U Francuskoj su, kao i u mnogim drugim zemljama, dva glavna simbola Božića Djed Božićnjak i božićno drvce. Prvi donosi djeci poklone i čini ih sretnima. Božićno drvce je, kako na gradskom trgu tako i kod kuće, dio čarolije ovog razdoblja. Svako dijete voli ukrašavati drvce zajedno sa svojom obitelji.

Za vjernike, koje u Francuskoj većinom čine katolici, je stavljanje božićnih jaslica u dnevnu sobu također vrlo važna tradicija. Ali nemojte slučajno staviti figuru Isusa u božićne jaslice prije 25. prosinca! Također je vrlo važno sudjelovati na polnoćki 24. prosinca. Pored mise za Uskrs božićna misa je jedna od najposjećenijih i najimpresivnijih misa godine. Međutim, kako bi se ljudima omogućilo da se pridruže svojoj obitelji na Badnjak, umjesto polnoćke mise se često održavaju oko 18 sati.

Konačno, dolazi najvažniji dio, odnosno proslava s obitelji! Proslava počinje 24. prosinca na Badnjak i nastavlja se 25. prosinca na Božić, u pravilu, u krugu obitelji. To je vrijeme za uživanje u hrani, ali o tome ćemo kasnije. To je također vrijeme za poklone članovima obitelji.

Tjedan dana kasnije je Nova godina. Novu godina dočekujemo s prijateljima okupljajući se 31. prosinca u večer. Međutim, neki Francuzi radije slave Novu godinu 1. siječnja, dok drugi je slave kao 31. prosinca, tako i 1 siječnja. U svakom slučaju to je sjajna prilika uživati u najukusnijim jelima i divnim trenucima s najbližim ljudima uz odličan obrok. Svake godine u Parizu se fantastičan vatromet na Jelisejskim poljima ili u blizini Eiffelovog tornja. Isto vrijedi i za ostale velike gradove. Iako je to zabranjeno, pojedinci također sami organiziraju vatromet. To je posebno popularno u Alzasu i u drugim regijama koje se graniče s Njemačkom, u kojima je lako nabaviti vatromet.

Kao i u mnogim drugim zemljama, postoje dva ključna faktora koji su pretpostavka za uspješan doček Božića i Nove godine: divni ljudi i vrhunska hrana. Što se tiče ljudi, doček Božića i Nove godine u krugu obitelji i prijatelja je najčešći i najbolji izbor. Ali kako izgleda savršeni božićni i novogodišnji obrok u Francuskoj?

Krenite sa mnom na ovo gastronomsko putovanje!

Prvo, sve počinje lijepim zdravicama i francuskim predjelom koje se zove verrines (male čašice s raličitom vrstom zakuske). Verrines se jedu uz vaš omiljeni alkohol ili, ako ste djete, bezalkoholno piće. Preporučio bih vam čašu Pineaua ili stari Konjak, ali to je na vama.

Nakon dobrodošlice, vrijeme je za ozbiljna jela. Pred vama je tanjur s morskim plodovima koji je toliko velik da ga nije moguće pojesti odjednom. Zatim stiže dimljeni losos, škampi, ostrige i jastozi, u pravilu s bocom bijelog vina.

Nakon toga je vrijeme za još jedno tipično francusko jelo, odnosno Foie Gras, koje možemo prevesti kao “masna jetra“. To je vrsta nježne paštete od patke ili guske, ali je bolje ostati u neznanju kako se to kuha. Da biste potpuno uživali, najbolje je da stavite Foie Gras na vrh pečenih kriški francuskog baguetta ili medenjaka i dodate malo džema od smokava. Kakav je to užitak!

Četvrta faza je glavno jelo, iako su se svi već tada dobro najeli. Klasično glavno jelo se sastoji od nekih neobičnih vrsta mesa s krumpirom i povrćem. To je uglavnom meso divljih životinja, naime divljeg vepra ili jelena, s nekim umakom. Međutim, to može biti i egzotično meso poput klokanovog ili nojevog. To je također vrijeme za otvaranje boce sjajnog crnog vina.

Pravi francuski obrok je nemoguće zamisliti bez tanjura sa sirom. Ako vam se čini da je to previše, nemojte se brinuti, na stolu je obično neka salata koja će vam pomoći u probavi, kao i još jedna čaša crnog vina.

