#french feasts

[mask131]

Autumn feasts of France: Samhain

From "L'inventaire des fêtes de France d'hier et aujourd'hui"

The Celtic holiday of Samhain - a mobile feast that usually placed itself at the beginning of the month of November - was a celebration that all had to attent, be them poor or rich. It closed the year that had passed, and opened the year to come. People wrongly translated Samhain as "end of summer" (people reading the "sam" part as the Celtic word for "summer"), but in truth it is an Old Irish term meaning "assembly", "gathering," or "reunion". Ending up located at the fixed date of the night of the 31st of October, Samhain and its neighbor days (three days before and three days after) are considered to be a "time outside of time" (just like the Twelve Days) - a time when the human and divine worlds fuse into one. This nocturnal feast was primarily religious - far away from the macabre carnival of today's Halloween, the celebration that replaced Samhain.

The date of Samhain corresponded to the return of the "dark season", the same way Beltaine (between the 30th of April and the 1st of May) opened the "bright season". During those two nights, the Otherworld (the Sid or Sith) was everywhere: mankind usually could not reach on their own this land of gods and supernatural beings, but on these nights some mortals could reach, or be guided by messengers towards this world of marvels and eternal youth. Later, Samhain became associated with the celebration and remembrance of ancestors.

Samhain also corresponded to the end of the harvest, and to the return of the cattle from the pastures. The night was marked by great feasts and ritual-banquets for men of all social classes, with a lot of pig meat and a lot of alcohol (wine, beer, mead). Fire had a great importance: not so much the outside fires, needed for the banquets, but the domestic fire, the "new fire", which was used in a similar way to the fire of the "Christmas log". After extinguishing all the fires around, the druids lit up new flames and distributed firebrands to people so that they could set alight their own household fire. This celebration was also the occasion of legal assemblies, during which justice-related matters were debated. On top of all that, being a magical night, divination rites were also practiced.

As time went on, new beliefs were added to the lore of Samhain. Some were about the tricks played on humans by supernatural creatures and by ghosts (associated with night and fog) ; others were about light, bonfires and vegetable-lanterns ; a third was about children going around begging from door to door and promising a good future. The fusion of these various superstitions are what led to the manifestation of Halloween as we know it today.

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

possibly the most evil shit Esther did was giving Monty a FRENCH LESSON while ripping him up to turn him human

[peaceinthestorm]

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919, French) ~ La fête de Pan, 1879

[Source: Christie's]

[feuilletourne-sir20]

Tournefeuille, guinguette

Tournefeuille, open-air bar

by sir20 for feuilletourne-sir20

[historyguide]

Jean Antoine Watteau - Feast in Venice.

Explore our visual guides and documentaries about art & history.

[svtskneecaps]

yknow what with the strife building between forever and bad and the ripple effect that might have on the server at large i think now is the perfect time to fridge bad. go touch grass, mr boyhalo, it's time to see people either fall apart or come together without you. bc listen. listen. when the dms are bumpin with 'bad can you ___' every thirty seconds. sometimes you just gotta steal badboyhalo and see what the fuck happens. i just want to know.

and i also want bad to slEEP GODDAMNIT

[theoscarsproject]

Babette's Feast (1987). During the late 19th century, a strict religious community in a Danish village takes in a French refugee from the Franco-Prussian War as a servant to the late pastor's daughters.

Just so sumptious and brimming with love. It's not hard to see why this is considered one of the best food films of all time, but it was the love stories within it that just hit me in the right spot. It's beautifully acted and tenderly told, and leans into the idea that not every love story is consumated or requited, but it doesn't mean they're not felt. Just a really, really beautiful film. 8/10.

[huariqueje]

Huis van Sinterklaas,  St. Nicolaas House  -  Charlotte Dematons , 2016.

French, b. 1957  -

Illustration

[foreignswaggersession]

rewatching feast of all saints for the first time in uhhh decades and wow marcel's intro monologue about photography - very relevant to my louis de pointe du lac s2 analysis

[heroes-feasting]

Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast

“There’s nothing more comforting to a comfort-obsessed halfling than the warm intermingling scents of vanilla, maple, and walnuts filling their home.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 120

French toast is a staple of Sunday Brunches everywhere, and it’s easy to see why. This fried breakfast bread is easily customized with whatever you want. Syrup? Eggs? Fruit? It’s all fair game to this tasty toast!

