What Americans eat for Christmas VERSUS what (we) French people eat!

How to say that French Xmas food is better without saying it...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sending lots of love to the ones who didn’t get to spend Christmas with a big family, a family at all, or who simply don’t celebrate Christmas.

This year, I was lucky enough to celebrate Xmas with my sisters, their kids & partners, and my lovely parents. We had a blast and ate lots of great food prepped by mom. This made me think: what do ‘mericans eat for Xmas? Let me list out the main dishes THEY eat in the USA versus what WE eat in France.

Typical Xmas food in the USA¹ :

• Stuffing — this dish is traditionally made with bits of bread, seasonings like herbs and spices, and other ingredients like onions and celery

• Macaroni & cheese — a staple of American cuisine

• Green bean casserole

• Deviled eggs — this dish consists of eggs stuffed with mustard, mayonnaise, a dash of Tabasco, a festive sprinkle of paprika, and more if wanted

• Egg nog

• Note: I was a bit disappointed to find out that people in the US seem to eat the same food for Thanksgiving & for Xmas

Typical Xmas food in France:

• Foie gras — my mom uses my dad’s mom’s recipe for the foie gras but some family traditions are meant to be kept secret…so I linked a recipe from Marmiton instead

mom’s homemade foie gras

• ‘Chapon aux Marrons’ — aka capon in english, which is a male chicken that is castrated at a young age and is then fed a rich diet of milk or porridge. It’s typically larger than a chicken, smaller than a turkey but more flavorful than either. Capon can be stuffed with chestnuts and/or is often served with roasted chestnuts and potatoes

our main dish from Xmas eve

• La ‘Buche de Noël’ — aka the Xmas log. It’s the typical Xmas dessert, and it’s often made with at least some chocolate

• Oysters or Sea Food Platter

  

• Smoked salmon

YUM — talking about all this food made me look forward to next year already.

Let me know in the comments what dish made you salivate the most!

If you feel like you haven’t had the best Christmas this year, here’s a quote that helped me understand why some Christmas holidays feel better than others:

“Remember, if Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.” —Charlotte Carpenter

Cheers friends,

Xxxx,

Your favorite French girl, based in L.A. (CURRENTLY back in her home country)

1. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/the-most-popular-christmas-dish-across-america/