Winter Foods

From the January-February 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler

These Dishes and drinks complement the cold.

Don’t equate winter dining with frozen dinners. Most snowy regions warm up the whiteout months with typically soothing, hearty dishes.

Stamppot
This classic Dutch winter dish, the very definition of comfort food, features potatoes mashed with any combination of vegetables (think endive, kale, spinach, squash, parsnips, turnips, leeks, or cabbage) and usually comes served with big disks of smoked sausage.
Where to find it: Restaurant Greetje, sitting canalside in Amsterdam and decorated like an upscale Hans Brinker’s cottage, specializes in regional Dutch cuisine, so you can follow your stamppot (served here with roast beef) with Frisian sugar bread.

Oden
This Japanese hot pot includes fish cakes, hard-boiled eggs, tofu, slices of daikon radish (and just about anything else you want to add)—all simmered in fish stock with a dash of spicy mustard for the kind of Asian take on chicken soup that will clear the sinuses.
Where to find it: Otafuku in Tokyo is a mom-and-pop kitchen that has been concocting variations on the recipe since 1915.

Meatballs
Sweden is the meatball capital of the world, and its particularly toothsome meatballs are the epitome of a hearty winter dish, especially when served with pickled cucumbers, mashed potatoes, and lingonberries.
Where to find it: The meatiest meatballs pile up at Den Gyldene Freden in Old Town Stockholm, a cozy restaurant dating to 1722.

Caribou
Quebec’s blend of vodka, brandy, sherry, and Canadian port is potent and helps wash down the local all-maple winter diet, from molasses baked beans to maple-glazed ham.
Where to find it: In every other cup, at the epic Quebec Winter Carnival in Quebec City (running from January 28–February 13 in 2011).