Taking a swing at its own version, Heroes’ Feast’s Stuffed Egg-Battered Toast looks to change it up by putting its toppings inside, rather than on top.

With each slice stuffed with mascarpone, walnuts, and a truly questionable amount of vanilla extract, your kitchen and taste buds are surely going to be treated to that homely vanilla smell that halflings crave so much.

Check out below for my notes on the results and for tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 5 mins    Cook: 25 mins    Total: 30 mins

Ingredients:

4 ounces (½ cup, 120 g) mascarpone, at room temperature

¼ cup (25 g) walnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp. (10 ml) pure vanilla extract*

4 (1-inch-thick) slices of brioche or challah

2 eggs

½ cup (120 ml) whole milk

¼ tsp. (2 g) kosher salt

2 tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter

½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting**

* That uh… sure is an amount of vanilla for a ½ cup of mascarpone.

** I used chopped strawberries instead.

In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone, walnuts and vanilla. (I forgot to take a picture of this each time I made it. L.)

Use a thin knife to cut a 2-inch-long slit through the side of each slice of brioche, creating a pocket.

Gently open the pocket and spoon 1 tbsp. of the mascarpone mixture into each slice.

TIP: As mentioned in the “cook’s notes” section, the bread is very delicate and tears easily- so take extra caution when opening and stuffing the pockets.

Alternatively, the notes mention that you could use ½-inch slices and spread the mixture between them like a sandwich. However, I worry about its structural integrity while dipping it in the egg mixture or flipping it in the frying pan.

But, since stuffing each slice is a pain, it might be worth going with the sandwich method.

NOTE: Only stuff the slices if they’re cut 1-inch-thick. ½-inch and even ¾-inch slices are way too thin and will tear.

In a pie dish or shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt.

BEFORE DIPPING the slices, melt 1 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dip two stuffed slices into the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides and letting any excess batter drip back into the bowl.

TIP: You only need to let each side soak for a few seconds. Any longer than 5 makes the bread mushy.

Place the sides in a skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Use a spatula to transfer the toasts to a warm plate.

Repeat to cook the remaining two stuffed slices.

Meanwhile, warm the maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat for a few minutes.

TIP: The “cook’s notes” section mentions that warmed marmalade can be used to replace the maple syrup.

NOTE: I misread the instructions for this step and cooked all four slices at once. To fix the uneven browning, I flipped the lighter parts to the middle of the pan for about 20 seconds after cooking each side.

NOTE: To save on dishes, I chose to not warm my syrup.

Top the toast with strawberries (and/or confectioners’ sugar), drizzle with the maple syrup, and serve.

Overall, this recipe has one thing really working against it: the vanilla extract.

Personally, I found the filling to be inedible with 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in the mascarpone mixture. The alcohol in the extract doesn’t have enough time to cook out and leaves everything with a distinctly alcoholic taste. 

This would be fine if other flavours used in the recipe complimented the taste of the alcohol or if the taste was expected (like an alcoholic french toast). Unfortunately, nothing here works with it and, being a breakfast food, it isn’t expected. So, it ends up overwhelming the toast and making it unappetizing.

My solution to this was to cut back the vanilla extract to ½ tsp. The taste was still a little strong, but there was an improvement. If you’re planning to make this at home, consider cutting the vanilla back even further, or try using vanilla bean instead to skip the alcohol entirely.

It’s also worth mentioning that the mascarpone makes these very rich. Interestingly, I found that the syrup and strawberries really helped cut the richness. You’re still only going to eat one though.

Finally, as mentioned in a previous step, although the structural integrity might be questionable with the sandwich method, it might be worth it just to skip spooning the mixture into the pockets. The mess it creates really makes you wonder if it’s worth it.

All in all, the unaltered recipe gets a 2.5/5, going up to 4/5 when the amount of vanilla extract is reduced. Still losing points for the remaining alcoholic taste and messy and needlessly difficult construction.

