These sweet and spicy little ginger treats are made (and happily eaten) all over the world. But originally, they were dreamt up in the court of Queen Elizabeth I as small ginger biscuits made into the shape of men to represent members of the court.

Like a hybrid between fruitcake and sweet bread, the panettone is a brioche stuffed with candied citrus, raisins and almonds. It’s generally given as a gift at Christmas time and served sliced, toasted or dunked into milk or coffee.

A Christmas non-negotiable, the pav remains a national treasure for both Australia and New Zealand. Regardless of its much-argued origins, this cake-like mound of baked meringue, topped with cream and tropical fruit, is always delicious.

Germans do Christmas well, and the nation’s Christmas dishes are no exception. This German fruitcake is rich with dried fruit and marzipan, and comes dusted with a generous coating of icing sugar.

Kind of like sticky toffee pudding, this South African special is a sponge cake with apricot jam that sees liqueur (like brandy or amarula) added at Christmas. While still hot from the oven, it’s covered in a creamy sauce.

The Swedish really know how to buffet – in fact, they invented it. On Christmas Eve, the Swedes serve up a lavish ‘julbord’, a buffet overflowing with plates of cold fish, meats, cheese, pickles, pâtés and terrines and (of course) dessert.

A Christmas ham is a glorious sight. While the glaze may be a modern touch, the dish itself is ancient – it can be traced back to Norse and Germanic Pagan times, when a boar was sacrificed at Yuletide.

A Christmas favourite for the chocoholics and an edible ode to the traditional burning of the yule log. This French dessert is a rich choc sponge roll, filled with buttercream, before being rolled in marzipan and powdered sugar to resemble a (you guessed it) log.

Not everyone’s a fan of this main dish for the festive season, but certainly King Henry VIII was – he’s the man who made it popular. You’ll still find this slow-roasted bird making an appearance on most UK (and even Australian) dining tables at Christmas time. If you fear dry turkey, don’t forget to brine it ahead of cooking.

Arguably the most popular of all Christmas treats, the mince pie is a buttery pastry stuffed with brandy-soaked fruit, citrus and spice. But it wasn’t always this way – mince pies were savoury until about the 18th century, and were once made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.

This Sicilian interpretation of the fruitcake sees a ring-shaped pastry dough filled with local figs, candied citrus and nuts, all dowsed in fortified wine. It’s eaten as dessert, or (if you’re a sweet tooth) as breakfast. Image from cucinaditalia.

Believe it or not, in Japan KFC is the go-to during the festive season and has been since the mid-1980s. The company launched its ‘Kentucky for Christmas’ marketing campaign in 1974, which proved so successful that it remains a hugely popular Christmas tradition to this day. According to figures released by the American fast-food chain, KFC Japan pulled in 6.9 billion yen (roughly US$63 million) from December 20 to 25 in 2018, with lines out the door starting on December 23.