The traditional ham, the preparation
Christmas ham is still a favorite Christmas Eve dish. It has a distinctive taste. Imported from America, smoked and heavily salted for preservation, it always requires a long preparation stage, when it is soaked in water (for 3 to 4 days).
Cook the ham with indian wood, bay leaves and the like, discard the water and repeat the operation. Before putting it in the oven, remove the rind (which will be kept for the kalalou), split the flesh, add sugar to caramelize it, then decorate it with pineapple slices before putting it in the oven. Commercial hams don't have the same flavor at all.
The custom of Christmas ham is an English tradition; in all the former British colonies, and even in the United States, pork is eaten at Christmas. Martinique was a British colony from 1762 to 1763, from 1794 to 1802, and from 1808 to 1815.
Christmas: carols and festivities
Christmas, as everywhere else, is a day of rejoicing. It is manifested upstream by the hymns and ritornellos. The carols are in French, while the ritornellos are in Creole and very pagan. Taking the opposite tack to religious songs, they tell the story of Michaud's life in a rather debauched style, in which he is mocked by singing at the top of his voice that " taken by alcohol, he falsely reveals that Joseph is not the father of Jesus".
Pork is on the table in all its forms: pâtés, boudin rouge, schrubb, the homemade liqueur made from citrus peel left to macerate in rum, sugar and spices, given over to the generosity of the sun, a sufficient number of times to make it liqueur-like. The inevitable ham takes pride of place, and once the toys have been handed over to the children, already... " Christmas had suddenly flown away in the violet frou-frou of its great wings of joy," says Césaire in amazement.
The Feast of the Innocent Saints, celebrated on December 28, will be honored both religiously and magically, and is an opportunity to have the gift blessed at mass - you never know!
