© iStock / J.P. Gomez
As the National Day approaches, the Grand Duchy is getting busy with preparations, down to the smallest detail.
Luxembourg's Grand Ducal Court has announced that in preparation for the upcoming National Day, which officially marks the Grand Duke's birthday, it has hired an engineer to cut the birthday cake into 92,394 equal pieces.
The decision was taken so that partygoers who crowd into the centre of Luxembourg City the night of June 22-23 to celebrate the event will be able to enjoy some of the traditional birthday cake.
"Usually, it's just the Grand Ducal family, the mayor of Luxembourg City and some other officials, and a few good friends who get a slice of cake," said spokesperson Sandra Ballantine. "But it always seemed a little unfair to His Royal Highness that all these people show up and don't even get a taste."
The engineer, Mortitz Gruber, comes from Vienna and has advanced degrees in gastronomic engineering and laser cutting.
"I've already identified the 293 main fissures," he said. "I'll start with a very sharp knife, and then we'll bring out the lasers."
As the cake weighs approximately 5.5 kilograms, Gruber says that if he manages to cut equally sliced pieces, each partygoer will get around 0.056 grams of cake.
"That should be enough for your tongue to detect the presence of sugar," he said. "If you're lucky and very sensitive, you might have a fuller experience and actually taste other flavors."
Ballantine has asked all those interested in getting a microslice to line up in front of the Grand Ducal Palace starting at 8 p.m.
"Please be patient," she said. "No jumping the queue, complaining, or trying to bribe your way to the front. One microslice per person. If we have enough crémant, we'll be offering thimblefuls."
