LIMA — Like much of the world, Peruvians devour turkey for their Christmas meal, usually with rice, apple puree and a salad of potatoes, apples and raisins. Yet if anyone — at least in the West — thinks that's unoriginal, it bears recalling that turkeys come from the Americas and were unknown in the Old World prior to 1492. The feast for “Navidad,” as the holiday’s called in Spanish, is typically washed down with wine, especially champagne or some other sparkling white, as well as the classic Peruvian cocktail of pisco sour. 

BRUSSELS — The frenchified name of Denmark's favorite Yuletide dessert dates back to the days when its key ingredients - rice, almonds and vanilla - were an exotic imported luxury reserved for special occasions. 

HONG KONG — One of the most spectacular meals in Hong Kong happens every Chinese New Year. Typically around late January or early February, Chinese New Year is a festive family celebration, often featuring a variety of dishes chosen for their propitious, fortune-bearing names. Here is one typical dish enjoyed in the Southern Chinese, or Cantonese, cooking tradition prevalent in Hong Kong.