♪ Time's running out ♪
♪ Time really has run out ♪
- [Janice] Oh dear, we are all full of festive fear.
(sizzling noise)
- Hello, and welcome back to Sorted Food.
Today, we have asked our wonderful worldwide community,
how they celebrate Christmas when it comes to food
and we have picked four countries to explore.
We have got James as our guest chef and two normals
Because it's YouTube, we're gonna make it
a healthy, little competition.
Can they guess where this Christmas dinner has come from?
Do you reckon you can?
- Yeah, I don't think I have any advantage here.
I think I'm just gonna have to be humble,
show my ignorance and enjoy the food.
- It's a set up for a failure from our part, isn't it?
- No come on, have confidence.
We'll be all right.
I got a D in geography.
- Oh dear.
- There is a point up for grabs in each round
if you can guess the country
and double points on the final one.
- Just me and you and the blindfold ey?
Let's do it.
- Like old times.
- I made it weird...
- You made it weird and I put the full stop on that.
(bright music)
Number one is in front of you, James.
You can remove your blind fold and enjoy.
- Oh.
- Oh! - Oh, wow!
- Oka- Oh
This is gonna be really hard.
Oh, no.
- Flippin' heck
Look at the size of it.
- Oh, I love this already.
Look at that.
I see some absolutely massive shellfish
and it's very beautiful.
So we've got coconut and mango.
Are you dipping?
- Dip in, Cheers
- Oh, I love lobsters so much.
- It's a funny looking lobster mate.
- Lobster tail?
Oh it's not?
And this is the head. - What's this one?
It's a big flipping prawn. - That's a massive shrimp.
- You'll notice we've only given you one of the heads.
We've used the other heads from the prawn
to cook down into a prawn head sauce.
We then added sugar and some sweet things,
some salty things to make a kind of Mary Rose take,
but with a few ingredients.
So obviously Christmas is a time for tradition
and we all have our own traditions.
Every nation, every family has their own traditions.
This is one that was suggested
by a couple of people on Twitter
as an absolute classic for Christmas.
It's not to say this isn't also cooked elsewhere.
You can see the ingredients. - Awesome, yeah.
- Where in the world do you think they might be from?
- An island.
- What 'cause of coconut?
- And because of fresh prawns, giant shrimp.
- I'm thinking Southeast Asia.
There's a hint of chilli on there
but then this is kind of like Mary,
which I don't really associate with the same cuisine.
- My guess is Caribbean.
- Caribbean do excellent fish, excellent seafood.
It'll make sense.
Obviously well like tropical fruits, coconut.
- Malaysia or Singapore.
- So that you think you can taste
- I've just gone back to the fruit salad.
Like I now get a fishy-ness from there, a fish sauce
which should make me go more Asian.
This is hard.
- Oh my God, this is so hard.
I've put myself on it Caribbean route right now
but since it's got a bit coriander,
I'm thinking it's definitely closer
to somewhere like Thailand.
I'll say Thailand.
- Locking in Thailand?
- Yup.
- Bahamas. - Bahamas (laughs)
- Trust your tongue, Barry.
Fish sauce you were getting off the salsa
definitely takes you to the fusion of Southeast Asia,
but specifically a shrimp on the barbie, it's Australia.
Seafood platters salads are classic across Australia,
so we've been told.
That was as were recommended
along with likes of mango, coriander, salsas, coconuts.
That's what the community was telling us.
- I hadn't even considered Australia.
- Australia is a hard one
because it does take on a lot of different influences.
It's a quite unique cuisine.
- And it's a big place
to wrap under a single Christmas meal.
We've also been told they do hams and turkey
but as cold cuts with salads as opposed to hot and roasted,
because obviously, Christmas for them falls
in the middle of their summer.
So they absolutely want something light, refreshing,
and that is the way forward.
- I like that.
Very delicious.
- A tough one to start with
'cause it's a fusion of all sorts.
Let's bring on round two.
(bright music)
Number two.
- Okay, ready.
- Lift off the blindfold.
- Oh.
- Is someone joining me?
- Okay, all right, three sets of,
wait, is Jamie coming?
- (Barry Laughs)
- We have a what looks like a cranberry sauce.
- Sauerkraut-y thing and I've got some dumplings.
- So far, so good.
Dig in, have a taste.
See if you can narrow it down anymore.
