Tomorrow is Candlemas! And in France, we celebrate it with crepes. Long story short: this Christian holiday is celebrated on February 2nd, 40 days after Christmas, meaning “feist of candles” it honors Jesus as light and the purity of the Virgin Mary. Well you might say, and what about crepes? The tradition dates back to the pilgrims who came from Rome to whom they distributed pancakes.
The Festival of Lights during which we eat a “fat” dessert is also found in Jewish tradition with Hanukah, where you eat donuts.
According to tradition, when cooking the first crepe, we must blow it several times to ward off bad luck for the coming year. The peasants even used to do so by holding a coin in the left hand (a louis d’or for the rich) to bring them happiness and prosperity …
Like Christmas or other holidays, Candlemas has obviously lost its religious character and is just a good excuse to make good food! So if tomorrow you make crepes, here are some great products to enjoy them with…
1. Créme de Salidou – Maison Armorine (4,50 euros)
a creamy caramel manufactured in a traditional house Quiberon created in 1946
2. Almond and rosemary praline – Joël Durand (14 euros)
AOC almonds from Provence and fresh rosemary, original!
3. Chocolate and tonka paste – L’épicurien (6 euros)
the particularity of tonka bean and the power of dark chocolate
4. Lime tree honey – Hedene (37,50 euros for 3 honeys)
harvested in Picardy in the forest of Chantilly, this honey has a mild minty taste
5. Praline 78% – Michel Cluizel (8,30 euros)
a concentrated taste of roasted nuts in caramel sugar and fine cocoas
6. Chocolate and nuts – Alain Ducasse (30 euros)
a grainy texture made of dark and milk chocolate, hazelnut and almonds praline, available in two sizes including a 550g XXL for the food addicts
7. Rhubarb and elderberry jam – La Chambre aux confitures (7,50 euros)
black elderberry and the acidity of rhubarb, all without preservatives
8. Beurre – Bordier (3,10 euros)
a salted butter (less than 3% of salt) by Jean-Yves Bordier, son and grand-son of butter and cheese makers