What Do French People Eat For Christmas Dessert?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Once baked as a tribute to (and replacement for) the yule log,

Bûche de Noël cakes

have become a Christmas mainstay in France and around the world. Made of rolled sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and decorated to look like a log, desserts don’t get more traditional than this.

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What do French people eat for dessert at Christmas?


La buche de Noël

– the Yule log.

The “buche de Noël” is a must for dessert. No French Christmas dinner is complete without “la buche”, which is a yule log-shaped sponge cake filled with a butter cream. The Yule log was a Christmas tradition even before it became a dessert.

What is a typical dessert in France?

  • Crème brûlée. Flickr / Keith McDuffee. …
  • Soufflé Shutterstock / Julie208. …
  • Pain au chocolat. Wikimedia Commons. …
  • Mille-feuille. Flickr/francois schnell. …
  • Madeleines. Shutterstock/vm2002. …
  • Chocolat. Yves Herman/Reuters. …
  • Clafoutis. Wikimedia Commons. …
  • French lemon tart. Shutterstock.

What do the French eat at Christmas?

Christmas Dinner

Dishes might include

roast turkey with chestnuts or roast goose, oysters,foie gras, lobster, venison and cheeses

. For dessert, a chocolate sponge cake log called a bûche de Noël is normally eaten.

What is the most popular French dessert?

  • 1) Croissants. French croissants are a little pastry made with butter and then carefully baked. …
  • 2) Éclairs. Éclairs are made with choux pastry filled with a flavored and sweet cream. …
  • 3) Cannelés. …
  • 4) Macaroons. …
  • 5) Financiers. …
  • 6) Crepes. …
  • 7) Madeleine. …
  • 8) Crème Brûlée.

What are the 12 desserts of Christmas?

Caramel Pear Galette Boiled Christmas Fruit Cake Easy Cranberry Cake Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Huguenot Torte with Cherries Biscochitos Toffee Matzo Chocolate Bread Pudding Pecan Pie Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce Almond & Orange Cake with Plum Compote Pear Tarte Tatin

Why are 13 desserts served at Christmas dinner?

The thirteen desserts are in

reference to Jesus and his twelve apostles at the Last Supper

. As tradition goes, there must be at least thirteen sweets available. They are all served at once, and each guest must have at least a small bite of each dessert.

What is the most popular dessert in Paris?

1.

Macarons

. First up on our list of top 10 Parisian desserts, and perhaps the most well-known on the list is the macaron.

What desserts did the French invent?

  • Dacquoise. Layered desserts are very popular in the French pastry and confectionary world. …
  • Mille Feuille. Mille Feuille, also known as Napoleon, is another French layered dessert that is loved by numerous people. …
  • Choux Pastry. …
  • Madeleines. …
  • Tarte Tatin.

What are 3 traditional French Christmas foods?

  • CAVIAR. …
  • OYSTERS. …
  • LOBSTER. …
  • FOIE GRAS. …
  • ESCARGOTS. …
  • COQUILLES SAINT JACQUES. …
  • ROAST TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING. …
  • ALL KINDS OF BIRDS AND WILD FOWL.

What are some French snacks?

  • Snack. Panisses. Provence. France. shutterstock. …
  • Cookie. Canistrelli. Corsica. France. …
  • Cookie. Palets de dames. Nord. France. …
  • Sweet Pastry. Chaussons aux pommes. Saint-Calais. France. …
  • Savory Pie. Pissaladière. Nice. France. …
  • Savory Pastry. Gougère. Yonne. France. …
  • Snack. Vol-au-vent. Paris. France. …
  • Sweet Pastry. Pain aux raisins. FRANCE. shutterstock.

What do you serve at a French themed party?

  • Cheese -brie, cheddar, marble, swiss.
  • baguette.
  • fruit -grapes, plums, apple slices, pear slices.
  • chutneys.
  • pate.
  • cured meats.
  • veggies and dip -cucumber, peppers, carrots, cherry tomatoes.
  • roast beef, havarti, and lettuce sandwiches on baguette or croissant.

How do French decorate for Christmas?

