Seasonal food in Europe

[Maciamo]

The seasons have played an important role in European culture and society since the dawn of civilisations. This may be because Europe enjoys a much warmer climate than other continent at the same latitude, so that people can live in usual high latitudes, like 50', 55' or even 60' from the equator (e.g. Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki). The sun doesn't rise much higher than the horizons in these latitudes in late autumn and early winter. In late spring and early summer, the sun sets very late in the evening (past midnight in Nordic countries).

But the seasons also played a major role in European culinary habits. Lots of mushrooms as well as game (venison, pheasant, rabbit, wild boar...) is eaten in autumn. Foie gras and patés are popular in the cold winter, as are waffles and crêpes (the French and Belgian traditionally eat crêpes at Candlemas in January). French restaurants will conequently serve more dishes with game and mushrooms in autumn.

The Germans eat fat dishes like Eisbein in winter to have energy to fight off the cold. Sausages and mashed potatoes are also more popular during the colder months.

In Northern Europe, Mediterranean dishes are now more common in summer because they match better the body requirement imposed by hot weather (more salt, more water, lighter food).

Many desserts or sweets are reliant on seasonal fruits, and therefore only common during one or two months of the year. Jams and compotes are made when fruits become ripe. For cherries it is late July or early August, but plums, apples and pears have to wait until September. In Northern France and Belgium, it is around September only than one can find 'mirabelle plum' tart. Home-made strawberry sherbet is a dessert for May or June.

Drinks are also liable to the seasons. New vintages of wine are released from late November.


Do you have particular seasonal dishes in your region ? Please share your knowledge with us.

[Kinsao]

The most obvious things I can think of are foods particular to Christmas and Easter - although I have no clue which of these - if any - are "native" to England. We traditionally have Christmas cake and Christmas pudding, both of these are very rich and made with a lot of fruit as well as brandy, the main difference being that the cake is baked in the oven, later iced with marzipan and royal icing, whereas the pudding is boiled and served hot with cream, custard or white sauce. Before it is served it is often soaked in brandy and set alight, to be brought to the table in blue flames. At Christmas we also have mince pies (which don't contain meat "mince" but rather something called "mincemeat" which confusingly these days no longer contains meat but is made of dried fruit, suet, brandy and sometimes bits of carrot - you can buy it in jars or make your own to a specific recipe ). It's also traditional to have sausage rolls at Christmas.

Stollen is a traditional German Christmas food that is becoming more and more popular here in England.

At Easter, it's traditional to make something called "Simnel cake" which is a rich fruit cake not unlike Christmas cake but containing marzipan, and with a marzipan topping and 11 marzipan, erm, balls on the top... to represent the 12 apostles minus Judas. According to Wiki (I just looked it up - I didn't know this before ) it was originally made by servant girls to take to their mothers on mother's day. My mum makes a great simnel cake but imo it's a dying tradition these days, not very many people make it.

On Mardi Gras it's traditional to eat pancakes and we call it "pancake day" or "pancake Tuesday" here. Originally that's because it's the day before Lent, when people used to fast, so on pancake Tuesday they'd use up all the fat and rich ingrediants they had left, making pancakes. (Same origin of the words "Mardi Gras" or "fat Tuesday" XD)

It is true there are still seasonal fruits and stuff, but importing, better storage facilities and things like that have reduced people's awareness of which desserts are in or out of season. However, understandably people prefer something light and cool during the hot weather, and more kinda "stodge" in the cold months.

[misa.j]

In America, we have a tradition to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, which is the fourth Thursday of November. People usually start to gather in the late morning and put the turkey in the oven. The whole house starts to fill with the good smell of turkey by the time we open another bottle of wine or beer in the afternoon.

Roasting and slow-cooking meat seems to be a big thing in the winter in the US; I was very excited to see it for the first time since in Japan I didn't have an oven that was big enough to cook a whole bird.


I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard that in Italy the ladies in that business make you 'pasta puttanesca' afterwords.

[Maciamo]

Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving food are more what I would call "holidays food", rather the "seasonal food" eaten during several months, and available only/mostly during that period of the year because of seasonal weather change. A Christmas cake can be eaten even in a tropical country without seasons... That is not what I want to discuss here.

[Niedy]

in Autumn and Winter small stands are almost everywhere selling roasted chestnuts and roasted potatoes... *___* and we have a lot of beautiful christmas markets here... Punch and Mulled Wine Hurray! ^^ and Langos (with garlic *drools*)...
for Eastern (and only there) there is the "Osterpinze" which I don't know how to translate... its something like a plaited bun... looks like this and tastes incredible

and I almost forgot... "Sturmzeit(=time)"... Sturm is the thing between grapejuice and wine... its still quite sweet but has a bit of alcohol already... its way too delicious and really dangerous... you get drunk easily... and its only available a short time each autumn...

Can't think of anything else right now ^^

Oh and forgot one alcohol... "Eiswein" verrrrrrrry sweet wine, the grapes are gathered after the first frost... that's why its so sweet and also expensive, because the grapes can rot easily... well wine you can buy all around year, but still Eiswein for me is something from late autumn or early winter ^^

somehow Austria looks like a nation of alcoholics... especially in autumn/winter... >.> ah well... we ARE a wine nation ^^

[Kinsao]

Ah yes - definitely chestnuts are a seasonal food! Sometimes you can see stands on the street selling roasted chestnuts here during the season. Blackberries are also a seasonal food of autumn. ^^"

People really have lost a lot of their awareness of the seasonal nature of foods lately, though, due to improved storage and transport techniques. I'm still aware of some fruit seasons because I used to live in the country and go fruit-picking (for the purpose of making wines ) but most city kids would look at you gone out if you mentioned that certain types of fruit and veg were "in" or "out of" season.

Winter = Brussels sprouts!

[atyg]

I wonder how eating habits will change when seasons warm up.

[gaijinalways]

Quote:

....but most city kids would look at you gone out if you mentioned that certain types of fruit and veg were "in" or "out of" season.

You're right Kinsao, and lot of fruit and vegtables are grown in hot houses now, so it is confusing when something is in season. Here in Japan my wife buys strawberries year round.