Le Réveillon - The Feast of Christmas
Wednesday, 19th November 2008
If there is one meal to eat at Christmas, it's Le Réveillon in France...
Stemming from the verb réveiller, meaning to wake up or revive, Le Réveillon is the gastronomic highlight of the French Christmas calendar. Symbolic of the awakening to the meaning of Christ’s birth, and literally signifying that you stay up after midnight, it is traditionally eaten late on Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass, La Messe de Minuit.
No going to bed on an empty stomach on Réveillon. This is a hedonistic feast of traditional French dishes and regional specialities, a time to indulge in France’s best produce, be it lobsters, oysters, foie gras or escargots, all washed down with champagne and fine wines. The main course may be a traditional turkey with chestnuts, or goose in regions like Alsace, but room must always be left for dessert which is an extravagant and much-anticipated affair.
On the dessert plate Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log, is arguably one of the most popular and well-known Christmas treats, not just in France but world-over. Made of chocolate and chestnuts, this log-shaped cake is representative of the wood log burned in France’s Perigord region between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and is enjoyed year after year by young and old. Also specific to their region are the 13 desserts of Provence – meant to reflect the number seated around the table at the Last Supper – which consist of nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit and, typically, Pompe de Noël a l’huile d’olive. This light cake with citrus flavours is broken apart by hand and accompanied by Vin Cuit (literally, cooked wine) to provide a sweet finish to the meal.
And finally, when all are satiated and the table is left with nothing more than a scattering of crumbs and empty glasses, what remains are the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, or sapin de Noël, a warm reminder of what is yet to come.
Tags: french, festival, france, christmas, religion, festive
Posted by Sarah Gooding under Food and Drink,
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