Australia: Lucky pudding
Ever since the gold rush, when Australians baked a gold nugget in their Christmas desserts, the folks from down under have included a small favor in the traditional plum pudding adopted from the British. If you find the prize in your pudding, you'll have good luck.

Austria: Topfenpalatschinken
With a name like this, these cheese crÍpes topped with an apricot sauce can be a mouthful.

Belgium: Speculoos
These cinnamon- and ginger-flavored cookies decorate the Christmas tree and then children, apparently the only ones who don't mind stale sweets, eat them on Christmas day.

Denmark: Ris l'almande
If you find the lucky almond in this rice dessert, you will be blessed with good luck for the coming year.

Egypt: Fata
This special meal is made with bread, rice, boiled meat and lots of garlic, which the Egyptians believe energizes the human body. After all, King Tutankhamen packed away six cloves of it in his tomb to give him an extra boost in the afterlife.

Ethiopia: Injera
This sourdough pancake-like bread serves as both a plate and a fork and is used to scoop up the main meal, typically a meat stew.

Germany: Stollen
An especially dry, dense cake that one needs a cup of black coffee to digest.

Greece: Christopsomo
A large, sweet loaf of fruit-and-nut bread whose soft crust is engraved and decorated to reflect a family's profession.

Holland: Olie Bollen
The name, which means "oil balls," says it all. Eating these bite-sized, deep-fired flour and raisin pastries sprinkled with sugar is like popping pills of cholesterol.

Japan
KFC. Parents often treat their children to Western fast-food, and for some reason Kentucky Fried Chicken is the holiday franchise of choice.

Mexico: PiÒatas
Christmas is the day children's dreams come true: the sky rains candy when one of these colorful papier-m[base ']chÈ animals is broken.

Portugal: Consada
Extra places are set at this early-morning, Christmas-day feast (dry cod fish and boiled potatoes) to make room for the souls of the dead.

Poland: The twelve-course feast
After you've fasted for 24 hours, you're going to need a twelve-course meal -- yep, that's a course for every Apostle.

Russia: Kutia
A vegetarian's dream: in Russia, Christmas Eve dinner is meatless and features this special porridge made with wheatberries, symbolizing hope, and honey and poppy seeds, which ensure happiness, success and untroubled rest.

Spain: TurrÛn
Christmas is also a busy time for dentists in Spain, with kids chewing on this nougat-like, chewy candy made from honey and almonds.

Sweden: Feast day
If you're the eldest daughter in a family, not only do you have to serve each family member coffee and buns, but you also have to balance an evergreen wreath ringed with candles on your head while doing so.

Venezuela: Hallacas
IfAfter engaging in the tradition of roller skating to early-morning Christmas mass, children come home to a lavish breakfast featuring these cornmeal tamales filled with spicy meat, wrapped in banana leaves, and boiled.