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Why do we eat logs at Christmas?
You enjoy it every year, but do you know the origins of the Yule log? Find out here!
The Yule log is a strange tradition! Why this name? Why this shape? While the big names and pastry chefs offer something for every taste, the famous Christmas dessert hasn't always been as we know it today! So here's a look back at the origins of the Yule log, plus our best places to enjoy it!
From tree to pastry
Long before it was a dessert, the Yule log was... a log. "Chosen from a thick section of fruit tree to ensure abundant harvests, or cut from a sturdy oak branch to guarantee sturdiness, the log had to be thick enough for the fire to burn through.The log had to bethick enough to keep the fire going throughout Christmas night", explains anthropologist Nadine Crétin in her book "Fêtes et traditions de l'Avent à la Chandeleur".
The tradition, known in all regions of France and other European countries since the middle ages, had a different purpose in different families. For Breton writer Anatole Le Bras, for example, the Yule log"was intended for the deceased who came to visit the living, and was not to be used for cooking or heating", describes Nadine Crétin. For others, it served to ward off evil spirits or promised abundance and fertility. Even firebrands were kept to protect against fire, lightning and evil spells.
But the disappearance of fireplaces, replaced by stoves and radiators, meant the end of the log tradition... at least in its familiar form.
Who invented the Yule log?
The creator of this traditional dessert? A mystery! As is often the case, several people are disputing who invented it. Some believe that the dessert log was the brainchild of Parisian pastry chef Antoine Charabot, who invented buttercream in 1879. Others believe the pastry was created in Lyon by chocolatier Félix Bonnat. Pierre Lacam, pâtissier-glacier to Prince Charles III of Monaco, is also cited... In short, it's hard to say for sure, except to assume that the idea originated in different places at the same time... It wouldn't be the first time! Be that as it may, the bûche didn't make its mark until the end of the Second World War, when it became the Christmas dessert par excellence.
Where to find a good Yule log?
The Yule log has become so popular that today,many shops offer their own creations. While some, like Philippe Conticini, have chosen to preserve the shape of the log this year, others have opted for very different reliefs. Luge, golden ingot, snowflake... Our selection ofpastry chefs' logs for Christmas 2023 has something foreveryone !
To find Nadine Crétin's books:
- Fêtes et traditions occidentales, Que sais-je? n° 3518, PUF, Reissue 2020 (1st ed. 1999).
- Fêtes de la table et traditions alimentaires, Le Pérégrinateur, April 2015.
- Le livre de Noël : Fêtes et traditions de l'Avent à la Chandeleur, Flammarion
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