Decorating for Christmas is very common in France. Many households, public spaces, and businesses are

decorated with lights and Christmas trees

. Advent wreaths (Couronnes de l’Avent) are also common, they are made up of fir and pine tree branches for the first Sunday of Advent.

What is French food known for?

  • Cassoulet. One particular dish that gained popularity in southern France is Cassoulet. …
  • Oeufs en meurette. If you ever find yourself in Burgundy mid-morning then stop off for brunch and try this French version of poached eggs. …
  • Religieuse au chocolat. …
  • Baguette au fromage. …
  • Bouillabaisse.

How do you say 13 desserts in French?

The thirteen desserts (Occitan:

lei tretze dessèrts

) are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating Christmas in the French region of Provence. The “big supper” (le gros souper) ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles.

What is the most popular dessert at Christmas?

  1. 1Iced VoVo pavlova. This is the ultimate Aussie twist – the colours and flavours of the classic Iced VoVo combined with the iconic pavlova!
  2. 2Toblerone cheesecake. …
  3. 3Choc Ripple cake.

What is the name of the traditional French dessert that in English is called a Yule log?

Buche de Noel is the French name for a Christmas cake shaped like a log. This one is a heavenly flourless chocolate cake rolled with chocolate whipped cream. Traditionally, Buche de Noel is decorated with confectioners’ sugar to resemble snow on a Yule log.

What are traditional French foods?

  • Soupe à l’oignon. This is a traditional French soup made of onions and beef stock, usually served with croutons and melted cheese on top. …
  • Coq au vin. …
  • Cassoulet. …
  • Bœuf bourguignon. …
  • Chocolate soufflé …
  • Flamiche. …
  • Confit de canard. …
  • Salade Niçoise.

What are the flavors of Christmas?

  • Candy Canes. …
  • Cinnamon. …
  • Cranberry Sauce. …
  • Eggnog. …
  • Gingerbread. …
  • Pumpkin Pie. …
  • Roasted Chestnuts.

How many tablecloths are on the Christmas table in Provence?

On Christmas Eve, the dining table is covered with

three white tablecloths

of decreasing size, so that each layer is seen, and three white candles, symbolizing the Holy Trinity. The sprouted lentils and wheat planted on St Barbe’s are adorned with ribbon and sprigs of myrtle or holly to decorate the table.

What are small French cakes called?


Financier

is a small French cake that is sometimes erroneously mistaken for a pastry since it is similar to a sponge cake. The cakes are baked in moulds and shaped to look like golden bricks known as lingot in French. Financiers are usually made with almond flour, almonds, egg whites, brown butter, and sugar.

What food is Paris famous for?

  1. Croissants: Cheap, yet unforgettable. Start your day like a true Parisian and get yourself an all-butter croissant for breakfast! …
  2. Escargots: A national symbol. …
  3. Macarons. …
  4. Jambon-beurre: Paris street food at its best. …
  5. Steak tartare. …
  6. Cheese. …
  7. Onion soup. …
  8. 25 Comment.

Do the French eat pies?


Hachis Parmentier

is a traditional French dish consisting of mashed and baked potatoes, chopped or minced meat, and sauce Lyonnaise. … Hachis Parmentier is commonly known as the French version of the famous shepherd’s pie. This delicious dish also provides a great way to use up the leftovers from other dishes.

What is the oldest French dessert?

  • The macaron cookie was brought over to France as early as 1533 by Catherine di Medici, a noblewoman from Florence who married the future King of France, Henri II. …
  • The kouign amann is a cake that first originated in the 1800s in Brittany, France.

What are French cakes?

  • Some of the most popular cakes and pastries of France.
  • Croissant.
  • Pain au chocolat.
  • Kouign Amann.
  • Pain aux raisins.
  • Palmier.
  • Chausson aux pommes.
  • Eclair.

Do the French eat turkey?

The French do not nearly eat as much turkey as the Americans –

they eat mostly chicken

, and turkey is, in fact, their traditional Christmas menu: la dinde aux marrons (turkey with chestnuts). So the consumption of turkey still revolves mostly around the end of the year dinners and is widely available by November.

What does Santa look like in France?

Santa Claus in France is called “Père Noël”. Like in any places celebrating Christmas, the French Father Christmas wears a red suit and hat with white fur trimming with a broad black belt around his waist. He is tall and large,

with ruddy cheeks and nose, bushy eyebrows

, a white beard and moustache.

