A Taste of the Holidays (Part 1)

One of my favorite scenes in the classic film A Christmas Carol, whether it be the 1951 Alastair Sim version, the 1983 Disney classic Mickey’s Christmas Carol, or 1992’s A Muppet Christmas Carol, is when Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present. As Charles Dickens describes it, Scrooge encounters the ghost in a room filled with, “turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam.” There’s just something about the holiday season that simply cries out for delicious food.

The holidays at Walt Disney World are full of delicious food. With Christmas a mere 10 days away, it seemed a fitting time to explore some of our favorites goodies available at the park during the holiday season. As the Ghost of Christmas Present sings in the musical version of A Christmas Carol, “…at Christmas no one measures his wallet or his waist!”

Here are three of our favorite holiday treats at Walt Disney World.

1. The Potato Knish at L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen in Epcot

Let’s start with the potato knish at the L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen in Epcot. After all, Christmas is not the only holiday of the season, and at Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays you can hear the stories and legends of Hanukkah while tasting some delicious Jewish foods. You won’t find traditional Hanukkah treats like latkes or sufganiyot, but they do have matzo ball soup, black and white cookies, and chocolate egg creams. However, if I had to choose a favorite it would be the potato knish served with an herb sour cream. It runs $4.25, or one snack credit, and tastes a bit like a warm hug feels.

The pop-up kitchen sits between the France and Morocco pavilion. One important note: the food is prepared in a shared kitchen, and is thus unable to meet kosher guidelines. While there are areas in Epcot to have a kosher meal, L’Chaim is not one of them.

2. The Chocolate Chestnut Pine Cone at the Backlot Express

While you’re soaking in the Flurry of Fun at Hollywood Studios, make sure to stop by the Backlot Express for the Chocolate Chestnut Pine Cone. As delicious as it is beautiful, this dish is a chocolate mousse that has been shaped to look like a pine cone. It sits atop a bit of chocolate cake and praline that looks a bit like a nest (though I’ve heard it refer to as a leaf). If you’re from the south, you might scoff at this being called a praline. It tastes a more like it is made of Cocoa Pebbles Cereal, which is still incredibly tasty. The item runs $5.79 or one snack credit.

3. The Peppermint Soft-Serve Sundae at Storybook Treats

When you think of Christmas treats, you probably don’t think of ice cream. Who wants to be chilly in winter? However, this IS Christmas in Florida, so you can still enjoy a frozen delight even if it is “snowing” on Main Street. Located at Storybook Treats in Fantasyland, the peppermint soft-serve sundae costs $5.79, or one snack credit, and is served with a red and white striped straw that has been dipped in candy and rolled in crushed-up peppermint. As if that weren’t enough, the soft-serve is covered with whipped cream and green and red sprinkles. If Santa’s workshop in the North Pole were edible, I suspect it would taste a bit like this.

These are just a few of the edible wonders available at Walt Disney World. Next week, we’ll finish out the holiday season touching on a few more of the treats you have to try if you’re visiting the park over the holidays.

Enjoy the magic of Disney all year ’round with Celebrations Magazine!

6 issues/$29.99!

Click here to order!

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77AraCopqOlv6a%2F0meaqKVfZ31yhI5qaWhpZ2SubsDArKueZZ%2BberW0xGafqKSZma66v4ypmKusXWZ8