Quick Answer: Noche Buena is the Filipino Christmas Eve feast, eaten together after midnight. A Noche Buena board puts its stars in one place: queso de bola, sweet glazed ham and warm pan de sal in the center, with longganisa, dried mango, fresh fruit, bibingka, polvoron and a pot of hot chocolate around it.
What Noche Buena is
In the Philippines, Christmas Eve ends with a midnight meal. Families go to the Christmas Eve Mass, come home after midnight on December 24 and eat together. Nobody starts until everyone is home: the full table means everyone made it back.
The table is big, and it borrows from Spanish, Chinese and American cooking. The classics:
- Queso de bola: "ball of cheese," a round of Edam coated in red wax.
- Hamon: a sweet, sticky Christmas ham, often glazed with pineapple and brown sugar.
- Lechon: whole roast pig, in some homes.
- Pancit and lumpia: noodles for long life, and crisp spring rolls.
- Embutido and morcon: a steamed meatloaf roll, and a stuffed beef roll.
- Filipino spaghetti: sweet, with hot dogs and banana ketchup.
- Bibingka and puto bumbong: rice cakes. Bibingka is baked in banana leaf with salted egg and cheese; puto bumbong is purple sticky rice topped with butter, coconut and brown sugar.
- Fruit salad and tsokolate, thick hot chocolate made from tablea (pure cacao tablets).
Ham with queso de bola is the pairing everyone waits for. On a board, it becomes the center.
What goes on a Noche Buena board
The center
- Queso de bola or Edam: cut the wax ball into wedges, then thin slices and cubes. Leave one wedge with the red wax on for the look.
- Glazed ham: a Filipino-style hamon, or a honey ham brushed with pineapple juice and brown sugar and warmed. Slice thin and fold.
- Pan de sal: small, soft, slightly sweet rolls. Split them so guests can make ham-and-cheese sandwiches.
Savory
- Longganisa: sweet Filipino sausage, pan-fried and sliced into coins. Lap cheong (Chinese sweet sausage) is a good stand-in.
- Lumpia shanghai: mini spring rolls, served warm with sweet chili sauce.
- Embutido slices, if you make it or find it.
- Chicharon (pork cracklings) and garlic peanuts for crunch.
Sweet and fruity
- Dried mango: Philippine dried mango is famously soft and sweet.
- Fresh mango and pineapple spears.
- Calamansi halves or lime wedges for the fruit.
- Banana chips.
Desserts
- Bibingka squares and puto bumbong, from a Filipino bakery.
- Polvoron: crumbly toasted-flour and milk shortbread in colored wrappers.
- Ube halaya: sweet purple yam jam. Serve it in a small bowl with spoons, or as a spread for pan de sal.
- Mini ensaymada: soft, buttery buns topped with sugar and grated cheese.
To drink: a pot of tsokolate or hot chocolate, ginger tea (salabat), San Miguel beer, or a light, fruity red like Beaujolais for the ham.
Shopping list for 10
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Queso de bola (Edam ball) | 1 small ball (about 2 lb), or half a large one |
| Filipino Christmas ham or honey ham | 1½ lb, sliced |
| Pan de sal | 2 dozen |
| Longganisa or lap cheong | 1 lb |
| Lumpia shanghai, frozen | 30 pieces |
| Dried mango | 2 bags (about 7 oz each) |
| Fresh mango and pineapple | 2 mangoes, 1 pineapple |
| Bibingka or puto bumbong | 1 tray or 10 pieces |
| Polvoron | 10 to 20 pieces |
| Ube halaya | 1 jar |
| Chicharon, garlic peanuts, banana chips | 1 bag each |
| Tablea or hot chocolate | Enough for 10 cups |
Where to shop: Filipino supermarkets like Seafood City and Island Pacific carry queso de bola, Filipino hams, longganisa, ube halaya, polvoron and frozen lumpia. Edam is at most big supermarkets, and many Asian markets carry dried mango, banana chips and chicharon.
How to build it
- Board and tray. Use one large board for cold food, and a second tray or a low basket lined with banana leaf for anything warm.
- Cheese first. Set the queso de bola wedge with its red wax in the center, then fan slices and cubes around it.
- Ham beside the cheese. Fold the slices in loose ribbons next to the queso, so the pairing is obvious.
- Pan de sal in a basket, wrapped in a cloth to stay warm and soft.
- Fruit in clusters: dried mango in one corner, fresh mango and pineapple in another, calamansi or lime tucked in.
- Sweets on one end: polvoron, bibingka squares and ube halaya, with spoons.
- Fill the gaps with garlic peanuts, banana chips and chicharon.
- Warm things last, right before midnight: longganisa coins and lumpia on the warm tray, with sweet chili sauce.
Make ahead: Slice the cheese and ham, portion the sweets and fill bowls the day before, then cover and refrigerate. Only the sausage, lumpia and rice cakes need warming on the night. Christmas Eve is a long night, so keep extra ham and cheese in the fridge and refill rather than leaving everything out for hours.
More Christmas boards
- Christmas Charcuterie Board Ideas
- Christmas Morning Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Wreath Charcuterie Board
Sources
- Asian Journal: Noche Buena, the Filipino Christmas table and its traditions
- Arab News: How Filipinos celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional family feast
- Inquirer: A guide to Filipino Christmas dishes
FAQ
What is Noche Buena?
Noche Buena is the Filipino Christmas Eve feast. Families eat it together after midnight on December 24, traditionally after the Christmas Eve Mass, and wait until everyone is home before they start.
What food is served at Noche Buena?
Classic Noche Buena dishes include queso de bola (a ball of Edam cheese in red wax), hamon (a sweet glazed Christmas ham), lechon, pancit, lumpia, embutido, Filipino-style sweet spaghetti, fruit salad, and the rice cakes bibingka and puto bumbong. Many families drink hot chocolate (tsokolate).
What is queso de bola?
Queso de bola means ball of cheese. It's Edam, a mild, nutty Dutch cheese, sold as a ball coated in red wax. It's a Filipino Christmas staple, usually served with sweet ham and pan de sal.
Where can I buy queso de bola and Filipino Christmas foods in the US?
Filipino supermarkets like Seafood City and Island Pacific carry queso de bola, Filipino hams, longganisa, ube halaya, polvoron and frozen lumpia. Edam is also sold at most large supermarkets, and many Asian markets carry dried mangoes and banana chips.
Can I make a Noche Buena board ahead of time?
Yes. Slice the cheese and ham, portion the sweets and fill small bowls the day before, then cover and refrigerate. Warm the longganisa, lumpia and bibingka just before serving and put them on a separate tray so the cold board stays cold.
