An Argentine holiday meal is a beautiful thing in more ways than one. Inventive, heritage-rich dishes take center stage, with all of them warm-climate-friendly. And if you are tired of turkey, this Argentine Christmas spread is heavy on the beef (and mayo) and can be prepared in advance, so you have more time to spend with your family.

These doughy puffs will make you the hippest, global-est person at your holiday party. Pakoras are fried pockets of pure, mouthwatering fat from India. A bit like tempura, they’re fritters essentially made by dipping an item of choice in batter and kicking it up in hot oil. There is the classic potato pakora, but you can also switch it up with onions and even paneer. Eat your pakoras with chutneys, usually tamarind, mint or coriander.

Just so you don’t get caught out: The proper way to eat a soup dumpling is to put it in your spoon and poke it with a chopstick to release the liquid. These little guys are the perfect winter food, combining the two most comforting types of food (soup and dumplings), and are great for huge gatherings.

It’s hard to beat a mug of creamy hot buttered rum, especially if you are ever left stranded alone on Christmas Eve. Just fry up the spices, simmer the sugar and eventually toast yourself with a deliciously decadent cocktail.

Popular among mountain-dwelling Ecuadorians (and Peruvians and Colombians), canelazo is a sweet and spicy alcoholic beverage that is relatively unknown outside of the Andean highlands. So if you want to spice up your holiday party, try this snazzed-up version of a hot toddy, infused with boiled cinnamon, sugar, spices and citrus juice.

Christmas is complicated for Puerto Ricans. As kids, it feels like everyone watches them: Santa, the Three Kings, God. And as adults, Puerto Ricans also experience anxiety about something else: making coquito. The drink is made during the Christmas season but causes year-round anxiety for Puerto Ricans not skilled in the art of making it. Coquito is not premade or mass-marketed like eggnog. It is a once-a-year magic elixir of creamy smoothness that warms and cheers the spirit and dulls the sharp edges of life.

Marzipan is a Spanish staple around Christmastime. Figurines made of the buttery almond-based sweet stuff appear in pretty much every household. But there is a secret ingredient for making these sweet treats even better: chocolate.

You may say that a holiday dessert taking two-plus hours to assemble — and that’s without making the meringue mushrooms by hand — isn’t worth it. But this flourless chocolate cake log is the exception. Plus, it gives you and your relatives a common goal to focus on for an afternoon. Just make sure everyone gets at least one meringue mushroom.

Oh, you thought the city was the only place to get the good stuff? Absolutely not: Upstate New York is home to this incredible cult candy shop, Oliver’s Candies, which is well worth the pilgrimage for its chocolate honeycomb candy.

What is your favorite dish to make at the holidays?