Thirteen desserts
Traditional Christmas food in Provence, France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The thirteen desserts (Occitan: lei tretze dessèrts) are the traditional dessert foods used to celebrate Christmas in the French region of Provence. The "big supper" (le gros souper) ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial tradition.[1] The food traditionally is set out Christmas Eve and remains on the table three days until December 27.[2]
Dried fruit and nuts
The first four of these are known as the "four beggars" (les quatre mendiants), representing the four mendicant monastic orders: Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians and Carmelites.[3]
- Raisins (Dominicans)
- Walnuts or hazelnuts[4] (Augustinians)
- Dried figs (Franciscans)
- Almonds (Carmelites)
- Dates, representing the foods of the region where Christ lived and died[5]
- Dried plums from Brignoles
Fresh fruit
Sweets
- Biscotins (biscuits) from Aix;
- Calissons d'Aix,[6] a marzipan-like candy made from almond paste and candied melon.
- Candied citron
- Casse-dents of Allauch (biscuit)
- Cumin and fennel seed biscuits
- Fried bugnes
- Fruit tourtes[6]
- Oreillettes, light thin waffles[2]
- Pain d'epices
- Pompes à l'huile or fougasse à l'huile d'olive, a sweet cake or brioche made with orange flower water and olive oil[5]
- Quince cheese/quince paste (Pâte de coing)[6]
- Yule log
- Two kinds of nougat, symbolizing good and evil[1]
- Black nougat with honey (Nougat noir au miel), a hard candy made with honey and almonds
- White nougat (Nougat blanc), a soft candy made with sugar, eggs, pistachios, honey, and almonds
French wedding foodways
Bayle St. John, writing in The Purple Tints of Paris (vol. 2) "The dishes are substantial; soup, boiled beef, veal, salad, cheese, apples, and what are called, for some mysterious reason, the four beggars — nuts, figs, almonds, and raisins, mixed together."
