The French Trousseau Tradition by Ruth Paget

The French Trousseau Tradition Buying Game by Ruth Paget

I read about the French trousseau tradition in a French magazine in my high school French club at Cass Tech in Detroit, Michigan.

The French trousseau tradition is similar to the Hope Chest tradition of the American Midwest where a young woman would sew her future household linens, gather tea and coffee pots, and sometimes even sew her wedding gown to prepare for married life.

The Germans also had this tradition and called it aussteuerschrank.  The schrank is a two-door cupboard that would contain items such as the following:

-sets of sheets and pillow covers

-dish towels

-blouses

-tea pot

-coffee pot

-soup bowls

-serving dishes for vegetables

-sugar cube holder

-creamer

-soup tureen

-red and white checked tablecloths

-aprons

-hot pads

-placemats

(I used a photo of an aussteuerschrank in a museum in Baden-Baden, Germany on Wikipedia to identify items.)

Young couples planning to have children might consider collecting the above items today as well as these additions:

-Joy of Cooking Cookbook

-Reading and Math Flash Cards

-Roast pan with cover

-Metal tumblers

-Jellyroll baking sheets

-Small and large pots with covers

-2 skillets

-Cooking utensils plus holder

-Holiday items plus storage containers
-Everyday Cutlery
-Everyday Dishes
-Serving platter to hold a turkey

Having these items ready helps with setting up a new household.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books

Click for Laurent Paget's Book

Ruth Paget Selfie