When I think winter holiday foods, my mind turns immediately to the sweets – I can’t help it – who wouldn’t love spice cookies or a bûche de noël? However, I know that everyone doesn’t have a sweet tooth, and that savory dishes are just as important on the holiday table. For St. Nicholas Day we encountered mainly sweet treats – but Bulgaria, where the holiday is called Nikulden, has their own savory spin on the day. In Bulgaria, St. Nicholas is associated with fishing and fishermen, so it makes sense that his signature dish, Ribnik, is carp stuffed with walnuts, and wrapped in a pastry dough. This striking dish is then the centerpiece for St. Nicholas Day feasts. Here are recipes for two versions of Ribnik from the St. Nicholas Center, and another from Eclectic Cuisine (seen below).
Eating The World 
My mother-in-law used to make a carp stuffed with walnuts for Nikolov Den, but I hadn’t seen it wrapped in pastry before. And really, what isn’t a delight wrapped in pastry, sweet or savory?