Konačno dolazi trenutak koji svi čekaju - desert. Božićni i novogodišnji deserti se razlikuju. Na božićnom stolu najčešće će se naći Božićni panj, u pravilu s okusom čokolade. Nova godina nudi više slobode u izboru kolača, ali nikako ne može proći bez čaše šampanjaca. Iako je jednostavno nemoguće ostati gladnim poslje takve količine različitih slatkiša, za svaki slučaj vas također na stolu čekaju mandarine i čokolade.

Nakon četiri-pet sati za stolom, večera se bliži kraju. Baka se u pravilu žali da članovi obitelji nisu pojeli dovoljno i trebaju pojesti još malo. Muškarci još uvijek raspravljaju o izboru vrste vina. Članovi obitelji čestitaju kuharici na izvanrednom ručku. Ali najvažnije je to što su svi sretni da su došli, svi međusobno raspravljaju, smiju se, vesele se jer su se zajedno skupili i izražavaju želju za boljom budućnošću.

Sretan Božić i sretna Nova godina! Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à tous!

 

 

 

Year 2020 is close to its end. This crazy year marked by the Covid19 pandemic has proven to be one of the most challenging ones in Croatia as in France. Even if Christmas’ and New Year’s celebrations will not be the same, they remain a moment of joy and sharing.

 

In France, as in many other places, the two main symbols of Christmas are Santa Claus and the Christmas Tree. The first brings gifts in the hands of children and stars in their eyes. The Christmas tree, on a city square as at home, is part of the magic of this period. Every child loves to decorate the tree with the rest of the family.

For believers, mostly Catholic in France, it is also important to put a Christmas Crib in the living room. But be careful not to put Jesus before 25 December! Then, on 24 December, the so-called Midnight Mass is a must go. It remains one of the most attended and impressive masses of the year with the Easter Mass. However, as a way to allow people to join their family for Christmas Eve, the mass often happens around 6 pm instead of midnight.

Finally, the most important comes, the celebration with your relatives! Usually, people celebrate on both Christmas Eve on 24 December and Christmas on 25 December, generally with the whole family. It is time for wonderful meals, but we will speak about this later. It is also the occasion for giving gifts to all your relatives.

A week later, New Year comes. It is mostly celebrated on 31 December, usually with friends. However, some people prefer to celebrate it on 1 January, while others do both. Once again, this is the perfect occasion to enjoy the finest dishes and wonderful moments with great people during an outstanding meal. In Paris, a splendid firework held on the Champs-Élysées or near the Eiffel Tower. The same goes for other main cities. Though theoretically forbidden, some individuals also organize their own fireworks. This practice is especially in Alsace and other regions bordering Germany, where it is easy to buy fireworks.

As in many countries, there are two key factors for a successful Christmas and New Year: amazing people and exquisite food. As for people, family and friends are usually the most common (and best) choice. But what does the perfect meal looks like in France? Come with me for this gastronomic journey!

First, everything has to start with some beautiful toasts and  appetizers called verrines (“small glasses”) along with your favourite alcohol for adults or soft drink for children. I would recommend either a glass of Pineau or an old Cognac, but this is up to you.

After this welcoming part, it is time to start with the serious stuff. A too big to be fully eaten seafood plate is the rule there. Smoked salmon, shrimps, oysters and lobsters come, usually with a bottle of white wine.

Then comes the most typically French food, Foie Gras, which can be translated as « fat liver ». It is a kind of delicate duck or goose pâté but it is better not to know how it is produced. To enjoy it to its fullest, the best it to put it delicately on top of some toasted slices of French baguette or gingerbread with some Fig Chutney. It is a delight!

The fourth step is to bring the main dish, even though everyone is already full at that time. The classic main dish consists of some uncommon kind of meat with potatoes and some other vegetables. Most of the time, it is bush meat, either boar or deer, with some sauce. However, it might also be more exotic like a piece of kangaroo or ostrich meat. It is also the time to open a great bottle of red wine.

A meal cannot be a proper French meal without a cheese plate. If it seems to be too much, do not worry, some salad is usually here to help with digestion, as well as some more red wine.

Finally comes the moment everyone is waiting for: the dessert. There, Christmas and New Year differ. For Christmas, the tradition is to have a Yule Log, usually with chocolate flavour. New Year offers more freedom regarding the kind of cake but cannot go without a champagne flute before eating it.

While it is usually impossible not to be full after all of these, some mandarins and chocolates are traditionally put on the table, just in case.

After these four to five hours at the table, it is finally over. During this time, you have heard grandma complain about the fact that people do not eat enough and should take a bit more. Men have been discussing the choice of every wine bottle. Most congratulated the cook. But most importantly, everyone is happy to be here, to discuss, to laugh and to celebrate being together and the wish for a better future.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à tous!