.

Carrots

Netherlands

The wild carrot is native to Europe and red and yellow varieties were developed many centuries ago. But the orange cultivar which adds colour to our Christmas plates was first produced in the Netherlands in the 17th century. For a list of the best open air vegetable markets in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, see amsterdam.info/markets; get there from several different UK airports via klm.co.uk.

Bread sauce 

Spice Islands

The best way to mask the taste of sprouts, and it just wouldn’t be the same without that clove-studded onion infusing it with flavour. Those cloves are the dried flower buds of a tree native to the northern Moluccas (the Spice Islands) in Indonesia. It’s tricky to get there – and expensive too. The best way is by sea – Seabourn Sojourn has several itineraries which call at the islands (seabourn.com).

Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies

I’m not going to risk an argument about the authenticity of various regional and family recipes: one man’s mincemeat is another man’s pudding. The following selection of ingredients is intended to cover some of the most common that you’ll be able to find spicing up your festive desserts.

Sugar  

South Asia

It was Christopher Columbus and the Spaniards who took sugar cane to the Caribbean. It’s actually native to an entirely different part of the tropics – Melanesia (those are the islands to the north east of Australia) and South Asia. That’s quite a broad area, so why not try a cruise? Many lines have itineraries which include Papua New Guinea and nearby islands, for example P&O (pocruises.com).

Almonds, figs and sultanas 

Middle East

The ultimate source of marzipan, almond trees win my prize for the most indispensable part of Christmas. Like sultana raisins (made from the kishmish grape) and figs, they are probably native to the Middle East, though spread further west in pre-history. Figs in particular were among the first fruit trees to be cultivated by mankind: as we all know, Adam and Eve grew them in Eden, though perhaps as much for sartorial purposes as for the fruit. How about a tour which also includes some of the region’s best wines? Travel the Unknown (traveltheunknown.com) has an itinerary doing just that in Lebanon.

Ginger 

India

India is, and probably always has been, the biggest producer of the roots of the ginger plant, though different varieties grow all over South Asia. Ginger plants grow in most of the warmer parts of the country. You might spot some if you were following our Ultimate Itinerary to Rajasthan. 

Nutmeg and mace

Spice Islands

Native to the Indonesian Banda Islands, in the Moluccas (just south of the islands where cloves originated). From the 17th until the 19th centuries, the Dutch controlled the islands and the trade in nutmeg – our own James I did control one of the islands, but Charles II swapped it for the island of Manhattan in 1667; one of the better deals of colonial history. To get there (the Spice Islands, not Manhattan), see the entry for bread sauce.

Orange and lemon peel

China 

Sweet oranges were first recorded in Chinese literature in 314 BC and they probably originated – along with lemons, which are probably a hybrid – in the southern part of that country. They do have orange groves in southern China, but surely you want to go there for the landscapes of Guilin, and the excitement of Hong Kong. Try Wendy Wu (wendywutours.co.uk) for a good selection of tours.

Cinnamon 

Sri Lanka

Cinnamon sticks are rolled from the inner bark of several tree species native to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, which was to become one of the major historic producers. Now most of the world production comes from China and Indonesia. 

You are spoilt for choice when it comes to holidays in Sri Lanka – from beach holidays, to wildlife tours. Kuoni (kuoni.co.uk) has an interesting mix of both.

Brandy 

South-west France

No prizes here. As we all know, although it can apply to several different grape distillations, the best brandy comes from Cognac and Armagnac in south-west France, though you might prefer a cheaper variety when it comes to dousing the Christmas pudding. You can visit and taste at many of the most famous cognac houses. Fly into Bordeaux (ba.com) and head north (tourism-cognac.com) has details.

And to finish

Port 

Portugal

Like the brandy, there is no mystery here – all true port comes from Porto and we have been importing it to Britain since 1703. Kirker (kirker.com) has a tempting tour of Porto and the Duoro valley, which includes two wine tastings and visits to both Braga and Guimaraes. Of course, when it comes to toasting the Queen, you may prefer…

Madeira 

Madeira 

An alternative fortified wine, from the Portuguese island of Madeira. Madeira would make an excellent post-Christmas winter break too. Flights from BA (ba.com) and easyJet (easyjet.com); see our guide to the best hotels. 

Stilton 

The East Midlands

And we finish with the one and only part of a traditional Christmas lunch which we can be sure actually originated here in Britain – almost certainly in the 1720s. Stilton is a town in Cambridgeshire and the cheese was recorded there (apparently wriggling with maggots) in 1724. However, it may have actually originated in Wymondham in Leicestershire and today only cheese produced in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire can be sold as Stilton. Wymondham is near Melton Mowbray. You can’t miss it, it’s a little way west of the A1. Just don’t get it mixed up with the Norfolk Wymondham when you put it into the satnav.