Worth pointing out, these are just a couple of
the items you might find typically in this country.
Your suggestions gave us loads of input.
This is sort of part of it,
but there would often be many more courses
or small plates that are similar as quite a feast.
- Nice flavours.
It looks mushroomy.
- Very yummy. - Oh, spicy.
- That is not a gyoza.
- But it is.
It's a basic, a mushroom dumpling.
- Oh, just look at that.
- It just so happens this particular bowl of soup
is inspired by a recipe and our meal packs app.
Just saying. - Oh, yeah?
I'm hoping that the guys think this
is a smoothie bowl and it throws them off.
- Smoothie? Some sort of fruity jam.
I'm gonna tell you what this is.
Not fruity at all.
That is so savoury.
It's beetroot that.
- Oh, it's beetroot.
It's cold.
Oh, it's got a little kick to it, oh.
- Now I know what it is.
It's very nice.
- Do you like it?
- I love it. - It's absolutely delicious.
- Delicious.
- Can you narrow it down to a continent and then a country?
- Okay well we've got borscht and we've got something
that I'm gonna tend to feel say is pierogi
because the dumplings,
which points me towards kind of like definitely European,
probably Eastern European.
- These tastes like very European,
like Polish, I would say. - Yes.
- They do like almost Pierogi-ish
- But that's on in their shape,
maybe can we push it slowly towards more Asia?
So then more Russia way.
- I know that but so I used to live next
to a lovely Polish lady and she used
to bring round things like this
and they eat a lot of beetroot
and she also makes a lot of delicious infused vodka,
which is really strong.
So I'm confident actually. - So I'm in.
- But only because.
- I know in, what's her name?
- Brigitta. - In Brigitta I trust.
- Yeah.
- I feel like it could be a few again,
but I'm gonna go with Poland.
- Merry Christmas.
You're correct.
- Yes, thank you Brigitta!
Yes!
- Yes these are some of the items
you might find for a Polish Christmas.
According to our research,
things like carb and herring often become like
the main event but typically is all meatless.
And there are sometimes as many as 12 dishes
to represent the 12 apostles
and they tend to do it on Christmas Eve.
So Christmas Eve is the big day
and there's some other really nice traditions.
They always lay a spare place at the table
for the Lord or any wanderer who may need food and shelter.
They leave gifts underneath dinner plate
as a sign of prosperity for the new year.
- Oh.
- Oh, Ebbers!
- It's a nice, generous gift - Oh, it's nice.
- And it is supposed to a bit like
our own tradition in the UK.
If you find the coin inside the Christmas pudding,
the money underneath the plate is about bringing prosperity
into the new year.
And sometimes they also put straw
underneath the table cloths to represent the manger.
- Delightful.
- But like so many of these traditions,
including the coin in the Christmas pudding,
does it still happen?
Do you guys still do this?
If you're from Poland, let us know
was this anywhere near right?
- Oh, awesome I'm so chuffed at that.
And it's incredible what I can learn
outside of this studio. - What is it?
(bright music)
- Oh, smells like bone broth.
- Luckily enough, you don't have to do it
with your nose alone so blindfolds off.
- Oh, might be right sir.
Ooh, this is gonna be hard.
- Oh no, I don't have a clue.
- We have a potato salad, a carroty salad,
like in mashed carroty salad, we have gravy.
We have what smells like lamb or mutton or something.
- From this particular country
we think there's kind of two iconic dishes
they enjoy at Christmas and from our research,
70% of the people in this country tend to enjoy this
at some point over the Christmas period.
- Well, I would be very happy if was in this country
eating this at Christmas.
- Oh, okay. - So what are these, ribs?
- Is putting apart more like a jerky, right?
It's really fibrous. - Fibrous.
Oh, could this be duck?
I'm thinking a tail. - Is it tail?
- I'm thinking more like oxtail.
- I think it's mutton.
It's like very lamby lamb.
- Very lamby lamb. - Very, lamby.
Really nice.
Like I like the combination.
The problem is I have no idea where this is from.
Not a clue.
- I'm going not Northern Europe again.
- It's lovely.
- It's the root veg again.
- And potatoes - And potatoes.
They give me that kind of-
That is more - A Scandinavia?
- Eastern European Scandinavian kind of like not probably
- Why because it's called Swede,
- Yeah probably.
(laughs) I'm gonna be honest,
It's triggered it and I can't get rid out of my head.
