Holiday Traditions:
La Buche De Noel
Food – Cookies for Santa and Other Treats
Food plays an important role in some Holiday traditions from baking cookies to leave out for Santa at Christmas, to making Latkes for the Hanukkah celebration. Perhaps you make tamales or Bûche De Noël (Yule log) in your home.
Most of our food traditions at the holidays were probably brought over with Immigrants that settled in New England to work in our factories including the Blackstone Valley.
Making a La Buche De Noel is a holiday tradition of the French, Scandinavians and the Swiss. The Buche is a Christmas dessert. Made in the shape of a log, it represents the Yule Log that goes back to medieval times. The pagans would burn the log to bring comfort in winter and symbolize the return of daylight.
When fireplaces were replaced by wood stoves the Yule log lost its prominence and was eventually replaced by a dessert especially popular in France, Canada and Britain.
It is traditionally a family-time experience to make La Buche De Noel; but if time is of essence, this dessert can be purchased in some of our local bakeries including Wright’s Dairy Farm and Bakery, North Smithfield and Ivy and Lace Bakeshop, Greenville.
Hmm! We’ll have to try one this year.
Here are a few restaurants offering Holiday menus:
Savini’s Pomodoro, Woonsocket – Catering for Christmas Eve and Christmasorders must be placed by Sunday, December 20 and picked up Thursday.
Andrew’s Bistro, Cumberland, is offering a La Vigilia Christmas Eve Dinner the Annual Feast of the Seven Fishes
Make Chicken Family Style a Holiday tradition at Wright’s Farm in Harrisville – Order Curbside take-out and visit their extensive gift shop while you wait.
GottaQ BBQ in Cumberland offers some great smoked meals for the holidays for pick-up on December 24.