One Of The Most Unusual Easter Traditions In France Is A Giant Eggy Event In A Small Town

From world-famous wine to internationally renowned cheese, France is undoubtedly a global leader in the world of food. It is no doubt then that the French find any occasion to celebrate their culinary culture by hosting various food festivals throughout the year. From La Fête de la Truffe (The Truffle Festival) in Sarlat-la-Canéda to Les Traces du Fromage (The Cheese Routes) in Aveyron, France does not hesitate to throw a party for its food fanatics.

Sometimes these celebrations coincide with religious festivities, as is the case in Bessières' annual Fête de l'Omelette Géante (Giant Omlet Festival). This small village just 20 miles northeast of Toulouse hosts a three-day spring celebration that has all the trimmings of Christian Easter in other European countries. In addition to Easter egg hunts and religious parades, the festival culminates on Easter Monday with a highly ambitious and impressive eggy feast, executed by cooking an enormous omelet made from 15,000 eggs and large enough to feed thousands of festivalgoers.

This bizarre ritual is now over 50 years old, having begun in the '70s, and has inspired other similar omelet-making festivals in Belgium, Argentina, New Caledonia, Louisiana, and Quebec. The festival is run by a group aptly named the Global Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelet, who are responsible for maintaining this tradition and spreading omelet joy. Volunteers from Bessières join in to crack dozens of eggs each, while 18 gallons of duck fat warms on a 13-foot-wide frying pan that sits over an open bonfire and must be moved by a forklift due to its size and weight.

Other volunteers whisk the freshly cracked eggs, adding chives and piment d'Espelette (a mild chili pepper), which they then add to the enormous pan. This is gently stirred with giant wooden paddles to prevent the mixture from sticking. Members of the brotherhood from all over the world join in the annual festivities, as each omelet is said to have a distinct flavor depending on the seasoning used in the given region. The cooking time for the enormous omelet is approximately 30 minutes, a quick turnaround to feed the hungry masses.

Entry to Bessières' Fête de l'Omelette Géante is free with the omelet-making happening on Easter Monday, but other Easter festivities take place during the whole weekend leading up to it. The tradition was born from a story dating back to Napoleonic times. Napoleon is believed to have stayed a night in an auberge (a small hotel) near Bessières while he was traveling through France. He supposedly enjoyed his breakfast omelet so much that he demanded the innkeeper to prepare one large enough to feed his army. Since then, omelets have been an Easter tradition in Bessières, and the giant omelet ceremony was born in 1973.

The omelet festivals spread globally by the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelet have evolved to give a unique spin on the original French feast. For example, during the Abbeville version of the festival in Louisiana, you'll find street vendors selling alligator-on-a-stick or crawfish étouffée, along with performances by live bands. There is also an egg-cracking contest! Bessières may be a small town, but this bizarre festival gives it a big personality. If you're an egg fanatic or simply would like to be part of a village-wide feeding frenzy, then this egg-cellent Easter festival is for you.