The holiday season is full of friends, family, and most importantly, food. The plethora of holiday flavors that are offered during this period are insanely delicious and is enjoyed worldwide. The fun treats that the holidays bring are just another perk of the most wonderful time of the year! Iconic flavors like peppermint, gingerbread, and the polarizing eggnog are all so popular around this time of year.
To begin, the most iconic, well-known, and heavily consumed holiday flavor is peppermint. From candies to drinks and several delicious desserts, this taste sure does take the holiday food scene by storm. This flavor has been making an impact since 1670 and ceases to be stopped. Some common items that can be mixed and matched with peppermint are: hot chocolates and mochas, chocolate bark, and cookies. The refreshing taste and smell of the holiday treat are enough to bring anyone back to the holiday season.
A close second to the beloved peppermint is gingerbread! An oldie but a goodie, this treat has been cherished for over thousands of years, according to EnglishHeritage.org. The same website also claims that it was a great dish to showcase wealth as well. What I mean by this is that back in the fifteenth century, garnishing foods with spices was seen as a sign of wealth, due to the scarcity of them at the time. So, putting multiple spices into one dish seemed like a great way to showcase your whole collection and flex a little bit. The flavor stuck around but it is not the best thing to showcase around the holidays now. Still being consumed in the form of cookies, coffee flavors, and pastries. These classic cookies have been loved by many through not only decades but centuries, and will not be leaving anytime soon.
To round out your taste buds or cleanse your palate, I would recommend taking a swig of the nostalgic beverage known as eggnog. Served hot or cold, this holiday drink is surely one of the most unique dishes the holidays have to offer. Surprisingly, the treat has a variety of different forms it can take on. If you can think of an eggnog-flavored food, you could probably make it. The rich and spiced taste can be infused into cinnamon rolls, pies, ice cream, cream puffs, and so many other treats. In fact, around 20 percent of people choose eggnog as their favorite holiday flavor, according to a study in 2021 at Saint Leo University. The mixed reactions of consumers keep the polarizing product returning to shelves.
All in all, the holiday season is more than just the food and flavors you consume. It is more than the thousands of cookies and sweets or the aromas that fill the kitchens. The actual important things of the holiday season are the memories shared, the laughter had, and the traditions created. It is more than the family recipe we look forward to every year; it is the joy that fills the air while making the beloved dishes. The conversations while enjoying the food are what it is all about. It is more than the food, flavors, and festivities; it is the family and friends you make fond memories with.