How do the French celebrate Christmas Eve?


Midnight Mass


The traditional Christmas church service

is held on Christmas Eve in France. It’s known as the Midnight Mass and it usually begins at midnight or a few hours before. People come together in cathedrals and churches across the country to pray and sing carols (known as Chants de Noël).

What is the most eaten snack in France?


Yogurt, fromage blanc, fruits, and cereal bars

are all popular snacks in France. However, not all French kids eat a healthy goûter. Nutella or chocolate with bread is a common snack which isn’t the most healthy. And then there are les danettes, the most popular crème dessert in France.

What is the traditional French Christmas Eve dinner?


Huîtres, or oysters

, are a classic French Christmas tradition (if you have the money to afford them), served with lemon and a shallot mignonette. In fact, seafood in general is pretty popular for the Christmas Eve meal, as it is in Italy where on Christmas Eve many celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

What is Santa called in France?


Père Noël

(French pronunciation: ​[pɛʁ nɔ. ɛl]), “Father Christmas”, sometimes called ‘Papa Noël’ (“Daddy Christmas”), is a legendary gift-bringer at Christmas in France and other French-speaking areas, identified with the Father Christmas and/or Santa Claus of English-speaking territories.

What are 10 famous French foods?

  • Bouillabaisse. Mediterranean fish and shellfish stew served over a toasted slice of bread..
  • Quiche Lorraine. Custard enriched with ham an other ingredients cooked in a pastry shell.
  • Steak-Frites. …
  • Coq au vin. …
  • Bœuf Bourguignon. …
  • Cassoulet. …
  • Escargots de Bourgogne. …
  • Moules mariníères.

What is French candy?

  • Calissons d’Aix. The recipe for this soft rhomboid sweet has remained unchanged since its origins, which by some accounts hark all the way back to the 12th century in Aix-en-Provence. …
  • Nougat de Montelimar. …
  • Anis de Flavigny. …
  • French Dragees. …
  • Salt butter caramels.

What is a typical French dinner menu?

  • Steak frites. Voila – this simple, yet impressive recipe is inspired by French bistro cuisine. …
  • Chicken confit. …
  • French onion soup. …
  • Bouillabaisse. …
  • Salmon en papillote. …
  • Quiche Lorraine. …
  • Croque monsieur. …
  • Boeuf bourguignon.

What do the French eat for appetizers?

  • Escargots a la Bourguignonne (Snails in Garlic-Herb Butter) …
  • Provençal Stuffed Squid. …
  • Duck Pâté en Croûte. …
  • Black Olive Tapenade. …
  • Tartare de Filet de Boeuf (Steak Tartare) …
  • Deviled Eggs With Crab. …
  • Pissaladière. …
  • Gougères.

Do French have birthday cakes?

Birthday celebrations in France

However, French birthday cakes are often very different from the over-the-top, frosted confections that are common in North America. Unless they are celebrating a milestone birthday, the French mostly stick with a simple cake which is

usually homemade

.

What is the most eaten food in France?

  • Bread. When you imagine French food, the many different types of bread may come to mind. …
  • Pastries. Pastries are a common thing to snack on here. …
  • Cheese. This is a product created religiously. …
  • Soup and Potage. …
  • Magret de Canard. …
  • Desserts. …
  • Salads. …
  • Seafood.

Do French do snacks?

French people usually eat a smaller meal for dinner, such as a soup or salad with bread and a dessert (often a yoghurt or a slice of cheese). Considering French people famously

don’t snack

, they must survive a long break between lunch and dinner. The solution is that lunch is the biggest meal of the day.

Are french fries from France?

Despite its name and popularity,

the French fries are not French

. The origins can be found in Belgium, where historians claim potatoes were being fried in the late-1600s. … American soldiers were first introduced to the fries while they were stationed in Belgium during World War I.

Sophia Kim
Author
Sophia Kim
Sophia Kim is a food writer with a passion for cooking and entertaining. She has worked in various restaurants and catering companies, and has written for several food publications. Sophia's expertise in cooking and entertaining will help you create memorable meals and events.