A couple of you have reached out and asked about the little ditty in the right side-bar :🎄 A Taste of Provence for the Holidays! 🇫🇷
The Réveillon (pronounced ray-vay-ohn) is a traditional, very long, and often luxurious dinner celebrated in French culture on the eves of Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The name comes from the French word réveil, which means "waking up" or "awakening." The meal is traditionally held late at night, often after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and guests stay awake until the early hours of the morning.
🍽️ Key Features of a Provençal Réveillon:
When: Traditionally starts very late on Christmas Eve (or New Year's Eve) and can last for many hours, often past midnight.
The Food: It's an extravagant feast! Dishes are usually luxurious, such as oysters, foie gras, escargots, or roasted fowl (like turkey with chestnuts). And of course, this is France, so there's lots of Champagne and Wine... And for this dinner, they break out the good wines!
In Provence: The Christmas Eve dinner concludes with the famous Thirteen Desserts (les treize desserts), a unique Provençal tradition that symbolizes Jesus and the twelve apostles.
It's truly a special, celebratory meal focused on good food, fine drinks, and spending time with loved ones during the holidays.
🍰 Les Treize Desserts:
The Thirteen Desserts (Les Treize Desserts) is the symbolic grand finale of the Provençal Christmas Eve dinner (le gros souper or réveillon).
🍇 The Symbolism
The number thirteen is highly symbolic, representing Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles at the Last Supper. The tradition dictates that every guest must sample at least a little bit of each of the thirteen desserts to guarantee good luckfor the coming year.
🥜 The Classic Components
While the exact list can vary slightly from family to family and village to village, the desserts are always an abundance of fruits, nuts, and local sweets, showcasing Provence's best agricultural products.
The desserts are grouped into categories, with some items considered indispensable:
1. The Olive Oil Fougasse (): This subtly sweet, brioche-like flatbread made with olive oil and orange blossom water is the centerpiece. Tradition says it must be broken by hand, never cut with a knife, to prevent ruin in the coming year, mirroring the breaking of bread at the Last Supper.
2. and 3. The Nougats:
White Nougat (): Soft and light, made with honey, almonds, and pistachios. Often symbolizes goodness or the light of the winter solstice.
Black Nougat (): Hard and crunchy, made with honey and almonds. Often symbolizes evil or the darker days of winter.
4-7. The Four Beggars (): These four dried fruits and nuts are perhaps the most famous and represent the robes of the four monastic mendicant orders (orders that rely on charity):
Dried Figs (Franciscans)
Almonds (Carmelites)
Raisins (Dominicans)
Walnuts or Hazelnuts (Augustinians)
The Remaining Six: These are usually a combination of local fresh and preserved fruits and sweets, such as:
Fresh Fruits: Apples, pears, oranges, mandarins, and the green Christmas melon (verdauˋ).
Dates: Symbolizing Christ's journey from the East.
Local Sweets: Calissons d'Aix (almond and candied melon paste), Quince Paste (paˆte de coing), or candied fruits.
The desserts are traditionally set out on Christmas Eve and remain on the table for three days (until December 27th), inviting guests to enjoy them throughout the holiday season.
