Babettes gæstebud

The protagonist in Babettes gæstebud (Babette’s Feast), a renowned chef in a top Parisian restaurant, flees the repression of the Paris Commune in 1871. She takes refuge in a Lutheran village in Jutland, Denmark, in the home of two sisters, daughters of a pastor. Under their father’s authority, since their youth the sisters have always deprived themselves of any pleasure, and devote themselves to charitable work. Likewise, the villagers live modestly, suppressing their desires. After winning the lottery, Babette decides to prepare a French-style feast for the villagers. From caviar on toast to fine wines, the small community slowly discovers the pleasures which the sense of taste can offer and the meal helps the villagers to resolve old disputes. It even represents a love story, which can finally be enjoyed by the two elderly sisters who had always shunned love.