Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 5 Things to Eat in Paris this Holiday Season

From the desk of an expat.

Happy Thanksgiving, from the desk of an expat! Here in Paris, it’s business as usual, though I’m trying to send as few emails as possible to my colleagues in the States (and, when my hand is forced, I’m including a proviso that basically means that I understand that today and tomorrow are the American equivalent of essentially the entire month of August, in France.)

But I hope you’ll forgive my missive, whether you read it today or tomorrow. I can't help it – I’m so excited for the true meaning of the French holiday season: food.

While my mother would be horrified to know I’m already thinking about the fêtes de fin d’année before I’ve even had any turkey (and probably equally horrified to learn that our Friendsgiving this Saturday is vegetarian), it’s not entirely my fault. Devoid as it is of Thanksgiving (and any real interest in my favorite holiday, Halloween), Paris is already all dolled up for Christmas, albeit with the demure approach the city generally takes to the festivities: Twinkle lights line the pedestrian shopping streets, the tree is up at the Galeries Lafayette, and the Christmas markets are beginning to arrive (including my favorite one in Montmartre, which opens tomorrow!)

As a result, I’m already dreaming of the French flavors of Christmas: from smoked salmon to snails, clementines to Champagne.

… Yes, the holidays taste a bit different, here.

Christmas meal traditions in France vary depending on the region, but in my experience, many families enjoy their big holiday meal on the 24th with a centerpiece of roast poultry, be it turkey or capon. Appetizers usually include luxury goods like oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, and escargots, and dessert is almost always a bûche de Noël, unless you're in Provence, in which case you’ll dig into 13 desserts.

The meal itself is, of course, glorious, but even in the leadup to Christmas, Paris is awash in all manner of seasonal specialties to try. If you're in Paris between now and New Year’s Eve, here are the five I implore you to seek out.

1. Ultra-Aged Comté

Comté cheese is France’s most produced by far, and with its nutty, fruity flavor, it’s no surprise that it’s a favorite. It can be sold beginning at a very young three months, at which point it has a fairly flexible texture and can be quite bland – a bit like Emmental or Swiss cheese – but most of the time, you'll see it aged 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, or even 30 months. The older it gets, the denser it becomes, and the more tyrosine crystallizes within it, forming little pockets that crunch under your teeth like fleur de sel… if fleur de sel tasted like pure umami.

But at Christmas, it’s time to pull out the big guns. Cheese plates around the holidays typically have a go-big-or-go-home approach, with no shortage of truffles. This is also the time of year when you're most likely to encounter Comtés aged beyond 30 months, whether it’s the 36-month in the photo above, aged in hay by one of my favorite vendors at the outdoor Maubert market, or the 40-month up top, aged for Marie-Anne Cantin’s 7th arrondissement fromagerie. These are cheeses to be savored: I personally forego bread, allowing each bite to melt in my mouth like a hard toffee… if toffee were made of cheese.

2. Aligot

Aligot might not technically be a Christmas specialty, but it is something you’ll find a lot of in France in winter, alongside other spécialités fromagères like raclette or fondue. Aligot specifically is specialty from Cantal that sees mashed potatoes stirred together with loads of young tomme fraiche cheese for a purée that becomes nearly stretchy.

You can track these down at restaurants, like Le Plomb du Cantal, which specializes in the cuisine of the region, or indeed at some outdoor markets, including certain Christmas markets.

When enjoyed at a restaurant, it’s typically served out of a copper pan tableside so that you can see its lovely, elastic texture. At a market, meanwhile, it’s typically spooned out of a massive frying pan.

That said, it’s admittedly a bit rarer to find than some of its equally cheesy, equally delicious cousins.