- I wanna say it's close to home
because these are flavours that I can relate to you know,
especially like the smashed root veg.
Like that's quite a Scottish thing,
The potatoes like, it's kind of meats and tatti style thing.
You know, obviously if we're thinking like lamb
or mutton or something, you know, you get to Wales.
Root veg, I'd almost think Ireland.
So I don't.
- Finland and Norway.
- I've been to Finland in Christmas.
- Did you have it?
- No.
- I'm gonna - Let's say Norway.
- I'm gonna go with Ireland because why not.
- Merry Christmas, it's Norway.
- You're kidding me no way, no.
- You're the best ignorant guesser in the whole world.
- So it is mutton ribs.
Now, they have been salted for three days 'cause they're
preserved and dried. - Yes, that's what
a jerk is like.
- The salt is like salt beef.
- Yes. - That's what
it reminded me of.
Damn.
- Then it's soaked to get rid of all that saltiness
and then it is braised long and slow just in water.
So really simple and therefore tastes so much of what it is
because there's nothing else added.
So we made our own but that is it.
If you order it, that is the mutton ribs
that have been salted and preserved.
And I think it's pronounced pinnekjott
but if you'd like to phonetically correct me
in the comments down below, please do.
And you associate, even though Santa Claus
doesn't come from Norway, Finland apparently,
he is the most iconic icon of Christmas in Norway.
- I like Scandinavian food and that to me is delicious.
At least I got all the flavours, you know.
- Two points so far out of a possible three.
Going into our final round.
♪ Hark see the bells ♪
♪ These silly bells ♪
♪ All with no shame ♪
♪ Doing it again ♪
♪ Oh dear, oh dear ♪
♪ Christmas is near ♪
♪ Live pass it on ♪
♪ What could go wrong ♪
♪ New and improved ♪
♪ Choose what they do ♪
♪ You take control ♪
♪ They take the fall ♪
♪ Panic and flames ♪
♪ Passing the blame ♪
♪ Clouds eggs and fish ♪
♪ Where is the dish ♪
♪ If you can't come ♪
♪ No harm is done ♪
♪ Don't be alarmed ♪
♪ Watch on demand ♪
♪ Sassy sassy sassy sassy Janice ♪
♪ Stressy, stressy, stressy, stressy Ebbers ♪
♪ Three uncut shows ♪
♪ Three new time zones ♪
♪ Tickets and info ♪
♪ Linked down below ♪
♪ Hark see the bells ♪
♪ These silly bells ♪
♪ All with no shame ♪
♪ Doing it again ♪
♪ Oh dear, oh, dear ♪
♪ Christmas is near ♪
♪ Live pass it on ♪
♪ What could go wrong ♪
(bright music)
- Okay, James last round,
we think this is quite a tricky one.
So it is worth two points.
Blindfold off.
It's worth two points
but if you don't think you can guess it,
we'll give you a clue
and then you're left with just a single point.
- Smells great, looks great.
So glossy.
- So what I'd like you to do
is quite literally just cut it in half.
- You put some pressure mate.
You gonna go through the backbone.
- Shall I? - Use the fork
to keep one so steady and slice through.
- What do you mean?
- Damn.
- What dark magic is this?
- I'm sorry (laughs)
- This chicken has no bones and it's got an egg in it.
- To give you some more context,
this chicken has been de-boned, stuffed, and truss.
- That's incredible.
- You quite literally stitch up the openings
so that you get a more even cook.
Again, this was suggested by the community,
but there are lots of items that make it
onto and around the Christmas feast
from this particular country.
Other things might include lechon
rice dumplings with ebe
kind of form of spring roll.
I'm gonna be honest.
It is a hodgepodge of ingredients that go into the filling.
Can you identify a handful of them?
And that might help you narrow down
where in the world it's from.
- Chilli, maybe coriander, maybe lemon grass or something.
- It's a very tasty chicken.
- An impressive centrepiece that obviously can be carved
much like we would typically do with a turkey.
How would you feel if you had one of those
in the middle of the table.
- I'd be complimenting the chef
on the amount of work that's probably gone into it
'cause I didn't think I could do that.
- This is indeed a chicken.
Sometimes it would be a capon.
I think that's how you pronounce it.
It's fair to say that every family
does this slightly differently.
For example, some families finish it
with almost like a Madeira sweet glaze
with cinnamon and spices where some families finish it
like a soy glazed.
