The 'Pot de Chambre'

How do you fancy your friends waking you up in the early hours of the morning on your first night as a married couple and asking you to drink some horrible concoction? While the 'pot de chambre' is a very old French tradition, many newlyweds are still at the mercy of it.

Mais quelle est l'origine de cette tradition étrange?

In old times, newlyweds would leave their wedding reception and retire to their secret location. The following day, early in the morning, some of the wedding guests would start searching for the newlyweds to bring them the 'pot de chambre'. The guests were split into two groups, one group helping the newlyweds to escape, the other group on a mission to find them. While the newlyweds had to be hidden well, the tradition was that they were always found. When found, they had to get out of bed and drink the contents of the 'pot de chambre'. The bride started, then her husband and then all the guests. The 'pot de chambre' was of great importance: it was to give strength to the newlyweds after their first night as a married couple.

Today the recipe for the 'pot de chambre' varies greatly from one region to the next. It usually includes chocolate, biscuits, cheese, banana, spices, various alcohols, and most of the time toilet paper! Hmm, bon appétit!

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