Keeping with tradition

Maria Sevillano

Owner-chef of Spanish restaurant, My Little Spanish Place on Bukit Timah Road

"WHEN I was a child, Christmas was seen as a religious rather than commercial event. My family would start dinner around 11pm on Christmas Eve. We always keep to a very traditional menu, with dishes such as embutidos (cured sausages), langotinos (lobsters), esparagos (asparagus), and sopa de marisco (seafood soup). Depending on the mood of the chef of the night - usually one of my uncles or my grandmother - there would also be seabass, cochinillo (suckling pig) or cordero (suckling lamb) asado, and a traditional Christmas salad of oranges, black olives and pomegranate. After dinner, we'll stay around the table, talking and playing cards. A spread of turrones, postres and chocolates from dinner will stay on the table until the early morning, when the piping hot churros arrive.