Christmas Eve salad: what it is and how to make it

What is it?

The Christmas Eve salad is one of the most colourful and emblematic dishes of the Mexican Christmas Eve dinner on 24 December. It combines seasonal ingredients in a visually spectacular composition: cooked and chopped beetroot (intense red), chopped apple (white-yellow), orange in segments (orange), jicama or lettuce (white-green), plantain (yellow), peanuts with or without shell, raisins, almonds and pomegranate seeds. It is dressed with a creamy dressing of Mexican cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar and sometimes vinegar, or with a light dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey in modern versions. Its flavour is sweet-savoury-sour, fresh and festive. It accompanies salt cod Biscay-style, Christmas turkey and the pork loin or leg as an indispensable side.

Origin and history

The Christmas Eve salad is a distinctive Mexican dish of colonial origin, which arose as a culinary response to the European Christmas banquet of New Spain. Larousse Cocina notes that the first documented versions appear in 19th-century recipe books, although its antecedents come from the sweet-savoury salads of the baroque cuisine of New Spain, where fruits were mixed with vegetables and creamy dressings. The presence of beetroot, apple, pear, pomegranate, peanuts and plantain reflects the rich Mexican fruit availability in December, the month when these fruits are in season. México Desconocido documents that variants developed in each Mexican region: in the centre it has a lot of pomegranate and cream; in the north it is simplified with fewer fruits; in Yucatán it includes xtabentún or bitter orange; in Veracruz it has pineapple. Today the Christmas Eve salad is a flagship dish of the national Christmas menu, present on every family table on 24 December.

Characteristic ingredients

The classic ingredients of the Christmas Eve salad include: cooked beetroot cut into cubes (provides earthy sweetness and an intense red colour), red or yellow apple in cubes with skin, oranges in segments without the white membrane, jicama in sticks or cubes (crunchy, fresh texture), fried or raw plantain in slices, romaine or iceberg lettuce in leaves, pomegranate with its bright red seeds, peanuts in shell or peeled, flaked almonds, soaked raisins, and sometimes pineapple in cubes, pear, mandarin or grapes. The traditional dressing combines light Mexican cream with mayonnaise, orange or lime juice, sugar and salt, forming a creamy pink-coloured sauce (from the beetroot). Modern versions use a light dressing of oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Some families make two salads: a green one with lettuce and vegetables, and a fruit one with the creamy dressing. The proportion of ingredients varies by family and region, which makes each salad personal.

Cultural significance

The Christmas Eve salad is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Mexican Christmas dinner, present on every family table on 24 December from Tijuana to Cancún. Its preparation is a family ritual: mothers, grandmothers and children collaborate cutting fruit, peeling pomegranates and mixing ingredients in large glass or ceramic salad bowls. The presentation is important: the salad is served in transparent bowls or large salad bowls, decorated with pomegranate seeds and mint leaves, forming part of the visual display of the Christmas banquet. Traditional Mexican cuisine was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, and Christmas dishes such as this salad are part of its heritage. Economically, the salad supports the demand for Mexican fruit products in December: pomegranate, apple, beetroot, jicama, orange, peanut, all grown in different regions of the country. It is a dish of mestizo identity, a fusion of European traditions (creamy fruit salads) and Mexican ingredients (jicama, criollo pomegranate, peanut).

Frequently asked questions