© 1955 - 2015  European Homemade Provisions.  All rights reserved.
Christmas Specialties
Croatian, Czech,
Danish, Finnish,
French, German,
Greek, Hungarian,
Italian, Korean,
Lithuanian, Norwegian,
Polish, Portuguese,
Russian, Serbian,
Slovak, Spanish,
Swedish, & Ukrainian
Wondering what to give for the Holidays?
Give a Gift of Taste!
Gift Certificates available!
Our Christmas Products...
Holiday Desserts
  • Chocolate Advent Calendars

  • Chocolates from
- Poland
- Germany
- Hungary

  • Seasonal Cakes:
- Prune Rolls
- Walnut Rolls
- Poppyseed Rolls "Makowiec"
- Cheese Rolls

  • Babkas
- Plain
- With Cheese
- With Fruits
Speciality
Baking Ingredients
  • Hungarian Style
         Cake Filling
- Apricot
- Raspberry
- Lekvar (prune)

  • Ground Poppy Seeds

  • Walnut Flour

  • Farmers / Pot Cheese
Christmas Eve Traditions

In the Slavic tradition, Christmas Eve is celebrated with the entire family. Together families spend days preparing all the meals and putting up decorations, bringing the Christmas spirit into the home. The man of the house goes out into the forest to cut down a grand Christmas tree and brings it to the house to surprise the family. The women would spend the day cooking all the meals and the aroma fills the house.
After the meal the members of the family sing Christmas Carols and go to Midnight Mass. When they return from mass, everyone gathers around the Christmas tree to exchange presents. On Christmas Day, families celebrate with a great feast. The Christmas day dinner table includes all of the traditional meals such as, Kielbasy with sauerkraut, ham, pork loin with gravy, mashed potatoes, and hunter's stew. All dishes are served with
horseradish and beets. Everyone enjoys
the food, good company, laughter and fun.
Another celebration to cherish.

Merry Christmas!
Before the meal a prayer is said and then an opłatek - Christmas Wafer, which is known as the bread of love, friendship and forgiveness, is broken and distributed among the family members. Everyone then goes around the table to bestow wishes of happiness and good health as they share a piece of their opłatek with each other.
With the appearance of the first star in the sky, the Christmas Eve supper is usually held under candlelight at around 6 o’clock. The star symbolizes the birth of Jesus in Christian tradition and a soul of deceased ancestors in pre-Christian beliefs. Quiet, dim-lighting, and a magical atmosphere is characteristic for Christmas Eve supper.
Before the meal, the man of the house would bring hay to lay on top of the wooden table in memory of the child being born in the manger. Then the women bring a white tablecloth to cover the hay on the table, and they begin placing the dishes on the table. It is customary to place an extra chair and plate at the table, waiting for a lonely traveler who may knock at the door, or for loved ones who are far away, inviting them to join their families in spirit.
Kutia is a wheat and poppy seed pudding mixed with honey. It is served as a dessert and is said to bring peaceful sleep, and the honey contentment. Poppy seeds are widely used for Christmas Eve dishes because they symbolize abundance and prosperity.
The Christmas menu contains:
Red beet soup borscht with mushroom dumplings uszka
Fish soup, Herring,
carp filled with potato stuffing,
sauerkraut & mushroom pierogies,
potato & cheese pierogies,
Bigos stewed sauerkraut with beans,
Stuffed cabbage gołąbki,
dried fruit compote,
poppy seed rolls makowiec,
gingerbread cookies,
& Kutia
Wigilia, in Polish, is a meatless dinner that contains twelve dishes representing the twelve apostles. The specific dishes may differ from country to country, but many of them are universal. Due to the Nativity Fast, no meat, eggs or milk, including cheese, are allowed during the supper. Thus fish, vegetables and various types of grain are the main dishes.
  • Smoked & Fresh Kielbasy

  • Hams
- Boneless
- With Bone
- Polish
- Fresh
- Sliced Boneless

  • Pork Loin

  • Stewed Sauerkraut

  • Traditional Pierogies

  • Mushroom Dumpling "Uszka"

  • Red Beet Soup "Barscht"

  • Stuffed Cabbage

Homemade
Christmas Foods
Speciality
Grocery Items
  • Christmas Wafers - Oplatki

  • Polish Dried Mushrooms

  • Herring

  • Horseradish
- Red With Beets
- Plian White

  • Honey Mustard Glaze for Hams
Foreign Language Christmas Cards
Christmas Traditions...
Only With European Homemade Provisions
Your Local Old Fashioned Delicatessen & Catering   -   Purveyor of Polish & Eastern European Specialty Foods   -   Since 1955
301 Old Bridge Turnpike Road, East Brunswick, New Jersey, 08816    -    Phone: (732) 254-7156    -    Fax: (732) 254-0812