It's got some spice, maybe some calamansi
and ingredients like that.
We did the latter on this one.
- I'm getting all flavours. - I was getting lemon grass.
- I'm getting lemon grass.
- There's a bit of chilli.
There's warmth in there.
- Yeah like galangal.
- So the last clue I'm gonna get both teams
is a list of ingredients that went into this filling.
It is a real mixture.
You've got things like raisins and pine nuts.
You've got pork, sausage meat, bacon.
Sometimes it has chorizo in there.
It's got like soy, it's got ginger,
it's got citrus, calamansi ideally,
although we've actually just used lime.
It's also got Edam cheese.
And some families used to like sort of spam.
- There's a big Dutch and British influence there then,
it feels like. - Yeah, and Mediterranean.
If you think of like dry, did you say like figs?
You said dried figs. - Raisins, dried fruit.
- So someone that was involved,
it's gonna be a war based thing, isn't it?
- Yeah. - It could be Philippines
- Something that you said stood out to me
which is ube which I know from a few Filipino dishes.
And they also use flavours like soy sauce and vinegar
and bits like that, like lots of heat.
I feel like that would be a good guess.
- Do I have to push you for an answer
unless you'd like a clue.
- Name a country that's a melting pot of cultures.
- Singapore.
- That's what I've got
that is something, that list, - Well, you think of the same?
- Yeah, that list - We'll go with that then.
- Sounded confused
and I've got a thing in it. - Let's go for it.
- See where Singapore has been called
a melting pot of cuisines and what you listed off there was
- That is such good logic.
- It's Filipino, Philippines.
- Locking in Philippines.
- Yeah.
- Merry Christmas, two points.
- Yes!
- Impressive James, exactly that.
And according to the comments,
this is a dish that reminds Filipinos of Christmas.
It's rellenong manok, I think a hybrid
of kind of Spanish words meaning stuffed chicken.
When it became an American territory,
there were other influences there like spam and tinned meat.
that became difficult when after the Second World War,
the European ingredients were more difficult.
So they stopped using the likes of lemons
and instead calamansi.
And it's also got the Edam in there
because of the history of the Dutch Navy.
So there is so much going on to that.
And the recipe has changed broadly speaking
over hundreds of years, but that's kind of
what we think we ended up with.
- I mean, it's delicious.
And must be a ton of work to do that at Christmas,
but once you bring it to the table it must be worthwhile
- And it's absolutely stunning.
- World-y.
(bright music)
- I feel like we've all had wonderful Christmas feasts
but ultimately it's a game.
Today's winner is both teams it's a draw.
Three out of five a piece.
- Aww, that's lovely.
- Aww that's such - That's absolutely lovely.
- A happy Christmas and everything, isn't it?
Even though we all lost.
- Take it as a win.
Got a chef in for a day,
We didn't lose. - That's true.
Well done. - That's true.
Yeah, I'm okay for that. - Well happy Christmas.
- Happy Christmas.
- And Merry Christmas.
- Myself and the food team
and everyone has done the research,
we've actually really enjoyed looking into
all of these Christmases around the world
'cause we didn't know either.
- Yeah, massive thank you to you guys for suggesting
and sharing some of your cultures with us.
So important and it's so cool - Yeah.
- To learn about.
- And please do comment down below.
If you're from one of those four countries,
did we do it justice?
What do we do differently?
What do you do differently?
And wherever you are in the world,
please share your Christmas feast pictures with us
over the festive time.
We'd love to see them do that
over on Instagram @sortedfood.
- You got Philippines?
Shut up.
- But how? - So you got three?
- Yeah.
- He won.
- We got Norway, Poland - Norway.
- How did you get Norway? - Did we get two or three?
- Didn't we get two?
- We got two, he got three.
- Oh (beep) hell.
(they laugh)
-Oh (bleep) hell
(they laugh)
- (laughs) If that was me. - Keep it in!
- That's so embarrassing.
- I've done it!
- We don't know the stupidest in the video anymore.
- Yes!
- You're not the losers!
- He's the loser.
- Ah, well done chef - (they laugh)
- Well done, James.
- Keep the chef vibe alive.
- Cool, well...
♪ Time's running out ♪
♪ Time really has run out ♪
- Rellenong manok.
- Do do do do do...
- For me.
- I would.
(singing)
(laughing)