The
Reveillon
A Creole Dining Tradition
During the mid-1800's, Creole families of New Orleans celebrated
the "Reveillon" twice during the holiday season. The
first, on Christmas Eve, was a solemn occasion tied to a religious
event. After attending Midnight Mass in the St. Louis Cathedral,
families returned home to a breakfast that often lasted until
dawn. The Christmas "Reveillon" was a rather simple
meal consisting of eggs, sweetbreads and such Creole specialties
as daube glace. The meal often ended with a cake filled with jelly,
dripping with wine or rum and whipped cream.
New Year's Eve brought another more festive "Reveillon."
Families visited other families and enjoyed such treats as eggnog,
elaborate pastries, meringues, sugar sculptures and crystallized
fruits. By late afternoon, families returned home and celebrated
with an elaborate dinner. Afterward, there was singing and dancing
and a good supply of wine whiskey for the gentlemen, with cordials
and liqueurs for the ladies.
Today's "Reveillon" is celebrated from December 1-31
so that everyone may share in this holiday meal throughout the
season. The menu has been adapted to combine ageless Creole cuisine
along with more contemporary New Orleans dishes, but the spirit
of the past remains.
Revel in nostalgia - join us for the "Reveillon." Experience
the magic of a New Orleans Christmas with this traditional New
Orleans holiday meal.
Historical information courtesy of the Historic New Orleans Collection,
Hermann-Grima House and Gallier House Museum.
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