What foods do Luxembourgers buy for Christmas?

Supermarket chain Cactus says that shopping for the festive season "started a little later than usual" but that the last few days have apparently reassured managers of the stores. Following "one, two, even three years marked by multiple crises", Cactus has the impression people are wanting to prepare a more generous meal this year (i.e. spend more money).

But what did they buy?

Seafood and Wagyu beef

Without providing precise figures, Cactus gave our colleagues at RTL Infos a list dominated by traditional Riesling pastries with salmon, traditional foie gras, as well as high quality oysters (Gillardeau) and seafood platters.
In terms of fish, scallops, monkfish fillet and lemon sole are amongst the favourites. The traditional farm capelin and turkey are also very popular. Many have also opted for the finest cuts of meat, such as Angus fillet, Simmental beef (a Swiss breed of cattle), or Wagyu beef from Japan.

There were also more traditional options: combining meat and fish during a raclette (or fondue), which is always simply delicious. Aged cheeses are highscorers.

What's for dessert? The classic buttercream log with the very traditional "Stollen Weihnachtsgebäck", a large pastry of German origin with raisins, filled with almond paste and powdered sugar. Lighter, red fruits and exotic fruits will conclude many Christmas meals in Luxembourg.

In terms of sparkling drinks, champagne and crémant are clearly on many tables, followed by whiskey, rum and gin. Generally speaking, "local, organic and artisanal are in high demand," Cactus underlines. But many of these foods were undoubtedly purchased in anticipation of New Year's Eve.

La bûche, un dessert indémodable lors du repas de Noël. / © AFP

Sales of appetisers explode at Delhaize

Delhaize, which has 128 stores in Belgium and 69 in Luxembourg, put forward figures showing that the aperitif remains essential during the festive period.

"Small trays of petit fours (or appetisers) exploded with 8,000 units sold, compared to 1,000 the rest of the year", the supermarket chain said.

To meet demand from fans of traditional meals, the Belgian brand ordered 1 tonne of lobster, 60,000 packages of smoked salmon, 65,000 packages of shrimp, 175,000 oysters (6.3% more than last year), 2,000 turkeys and 3,600kg of meat.

But new trends like vegetarianism and veganism are growing, notes Delhaize in its press release. The brand put vegan meatloaves with Italian flavours or "Voie Gras", a vegan alternative with notes of truffle, on its shelves.

Similar to Cactus, the raclette/fondue trend is growing: Delhaize offered 13,000 platters of meat, 3,600kg of meat for fondue and 4,000 platters of cheese.

In the dessert section, Delhaize had 40,000 logs and 11,500 iced logs in preparation for Christmas.

Finally, with regard to drinks, the Belgian brand received 75,000 bottles of Cava, 45,000 bottles of Prosecco, 55,000 bottles of champagne and 20,000 bottles of wine and non-alcoholic sparkling wine.

What did you buy for Christmas? Let us know in the comments!