P oursuivons our little tour of the Carnivals ... In France, the Nice Carnival is especially famous. However, at the other extreme of the French territory, the Carnival of Dunkerque has nothing to envy!
On any other kind, a completely different atmosphere and a totally different context are the reputaion Carnival of Dunkirk.
The origins of Dunkirk carnival date back to the days of festivals given by the owners at the time of departure for the cod fishery in Iceland. The biggest program of the Carnival of Dunkirk took place over three days, but actually dances organized several weeks before the fateful date. Once the party started, the streets fill with a warm Dunkirk-off pair. The parades are particularly famous and evening dances and strips greet revelers for a great evening of lively traditional songs typical of the carnival of Dunkirk.
S i Belgium offers delicious specialties (see waffles, bullets rabbit sauce ...), during this carnival I had to tell you about a unique event: The Carnival of the White Moussis.
The White Moussis differs from other Carnivals by the fact that everyone wears white. Originally, the disguises of fortune could be summarized in a white sheet and a pillowcase for the head. This attire is also complemented by a carrot-shaped mask over the nose! A
Stavelot, where the famous carnival is celebrated white-Moussa, the costume quickly aquiert special meaning is to caricature the 15th century monks who had been allowed to celebrate carnival.
the morning of the first day of Carnival, the white-Moussis parcourrent the streets of the city and tease passers-by. The float parade is also a time not to be missed! This year's carnival Invalid Moussis 2010 will run from March 13 to 15.
P etits soft words, gifts, red roses are in the spotlight this weekend! And yes, it's Valentine's Day! But where does this festival that some say if commercial? Well, actually there are several theories concerning the origins of Valentine's Day.
Some say it is the day when the Greeks and Romans celebrated their god of love, Eros for top Cupid for the latter. Others will say that this is the beginning of the mating of birds, while the Catholic religion evokes a bishop martyr St. Valentine. It is said that he secretly married soldiers in the 3rd century in Rome, which was forbidden. The bishop was imprisoned when the governor learned of his practices and according to legend he was sentenced to educate the latter's daughter. Before death, Valentine fell in love with the girl, wrote him a letter signed last: Your Valentine. Custom letters and cards come from this story.
And you have a gift for this Valentine's Day 2010?
N ice is of course the Nice Carnival, but also the sea, a lilting accent of southern France and the gastronomic specialties full of sunshine! Among the specialties of Nice you can not escape the Pissaladière, as an appetizer or main course with salad, hot or cold, Pissaladière eat without hunger!
Ingredients
For the dough:
200 g flour 1 / 2 cube (or bag) of yeast 2 tsp. tablespoon olive oil a glass of water
For the filling:
1 kg of onions olive oil Herbs de Provence Pepper Anchovies in salt (a dozen) Black olives
Preparation
The dough must be prepared well in advance so as to let rise. On a large wooden board to make a pile with the flour, add a pinch of salt and pour olive oil in the middle. Dissolve the yeast in a glass of warm water, then pour in the middle of the flour. Knead dough a few minutes until it is sufficiently elastic and forms a ball. Place dough in a large bowl and let stand for 30 min / 1h. During
this time, fry the onions in a large skillet with a few tablespoon of olive oil. Add pepper and herbes de Provence. Sauté over low heat, stirring constantly. The onions should be lightly browned and fluxes, but they should not brown!
Once the dough rested, the etalle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a buttered pie beforehand.
Add the onions and spread the anchovies and olives on it.
pissaladière Place in preheated oven at 220 º C for twenty minutes.
L e Nice Carnival Carnival is probably the most famous of France. It lasts two weeks and offers a variety of shows. Enough to take the eye! Between the floats, big heads and the Battle of Flowers, Nice Carnival offers a remarkable and unforgettable.
Each year a theme is chosen and the maskers carry their tanks according to this theme. For the Nice Carnival 2010, themed "King of the planet Blue." The Earth will be honor and will be illustrated in various ways, with ecology as a backdrop. All tanks must take this into account and give priority to recyclable material, but also on equipment with low energy consumption.
Since every organization and staging of the Nice Carnival 2010 has not the possibility of being clean and green (eg platforms tanks and carts battles of flowers) Carnival organizers undertake to repay a carbon tax.
Not to be missed, the Battle of Flowers ! this is a show unique and unforgettable, really! I have very fond memories, it's great!
Ingredients - 4 eggs - 1kg flour - 50 g sugar + 500 g sugar pearl - 2 dl of milk and 2 dl water - 1 pinch of salt - 100 g of yeast - 500 g butter Preparation
Mix the yeast with the milk and water, then add eggs and sugar. Add flour and knead the dough by incorporating the butter and a pinch of salt. Let dough rest for about thirty minutes, then add the pearl sugar. Pour about 100 grams of batter into the waffle iron and cook 2 or 3 minutes per waffle.
A oday is Candlemas ! And yes, exactly 40 days after Christmas in France we eat pancakes! In fact, this festival symbolizes the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
On Candlemas Day, the superstitious will tell you to do the first jump of the pancakes right hand, with a Louis d'or in the left or the need to cast the first pancake behind the buffet ... See for yourself, I prefer them on my plate with jam, sugar or Nutella!
The waffles are of Belgian origin are and date from the twelfth century. Honeycomb Dutch (Wafel), these small pleasures of Mardi Gras are aptly named. Like many specialties to the basic Waffles were made up with the wrong flour and water before being cooked between two irons that gave them a form of "radius". If today waffles are a treat at the time they were the "poor man's dish" and when cooked the bread ran out.
