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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.