The Nativity feast in this tradition begins after a fixed fast of forty days, concluding on Christmas Eve. Orthodox households often set two tables for the holiday season: one for the fast, and another for the more celebratory Christmas meal. The customary menu is said to include twelve dishes, echoing the twelve apostles, each carrying its own symbolic meaning. Some culinary historians, however, note that this twelve-dish pattern is more common in Catholic and Orthodox communities across Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic region than in Russia itself. (citation: Olga Syutkina, Russian culinary historian)
Historical guides like Domostroy from the 1550s hint at a generous spread for meat lovers after Epiphany. Works such as Painting Royal Dishes from 1610–1613 describe more than fifty dishes for the royal Christmas table, ranging from puffy rolls to pies, and even exotic birds. Yet other chronicles, like the Cookbook of Patriarch Filaret Nikitich (1623), mention a modest Christmas feast of just twelve dishes for the patriarch. (citation: historical culinary texts)
Which old Christmas dishes still appear today? In religious households, Christmas Eve often features sochivo, a porridge built from wheat grains, honey, poppy seeds, and nuts, paired with a drink reminiscent of dried fruit compote. After the fast ends, the tide of dishes usually mirrors the New Year’s table for many families, according to Syutkina. (citation: Olga Syutkina)
Centuries of tradition show that some dishes endure. Jellied meats, sometimes called maiden jelly, roast goose, and other fried birds such as duck, bustard, and hazel grouse, have long lined the festive board. Sturdy staples like sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, mushrooms, and pickled apples remain beloved by Russians, a sentiment echoed by modern chefs. (citation: contemporary culinary voices)
Vlad Piskunov, a brand chef at Matryoshka, observes little difference between Christmas and New Year menus, noting that what appears on the table often follows available ingredients. In winter, goose has become a traditional centerpiece because waterfowl are commonly slaughtered when ponds and rivers freeze. Goose is typically paired with apples. For a twist, soaked apples are recommended when fresh fruit is scarce. (citation: Matryoshka restaurant insights)
What dishes should make the Christmas table feel distinct from the New Year celebration and still spark joy? Piskunov suggests a festive kulebaka crafted from several fish species as a centerpiece. The preparation calls for sourdough, butter, eggs, assorted fish fillets such as sterlet, salmon, and pike perch, plus mushroom caviar, béchamel sauce, boiled millet, lezon (savory scrambled eggs with milk), salt, and black pepper. (citation: chef guidance)
To make mushroom caviar, mushrooms (a mix of white and champignon) and onions are diced finely and fried separately in a generous amount of vegetable oil. The onions are fried first, then the mushrooms, salted, and finished with a touch of truffle oil. The result stores well in sterilized glass jars in the fridge for weeks and works as a cold appetizer or as a pie, kulebyak, dumpling, or kundum filling. (citation: Piskunov)
For béchamel, flour is toasted in butter and milk is added gradually, whisked until smooth. Heavy cream, lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt are folded in for a rich finish. Roll the dough as thin as possible and lay it out. Layer butter, fish fillet, crumbled egg, a third of the béchamel, another fish fillet, mushroom caviar, the remaining béchamel, a final fish layer, and millet. Season each layer with salt and pepper, then roll, wrap in parchment, and bake on a parchment-lined sheet at 180 degrees for about 35 minutes. Let the pastry rest under a towel for at least half an hour, and serve best with a rich fish soup or broth. (citation: kitchen technique overview)
The season’s most challenging dish remains the baked goose. Brand chief Konstantin Gushchin notes that the quality of the goose and the timing and method of cooking are crucial. With stores sometimes lacking good geese, many opt for duck or chicken, using the same recipe but shortening the cooking time by about one and a half times. The marinade and accompaniment include winter apples such as Antonovka or Granny Smith, prunes, floral honey, cashews, orange juice, fresh ginger, soy sauce, coriander, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. (citation: Gushchin on festive poultry)
Practical steps involve soaking the bird in salted water with pepper and bay leaves for about ten hours, then marinating in a mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, grated ginger, honey, and coriander for an hour. Apples and prunes with cashews are marinated separately in a honey-ginger-rosemary blend before the bird is stuffed and roasted at 180 degrees, then slowly lowered to 120 degrees for a couple of hours, basting periodically. The oven rests empty for a dishful of aroma, and the final result is served with timely slicing and care. (citation: Gushchin’s method)
As an alternative centerpiece, Gushchin suggests roasted lamb shoulder with pearl barley, porcini mushrooms, and blueberries. Preparation begins with salting and brining the lamb in water with pepper and bay leaves for ten hours, followed by a mustard-soy-wine-garlic marinade and slow roasting. The garnish features rinsed pearl barley, simmered mushrooms with onions and shallots, garlic, and mushroom broth, then blended with parmesan, butter, thyme, and final salt and pepper. A finishing touch is a sauce of berries and sugar simmered with water. When plated, the lamb sits at the center with barley and mushrooms around, a scatter of blueberries, and a drizzle of meat sauce. (citation: Gushchin’s lamb dish)
Alexander Akimov, brand chef at Reka, shares a festive Olivier salad variant suitable for Christmas. His version swaps boiled sausage for crab meat and red caviar, pairing them with a blend of sour cream and mayonnaise roughly equal to cream cheese. The ingredients include potatoes, carrots, pickled cucumbers, green peas, crab meat, quail eggs, red caviar, red onion, sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. The dish is assembled with cubed potatoes and carrots, chopped pickles and peas, then dressed with a cream-cheese-enhanced sour cream mixture. Crab meat and halved quail eggs crown the salad, finished with red onion threads. (citation: Akimov’s Olivier adaptation)
Jellied meat remains a staple winter dish, and Vladimir Mukhin of White Rabbit has shared his version. The recipe uses beef leg and shank, chicken, onion, garlic, black pepper, bay leaves, and salt. The meat is rinsed, soaked, and simmered gently with aromatics. A richer broth can be achieved with chicken stock. After cooking, the liquid is strained and seasoned with garlic, and the mixture is cooled until it solidifies. A final flourish suggests adding chopped parsley before the gel sets, or greens right before serving to heighten aroma. (citation: Mukhin on jellied meat)