Quick answer
What's on the Christmas Eve table?
The classic is potato salad with fried carp or schnitzel, plus fish soup. Some tables have roast carp, turkey, or wine sausage. And of course a plate of cookies.
Christmas
Christmas has its own smell — cookies, gingerbread, and potato salad with schnitzel. Find everything for the festive table: traditional cookies, the Christmas Eve menu, and treats for the Advent Sundays. Whether it's your first bake or a family classic, start here.
Best recipes
White chocolate wasp nests with mango and passion fruit
Grandma's traditional wasp's nest cookies with rum cream
Soft honey gingerbread cookies that never go hard
Cocoa stars with coconut cream
Lard cookies (sádláky) – our grandmothers' christmas cookies
Pistachio crescent cookies
Sugar christmas cookies - crisp and delicate
Mom's christmas braid
Unconventional linzer cookies with pistachios
Not just for st. nicholas: haribo bear loaf (or cake)
Homemade eggnog – the best christmas drink
Chocolate-glazed marokánky (nut & candied fruit cookies)
Egg white nut loaf
The best honey gingerbread cookies
An unconventional christmas eve menu: pike in almond batter
Linzer cookies filled with salted caramel
Nigella lawson's chocolate peanut butter cups
Soft gingerbread cookies
Chocolate mint cupcakes – after eight style
Mom's christmas fish soup with mushrooms
Classic christmas cookies: delicate linzer cookies
Mocha rounds - cookies with memories of grandma
Pepparkakor - swedish gingerbread cookies (not just for christmas)
Honey cake balls - last-minute christmas cookies
Frequently asked questions
When should I start baking Christmas cookies?
Keeping types — linzer, vanilla crescents, gingerbread — can be made three weeks ahead and only improve in the cold. Save delicate and creamy ones for the last days.
How do I keep carp from tasting muddy?
Buy carp that's been kept in a clean holding tank and have it portioned on the spot. At home, soak it in milk for a few hours — it mellows the flavor beautifully. Then just bread it and fry in hot oil until golden.
When should I make the potato salad?
The day before — an overnight rest in the fridge is what makes it. Boil the potatoes in their skins so they hold their shape, and season again after resting: the salt and vinegar settle overnight.
How long does the potato salad keep?
Because of the mayo, two to three days in the fridge, well covered. Always scoop with a clean spoon. Making a big batch? Dress only part of it with mayo — it keeps longer without.
What if we don't eat fish on Christmas Eve?
The most common stand-in is fried schnitzel, chicken or pork. Mushroom barley 'kuba' is an older tradition, and fried cheese works too. The potato salad stays on the table no matter what.