Christmas food in France

Like many French holiday traditions, the focus of Christmas and New Year's celebrations in France is on the table.

A traditional and easy way to start the feast is simply to serve the most loved and hated of French delicacies, foie gras (фуа гра)- in the picture on the right, on sliced bread with a sweet wine. This is especially favoured in Paris and the south-west.

There must be a bird on the Christmas table. It can be a goose, a turkey, a cock, a duck or a chicken. The French do not just bake a turkey. This is considered too simple a dish, below the dignity of the Frenchman. That's why the turkey is stuffed with truffles, pork or goose liver. Chicken is filled with nuts, ham, spices or goose liver. Also, the French can simply marinate the bird in some sauce or wine or cognac. Instead of birds in some regions, the French can cook a rabbit.

Christmas log (in the picture on the left) is also made to cook for Christmas. Earlier, the French burned a real log on Christmas night, and the remaining coal was stored for a year. It was believed that he brings happiness and luck to the house. Nowadays I hardly burn a log, now the French bake it. A Christmas log is a roll made in the form of a log and decorated with sweet berries.

Escargots (in the picture on the right), known in some parts of the south as cargouille, and oysters (especially in Brittany) are also common choices. Oysters are a relatively easy and always correct choice for an entrée provided you learn how to shuck them properly. It is recommended to wear gloves – French emergency rooms do indeed fill up on Christmas Eve with oyster-shucking victims!

Ham and fish also often make the menu as well as lobster, crab or game meats such as venison or boar.

Cranberries commonly appear in sauces and relishes on the menu, if at no other time of the year. If you're cooking this year for a small family group, magret de canard (утиная грудка) – in the picture on the left-with cranberry sauce will produce fewer leftovers but still appeal to French tastes.