YULE
LOG
It’s food that truly unites people
across Europe at Christmas, but
who’s eating what?
IT’S NOT JUST CHRISTIANS
who can rejoice at
Christmas, but Europhiles too. After all, what other
time in the year is there – apart from the night of high
camp that is the Eurovision Song Contest – when the
continent unites in the same activity?
A marathon feeding ritual is repeated across the
tables of Europe, from the UK, where a roast bird and
mountains of sprouts do the damage, to Denmark,
where it’s all about
flæskesteg
(roast pork with
crackling, red cabbage, gravy and potatoes).
Elsewhere, France’s celebratory supper, or
réveillon
, usually starts with foie gras and finds its
sweet crescendo in the wondrous
bûche de Noël
(chocolate log), while the traditional German sweet
course is all about
Christstollen
(also known as
stollen
), fruitcake made with raisins, nuts and spices.
The details may differ, but there’s one thing we can all
agree on: whether you’ve just gorged on a Scandinavian
Julboard
or Neapolitan fried eels, everything goes down
better when followed by a long nap in front of the TV.
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F E S T I V E G U I D E
