French Connections

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - Time now for French Connections,

00:03 our weekly look at the intricacies of life here in France

00:06 with Solange Mougin.

00:07 Hi, Solange.

00:08 - Hi, Jeannie.

00:09 - This week, you are walking us through

00:10 the traditional French Christmas meal.

00:12 - Yeah, it is a big family meal

00:14 that's generally on December 24th,

00:17 but in some homes, it is on the 25th,

00:19 and it often lasts for hours with multiple courses

00:23 and a significant budget.

00:25 The average cost is thought to be around 100 to 130 euros

00:30 for the meal.

00:31 Now, inflation has made families more cautious,

00:34 but it is traditionally an exceptional festive moment.

00:38 The first course is often and has long been champagne

00:41 accompanied by hors d'oeuvres or finger food.

00:44 (speaking in foreign language)

00:51 Next up, there are often starters.

00:54 Here, many French families, well, they go all out

00:56 serving luxury items such as foie gras.

00:59 70 to 80% of its sales are around this time of year.

01:04 Now, there's also smoked salmon, shellfish,

01:06 and oysters are a common favorite.

01:09 (speaking in foreign language)

01:13 I love shellfish.

01:15 And then after all of that, of course, comes the main dish.

01:18 Well, not yet.

01:20 In some households, yes,

01:22 but in others, we are not there yet.

01:24 For many, they also serve escargot or snails,

01:27 which are often roasted with garlic butter.

01:29 And then in some families,

01:31 they have boudin blanc or white sausage.

01:33 So the month of December, it is pedal to the metal time

01:36 for those in both industries.

01:38 (speaking in foreign language)

01:42 Then there is the pièce de résistance

01:51 or the main dish.

01:54 And here, it's often a bird of some sorts.

01:56 (speaking in foreign language)

02:20 Now, not all households are willing to stuff a turkey

02:23 or cook all day,

02:25 but there is actually a big market

02:28 for ordering out, going to restaurants,

02:30 or buying pre-made frozen food here in France.

02:33 All right, now, some households then continue on

02:36 with a cheese platter, as this is France, of course,

02:39 but really the star of the meal is the dessert,

02:41 which is often called la bûche, la bûche de Noël.

02:44 It is indeed.

02:45 In France, about eight million of these Yule log desserts

02:49 are sold every year, mostly at Christmas time.

02:52 Now, la bûche, which actually means log,

02:54 it is a relatively new dessert,

02:56 dating just to the 19th century,

02:58 but it is steeped in an old pagan tradition

03:01 of burning a big piece of firewood on the winter solstice.

03:04 (speaking in foreign language)

03:09 (speaking in foreign language)

03:13 - There are very many different regional traditions as well.

03:24 Tell us about those.

03:25 - There are, and there are very many

03:27 regional specific sweets and treats.

03:29 For example, near the Belgian border,

03:31 there is the cognou, which is a brioche

03:34 shaped in the form of a baby Jesus.

03:36 There's also the brédalos in Alsace,

03:38 which are spice cookies.

03:40 Another more common one, a very common one,

03:43 is les papillotes, or these wrapped covered chocolates.

03:46 They often have a message inside.

03:48 Not to mention one of my favorites,

03:51 les marrons glacés, or candied chestnuts.

03:53 They're often from Ardèche.

03:55 Now, in Provence, there is a tradition of 13 desserts,

03:58 les 13 desserts, and they generally include

04:01 raisins, nuts, candied fruit, calissons, and nougat,

04:05 but not only.

04:06 (speaking in foreign language)

04:10 - One of the traditional desserts has a fun name.

04:20 It's called la pompe à l'huile, or the oil pump,

04:22 because it has olive oil in it.

04:25 And the superstition is that you actually have to,

04:29 if you cut it, rather than breaking the bread apart,

04:31 well, then you have 12, if you cut it,

04:33 you have 12 months ahead of bad luck.

04:36 - Oh, okay, don't do that then.

04:37 Does the Christmas Eve meal have a name?

04:39 - Well, in Provence, it is actually called

04:42 le gros souper, the big supper,

04:45 which is actually a misnomer,

04:46 as it is supposed to be a light meal.

04:48 The table is set with three white tablecloths

04:50 for the trinity, and there is also a setting

04:53 for the poor, ou la place du pauvre.

04:56 This is a lost tradition where anyone can knock on your door

04:59 and ask to be seated at the meal.

05:00 Now, elsewhere in France, this dinner

05:02 is often called le réveillon de Noël,

05:05 which are our words du jour.

05:08 Now, people often use the word réveillon as well

05:10 to speak about New Year's Eve.

05:12 It means a festive meal,

05:15 often shared between friends and family.

05:17 - Okay, speaking of family, the meal is not always,

05:20 or for everyone, a particularly enjoyable time.

05:23 - It is not.

05:24 When I asked colleagues about their Christmas traditions,

05:26 many people actually said that I should talk about

05:29 this concept of l'oncle raciste, or the racist uncle.

05:34 This is a code word of sorts for the heated discussions,

05:38 the divergent worldviews that can come up

05:40 around the dinner table.

05:42 (speaking in foreign language)

05:47 (angelic music)

05:55 (speaking in foreign language)

05:59 (angelic music)

06:02 - Now, the Christmas meal is not always an easy one,

06:04 but it is a rare moment to be together,

06:07 to celebrate one another,

06:10 and also to celebrate food as well.

06:11 - Absolutely, thank you for that, Solange,

06:13 and happy holidays to all of you if you celebrate them.

06:16 Now, remember, if you wanna get a closer look

06:18 at any of the French connections,

06:19 you can always check them out on our website, france24.com,

06:22 or if you have your own questions about France

06:24 or the French, you can reach out to Solange Mougin

06:27 on social media.

Category

Transcript

Recommended