Turkey The Peruvian tradition for Christmas actually focuses on Christmas Eve. Most go to church in early evening. Every one goes home, opens the presents, and then sits down to a full turkey dinner at midnight! Unfortunately, then Christmas is over for them. The stores do keep up their decorations though for the 12 Days of Christmas and don't take them down until Epiphany on Jan 6th.
The turkey for the dinner is usually roasted at the local bakery as they have ovens big enough to hold one. Many Peruvians have only hot plate rings or a small stove with a tiny oven.
Turkey dinner will have unstuffed turkey which has been injected with pisco (a Peruvian brandy). Other foods eaten are apple sauce, pureed sweet potatoes, mashed yellow potatoes, purple olives and green olives often stuffed with almonds or a hot pepper strip, and some type of salad-often a potato salad or shredded cabbage salad. Everyone stays up to eat.
