Christmas in India is never just one feast. It shifts with geography, culture and what’s cooking at home — from coconut-rich sweets to smoky, slow-cooked meats. Here’s how different regions bring their own flavour to Christmas.

Goa - Goa’s Christmas table is a rich legacy of Indo-Portuguese traditions. The iconic bebinca, with its delicate layers of coconut milk, eggs, sugar and ghee, is a true showstopper. Another delicacy is the dodol, a slow-cooked, fudgy delight made with coconut milk and jaggery. Perad, a dense, ruby-coloured, chewy sweet made from slow-cooked guava pulp, sugar and lemon juice and brightly coloured marzipan shaped like fruits and flowers brings a playful charm to the Christmas spread.

Kerala - In Kerala, Christmas flavours are gentle, fragrant, and deeply comforting. The festive table often begins with soft, lace-edged appams paired with a mildly spiced coconut-milk stew of vegetables or meat. Desserts include the iconic Kerala plum cake that is dark, dense and rich with caramelised sugar, spices, dried fruits and nuts. Crisp achappam, or rose cookies, add a delicate crunch, rounding off a celebration rooted in warmth and quiet indulgence.

Nagaland- The Naga Christmas doughnut is a lesser-known festive delight from Nagaland. This doughnut is instantly recognisable by its deep brown hue and distinctive sweet, powdery crunch and a firmer bite. Made with simple ingredients like flour, butter, sugar, eggs and baking powder, this doughnut is traditionally fried in ghee. Once cooked over open wood fires, this timeless Christmas snack has seamlessly found its way into modern kitchens, carrying its rich legacy forward.

Mumbai – Mumbai’s Anglo-Indian Christmas features the vibrant ball curry, gently spiced and tangy with vinegar. This is often complemented by the peppery kick of devilled chicken or eggs alongside simple plain rice. The feast culminates in the iconic Anglo-Indian Christmas fruit cake, a dark, dense and deeply spiced loaf whose fruit has been soaking for weeks in advance.

Andhra Pradesh - Christmas in Andhra Pradesh features robust gravies like kodi kura - slow-cooked chicken marinated with ginger, garlic, red chillies and garam masala or the tangy, gongura mamsam paired with steamed rice. The feast ends with the pal payasam, garnished with cardamom and cashews, alongside simple milk sweets.

Across India, Christmas is celebrated not through a single feast, but through many tables — each shaped by memory, geography and the quiet rituals of home cooking. From layered desserts prepared in advance to slow-cooked curries eaten at dusk, these regional traditions remind us that festive food is as much about belonging as it is about flavour.

Tell us about a traditional dish you prepare during Christmas in the comments below.