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Published on Thursday 24th of December 2015 by Valerie

French conversation over a festive table

It is well known: The French way of life is mostly about good French conversation, wine and food! Christmas and New Year provide the best opportunity to engage in all three. Unlike our British counterpart, the celebration starts on the 24th of December for le reveillon de Noel (Christmas eve) and continues on Christmas day. The whole operation is of course repeated on the 31st of December and 1st of January, thus leaving enough time in between Christmas and New Year to finish the rests (usually enough to feed a small army).

So what exactly will you find on a typically French Christmas table? Foie gras, oysters and smoked salmon are a must at this time of year and no respectable French table will be seen without it. But it’s not all about the food itself. It is also about the art of spreading it over several hours. On the 24th of December, all French conversations revolve around the preparation of the ‘reveillon de Noel’ (Christmas eve party). This is no small matter and it requires careful planning and preparation. Dinner has to last till at least midnight so the whole event will kick start between 8h and 9h00 pm with ‘un aperitif’ (‘amuse bouche’ for the delicate British public and ‘amuse gueule’ for the most forward French one).

Originally, an aperitif refers to a pre-dinner drink such as Pastis, Vodka (mixed with soft drink), whiskey, some specific white wines (on their own or mixed with creme de cassis, etc.) and other cocktail-like drinks. Unsurprisingly therefore, the first rule of aperitif is to offer your guests a choice of drinks. As solely drinking would be really quite boring, a whole tradition of nibbles developed round the concept of aperitif. Hence the typical ‘gateaux aperitifs’ you can find in any supermarket. Christmas being special however, we go slightly over board with the selection of nibbles: small toasts with foie gras, mini blinis topped with crème fraiche and smoked salmon, assortments of dips, the list is limitless as long as it looks colourful. As the French conversation amongst guests gets well on the way, so does the food intake. It is not unusual to be full up before you even get to the proper dinner.

As you’re invited to sit at the dinner table, still engrossed in your French conversation, you will probably start with a basket of bread or toasts on which to spread Foie gras, smoked salmon and cream and, of course, the traditional plate of oysters served with lemon or vinaigrette (French dressing). A lot of people are keen to stay on the same theme and ‘un plateau de fruits de mer’ (seafood platter) will gtace many tables as a main meal. Of course, some people go for the more traditional ‘dinde aux marrons’ (turkey with a chestnut farce), chapon (capon) or a roast of some description (as long as the recipe is quite fancy). Anything flambé goes down a treat!

‘Salade’ (green lettuce in dressing) and cheese are the essential links between the main meal and dessert. The traditional Christmas dessert is ‘la buche de Noel’ (Christmas yule). Traditionally prepared with cream (crème patissiere), this can be quite heavy on the stomach, not mentioning the fact that a number of people (myself included) aren’t fan of ‘crème patissiere). Luckily, ‘la buche glacee’ (Christmas yule made of ice-cream) is a very common alternative and can be accompanied by a refreshing fruit salad.

If this seems like a lot of food, well, you’re right, it is. But keep in mind that you will have quite a bit of time between courses. The whole meal is intended to last as long as possible. You may be going to bed with a full stomach but at least, you’ve got the opening of the presents to look forward to the next day.

Bon appétit et Joyeux Noel!

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