5 Must-Try Bordeaux Sweets

A tray of Dunes Blanches pastries in a Bordeaux bakery

When it comes to Bordeaux, there are a few things that it’s famous for. In addition to being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s also considered one of the most prestigious wine regions on the planet. But Bordeaux is also famous for its sweets, from the bite-sized cannelé, to cakes, macarons, and more. Here are 5 local […]

The Best Donuts in NYC: From the Classics to the Modern

donuts-and-bagel-display

Donuts have been around since the 1600s and have seen the evolution of New York since its very beginning. From cops in their cars to the elevated cronut, donuts are an essential part of NYC food culture until (and perhaps especially) today. So with this in mind, we wanted to share our top picks for […]

16 Typical Foods from Valencia No Trip Would Be Complete Without

Small mussels (clochinas)

Typical foods from Valencia include everything from mouthwatering seafood to delicious desserts. As the third-largest city in Spain, Valencia attracts millions of tourists every year. Its sunny Mediterranean climate and prime beach location on Spain’s eastern coast make it an ideal vacation hotspot. However, exploring the local gastronomy is a must while you’re there. Don’t […]

Top 7 Places for the Best Chocolate in Lisbon

The famous chocolate cake at Landeau in Lisbon

Portugal may be known for its pastries, but it’s also a chocolate lover’s paradise. Here’s our guide to the best chocolate in Lisbon! If you’ve got a sweet tooth, Portugal’s capital is the place for you. From the ubiquitous pastéis de nata to lesser-known local delicacies, Lisbon certainly isn’t lacking when it comes to dessert—or […]

Typical French Christmas Foods to Enjoy This Holiday Season

Raclette is a typical French Christmas food at the markets.

Devoid of a feast-focused holiday like Thanksgiving, France pulls out all the stops at Christmastime, with a multi-course meal and more than enough traditional French Christmas foods to enjoy during the festivities. 

Here is just a touch of what you can expect on the table at Christmas time in Paris and beyond. These French Christmas foods are what make the season truly memorable.

If you’re planning to travel to Paris, or anywhere else in France, make sure to enjoy all the magic of the holiday season with these exquisite plates that transport everyone to a place of joy and celebration, the French way.

French Christmas house winter snow and decoration
Christmas is a magical time in France, and it comes with delicious foods. Photo credit: Cyril Gervais

French Christmas market foods

Christmas markets play host to a ton of holiday specialties in France, and in the days leading up to Christmas, they may be the best places to sample some of these goodies. 

Roasted chestnuts are a great snack to carry around the market to warm up cold fingers, as is mulled wine: a concoction of red wine simmered with spices and sometimes spiked with brandy or kirsch. 

woman holding a mug with mulled wine
Mulled wine is the best of both worlds: it keeps you warm and tastes delicious. Photo credit: Alisa Anton

Heartier delicacies include après-ski fare (après-ski literally means ‘after skiing’, so evocative!): tartiflette and raclette both pair gooey melted cheese with potatoes and charcuterie, and can be found served out of huge pans at many Christmas markets. 

The markets may also sell a few remaining calendriers de l’Avent. These calendars traditionally contain one chocolate candy for each day of December, though versions boasting everything from cosmetics to beer have been released by different companies.

Speaking of beer, Christmas markets are also a phenomenal place to enjoy a Christmas brew to pair with your French Christmas foods. 

Often richly flavored and occasionally spiced, these special edition beers are released by brewers every year leading up to the holidays.

melted cheese on potatoes
Gooey raclette is a cheese lover’s dream come true. Photo credit: Ellena McGuinness

The Christmas meal

The Christmas meal in France generally takes place on December 24 and it’s a multi-course extravaganza showing off the best of French terroir

Appetizers may include oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon or escargots, accompanied by Champagne or good white wine. 

The main event is generally roast poultry—turkey or capon—served with chestnuts or even truffles. 

A cheese course follows, which may feature seasonal cheeses like rich Brillat-Savarin with a layer of truffles, or nutty Comté aged 36 or 42 months.

escargot cooked with lemon french christmas food
If you’ve never had escargot, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it—especially if it makes an appearance on the Christmas table. Photo credit: Ruslan Khmelevsky

Time for dessert!

The meal culminates in the typical French Christmas dessert: a bûche de Noël, or yule log cake. 

The bûche can either be made with a rolled genoise cake decorated with buttercream and marzipan mushrooms, or a glazed ice cream concoction. 

Some families make their own bûches, while others enlist the help of local pâtissiers, hard at work for months to perfect their recipe. 

If guests have any space left, they might enjoy a mandarin or tangerine at the very end of the meal.

buche de noel christmas log
When it comes to festive desserts, you can’t get more French than a bûche de Noël. Photo credit: Jebulon

Beyond Paris: regional specialties

While you’ll find variations on the above throughout the country, some regions have their own culinary specialties that they enjoy around the holidays. 

In parts of eastern France, pain d’épices, or gingerbread spiked with honey, is common. In Alsace, you’ll even find this sweet, rich bread served with foie gras.

pain d'epice gingerbread
Taste a delicious pain d’epices to taste that sweet Christmas flavor. Photo credit: Jr R

In Ardèche, meanwhile, chestnuts take center stage. Candied and glazed chestnuts are a popular sweet to savor in the days leading up to and following Christmas festivities.

In Provence, Christmas is synonymous with the 13 desserts: a combination of different nuts, dried fruits, and other confections that represents Jesus and the 12 apostles. 

The exact combination will vary according to the region and even to the family, but often includes almond calissons from Aix, dried plums from Brignoles, nougat from Montélimar, and more.

calissons typical french christmas foods
Tasty and beautiful, you can’t leave Provence without trying the calissons. Photo credit: Jean-Louis Zimmermann

Delicious French holiday flavors

Whether you’re enjoying the busy city life of Paris during the holidays, or exploring other regions of France, you’ll enjoy the festive flavors of French Christmas Foods.

Enjoy the city, walk around the Christmas markets with a mullet wine, find a cheese you’ll remember forever, try out the escargot. You may also want to add some time to see as much of Paris in a Day as possible with our tour, or the sweet Paris Pastry and Chocolate Tour.

If you’re planning to visit Bordeaux, you must add the Ultimate Food Tour to your list and let us take care of your itinerary.

We are confident that these delicious French Christmas foods will make you feel festive and cozy, let us know what are your favorites.

family preparing for a christmas dinner
Get ready for the holidays with these delicious French specialties. Photo credit: Nicole Michalou

Update Notice: This post was updated on December 07, 2023.

Ultimate Guide to the Best Churros in Madrid

A child and his mother eating churros and chocolate

If there’s one sweet treat you can’t leave Madrid without trying, it’s churros con chocolate. We can’t think of anything better: crispy, fried-to-perfection churros lightly dusted with sugar and dipped in piping hot, sinfully delicious thick hot chocolate. Sounds amazing, right? If you want to find the best churros in Madrid, look no further. Here’s […]

Our Top Picks For Seville’s Best Convents for Cookies

Seville is the perfect city for those of us who love something sweet. But, what if we told you taming that sweet tooth could keep a century-old tradition alive? Read on to learn about Seville’s best convents for cookies you’ll never forget! Originally solely a Christmas tradition, people have been buying delicious sweets from Seville’s […]