[mask131]

Autumn feasts of France: La Toussaint

Taken from "L'Inventaire des Fêtes de France, d'hier et d'aujourd'hui"

Toussaint, All Saints' Day, on the 1st of November, is the Christian holiday of "all the saints". It is often confused with the Day of the Dead, located on the following date (the 2nd of November). As a result, families gather on this day and go to cemeteries to place plants on their next of kin's graves - such as briar or chrysanthemum. In Eastern France, people also place candles on the graves.

All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead were always confused, since the cult of the martyrs was just a form of the cult of the defuncts. Created by Bonifacio IV in the ancient Pantheon of Rome in 610, it was originally a collective celebration on the 13th of May, in honor of "Saint Mary and all the martyr-saints". In this time, spring was a frightening season, because it was the time where nature woke up - and brought back to mind the memory of the buried dead. People thought, confusingly, that the souls would come out of the earth with the grain that had been planted in it.

In the Carolingian Empire, the Toussaint was celebrated on the 1st of November starting with the 9th century (the year 835 to be precise) - in imitation of England, which had places its own "All Hallows Day" upon this date, in the 8th century. This move by the English clergy was done in an attempt to erase the Celtic celebration of Samhain (that became Halloween), a celebration also tied to the remembrance of the dead. The date seems to have been perfectly chosen: as the days grow shorter, the darkness grows stronger - and the frightening darkness is an ally to all the powers of the afterlife and the world beyond.

Up to the begining of the 20th century, in the Bretagne region it was believed that the dead come back among the living during the night of the 31st of October, just like during the solstice nights. Before going to bed, the Bretagne folks left for these revenants food on a cloth-covered table, and they lit up a log in their chimney. In the isle of Sein, bells had to ring all throughout Toussaint's night, while adults armed with little bells ent door to door, saying "Christians, wake up!". The custom of using the funeral bell during this night is also attested in Normandie and in Brie : strong men relayed each other, while by duo they repeated the same words in front of every house "Do not forget the deceased!"

Given, on this day, the harvest was done and the food cellar was full, there was an habit of making "Toussaint auctons" - after the mass, or the vespers, auctions or sales were organized to gain enough money to take care of cemeteries, or to organize masses for the dead. In some places, these auctions rather happened on Saint Martin's day, on the 11th of November. One of these most unusual forms of auctions happened at Plougastel-Daoulas - it was the custom of the "apple tree". The apple tree was actually a long and strong rod covered in spikes, upon which twenty or so beautiful apples had been placed. The auction was about the apples on the tree - and it ended when someone bought the apple at the top of the tree (or "ripped it away", as people said). The one who earned the top apple also earned the tree, which they had to keep preciously in their house for next year's auction. It seems that this tradition is a remnant of an old Celtic ritual - since in Celtic beliefs, the apple was the fruit of immortality and the symbol of the Otherworld.

[lohinen]

Robespierre and the Goddess Allegory of Wisdom.

source

[amounamaknoun]

Babette's Feast (1987)

[gallifreywhere]

Listening to the Feast of Axos... I'm aware I slaughter the English language on a daily basis here lol. But it's so confusing when your mother tongue is mispronounced in a way one word is pronounced like another. The actor pronounced the silent T in Haut les mains.

Haut les mains: Hands up.

Ôte les mains : Remove the hands (informal).

I was like??? There's no body lying around... Why does that rude dodgy pilot want our sweet Evelyn to move around some chopped hands? 😂

[nickysfacts]

I’m for bringing this back, It’s about time donkeys got the love they deserve!🐴

🫏⛪️🫏

[robynsassenmyview]

Red herrings, anyone?

"Red herrings, anyone?", a review of 'The Taste of Things' on the European Film Festival in South Africa, until 20 October 2024.

COOKING up a storm. Benoit Magimel is Dodin Bouffant in The Taste of Things on the European Film Festival in South Africa, until 20 October 2024. Photograph courtesy cinejour.com FRENCH CUISINE HAS a filmographic lure all of its own. It’s about copper-based skillets and the bouquet of finely aged wines, the pairing of unusual flavours and the digging in wet earth for just the right flavoured…