This post is all about the French Christmas food you can find this December!

Christmas time is approaching: the cozy nights in, with friends and family around a great meal. This is the ideal many of us strive for this holiday season. A success at Christmas, means a little prep work, especially on the food front.

Families usually split up the work and everyone brings a dish or they could split the bill if there is a very good cook in the family.

There are certain items that are very traditional and very much linked to Christmas. Please do take into consideration that these are traditional meals. You are of course not forced to order them in restaurants or eat them if they do not suit your eating habits.

Let’s go for all the French Christmas food traditions!

 

French Christmas Food

 

When do French people celebrate Christmas?

Each family has its own way of doing things. Some celebrate Christmas on December 24th evening, while others do it on the 25th.

From a very practical standpoint, it also depends if you have in-laws to consider and when they celebrate Christmas. The idea is for the whole family to gather at some point, be together, and celebrate.

Certain families go to midnight mass, while others do not. A lot of French families put up a Christmas tree, especially for all the little kids of the family.

When do you open presents then?

Here again, it all depends on your family’s traditions. Some open their presents before dinner on the 24th evening. Others wait until midnight on the 24th. Others open them in the course of the 25th. You can see it all.

I have friends who do not get to see their family until later in December because of work and travel.

The real star of the show however is what is on the Christmas table!

 

The Christmas menu in France

Here is a list of some of the most popular choices of food you can find for your holiday meal. Those would be served during the Christmas eve meal, or in French “le réveillon de Noël”. Maybe you’ll enjoy this Christmas feast on the 25th in your family. Either way, you’ll have a great meal!

 

Foie Gras as the entrée

Foie gras is very popular during the holiday season in France. It’s a high-end duck or goose liver paté. You can eat it as a paté cold with some toasted pain d’épices or brioche. You can also eat it warm.

Foie gras is really part of the cultural and gastronomic heritage of France. That’s how important it is.

The production process of foie gras has been put more and more into question over the years. But foie gras is foie gras…so there are some companies that manufacture a vegan version. You can easily find it online or in-store during the festive season.

 

Other entrées

Foie gras is not the only option for starting your Christmas meal. You could also have seafood like oysters or other shellfish on a platter. This of course even more true if your family lives on the west coast of France.

Other alternatives are good-quality smoked salmon, fish roe, or caviar. You accompany that with a nice warm toast, a blini, and sour cream. You’re golden!

In some cases, you can have both: the foie gras and the seafood or salmon. That way you can choose whichever one you prefer… or eat it all!

 

Game Meats for the main course

The main meal is usually game meats. Each family chooses its favorite: guinea fowl, wild boar, or roast goose (you can also have roast turkey). You need to order your pick of meat from your local butcher ahead of time. Another way is purchasing pre-cooked meat from a caterer if cooking is not your thing. They will also sell all the sauces and side dishes that pair well with the meat.

On the side, you’ll usually find a cranberry sauce and other accompaniments such as green beans or gratin dauphinois. One of my favorites is warm chestnuts.

After the main dish, we could also have a cheese course. When is there ever not a cheese platter at the dinner table? There is not one particular cheese that is specific to Christmas. It could be any cheese you prefer.

 

Yule Log

A very important element of Christmas dinner: is dessert! In French, la bûche de Noël.

This dessert is like a swiss roll with a lot of buttercream. That’s the very traditional version of it.

In most bakeries, you’ll have some Christmas decor on top of it, like a little Santa Claus, a reindeer, or elves. In more traditional bakeries those would be in plastic. If you go for a more high-end version, they could be edible. Every year all the bakers and pâtissiers in France challenge themselves to make it even more extraordinary than last year. Some of the cakes have kept the log cake format. Others have moved away from it.

On top of that, bakers have also innovated on the inside of the cake. The possibilities are now endless: buttercream, mousse, or ice cream. Vanilla, fresh fruit (like berries or mango), chocolate. You will find it all!

Some people bake their own yule log at home. It requires a bit of equipment, but if you are a passionate baker, you’ll find many many recipes online. Even the ones from famous chefs.

If baking is not really your thing, you can of course order your dessert from a shop. Be sure to order your cake in advance though, because they sell out quickly!

Once you have ordered your cake, you’ll get to pick it up on the 24th. There are so many orders that they will give you a specific timeframe to come and get your cake. Some caterers even rent a dedicated space just for the pick up of cakes, entrées, sauces, and main courses for Christmas.

 

Drinks

France is known for food, wonderful pastries and cakes, cheese and…wine!

You cannot have all this wonderful food without something to drink. The wine pairing could be a sweeter white wine to start, red wine with the main course, and finish off with white wine for dessert.

This is just one way of doing it. You could also just drink one type of wine or champagne throughout dinner. There really are no rules besides enjoying yourself.

In some families, kids can enjoy their version of “Champagne”, aka apple juice and sparkling water. The most famous brand in France is Champomy.

Once you’ve had all this amazing food and drinks, you might want to use all those calories for some fun Christmas activities.

 

Christmas table

There are no specific French traditions for what is supposed to be on the Christmas table. Some families get out the nice china with nice glasses. Others, because of the sheer number of people, keep it simple with paper plates.

You’ll find some Christmas decor, little elves, or little angels. In some families, they also put a little sweet for each person at the table. It could be a little box with 1 or 2 chocolates, a glazed chestnut, or even a fruit paste. In some cases, you can even have an edible decor on the table, which is my favorite, especially when there are with chocolate!

More and more, people get Christmas crackers. This is not really a French tradition. They traveled from the UK and the continent and we can find them more and more in the shops.

The best tables are the ones that are not too complicated and too full of things, that you feel kind of stuck between one bouquet of flowers and Christmas table decor on the other side.

 

Things to do with your family at Christmas

Once you have enjoyed all this French Christmas food, you might want to just lay on the couch, chat with your family and friends and relax. I love board games, so this is a great time to play all the games that you cannot usually play because you are missing players.

If you’re doing a Christmas lunch, you could consider going for a nice walk, burning off some energy. There might be some Christmas markets around that you can go to, to continue with the Christmas spirit and drink a glass of vin chaud (mulled wine).

You might even go ice skating if you have a lake or a ring near you.

If you are ever in Paris for Christmas, you can go and check out this post. It’s a Winter guide to Paris. All the perfect activities you could do with your family, kids friendly during the this Christmas season!

Wishing you all a merry Christmas, and as we say in France: un Joyeux Noël!

 

This post is all about the French Christmas food you could eat this holiday season in France!

 

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