Luxembourg's cuisine reflectsthe country's position between the Latin andGermanic countries, influenced by the cuisines of neighbouringFrance,Belgium andGermany. Recently, it has been influenced by the country's manyItalian andPortuguese immigrants. As in Germany, most traditional, everyday Luxembourg dishes are of peasant origin, in contrast to the more sophisticatedFrench fare.[1]
Luxembourg has many delicacies. In addition to Frenchpâtisseries,cake and fruit pies, local pastries include thePretzel, a Lent speciality;Quetscheflued, azwetschge tart;verwurelt Gedanken orVerwurelter, smallpowdered sugar-coateddoughnuts; andÄppelklatzen, applesen croûte.[2] Luxembourg'scheese speciality isKachkéis orCancoillotte, a soft cheese spread.[3]
Fish from the local rivers such astrout,pike, andcrayfish are the basis for dishes such asF'rell am Rèisleck (trout in Riesling sauce),Hiecht mat Kraiderzooss (pike in green sauce) andKriibsen (crayfish), usually prepared in a Riesling sauce. Another favourite isFritür orfriture de la Moselle, small fried fish from theRiver Moselle, accompanied by a localMoselle white wine.[4]
Meat dishes include coldÉisleker Ham, literallyOeslingham, from the mountainous north of the country, first marinated for a couple of weeks and then smoked for several days. It is usually served thinly sliced with chippedpotatoes andsalad.[5] Perhaps the most traditional of all Luxembourg meat dishes isJudd mat Gaardebounen, smoked collar ofpork withbroad beans. The pork is soaked overnight, then boiled with vegetables and spices. Served in copious slices together with the beans and boiled potatoes, it is considered to be thenational dish of Luxembourg.[6]Hong am Rèisleck, similar to the Alsatiancoq au Riesling, consists of brownedchicken pieces simmered inwhite wine with vegetables, spices andmushrooms.[7]Huesenziwwi orcivet de lièvre is ajugged hare dish served during the hunting season.[8]
Other dishes includeliverdumplings (quenelle) withsauerkraut and boiled potatoes,Träipen (black pudding) withapple sauce, sausages withmashed potatoes andhorseradish, andgreen bean soup (Bouneschlupp). French cuisine is featured prominently on many menus, as well as certain dishes from Germany and Belgium.
Other Luxembourg specialties include:
Wine, mostly dry white wine, and sparkling wine is produced in Luxembourg, along the north bank of theMoselle, which has a winemaking history dating back to the Romans. The main varieties areRiesling,Pinot gris,Pinot blanc,Chardonnay,Auxerrois,Gewürztraminer,Rivaner,Elbling,Pinot noir, andCrémant de Luxembourg.[12] TheMarque Nationale, on the rear of every bottle of Luxembourg wine, confirms its origin and states its quality level.[13]
Beer, which is quite a popular drink in Luxembourg, is produced locally at three large breweries as well as in a couple of smaller establishments. Most of the beer brewed in Luxembourg is lager but there are also a number of special beers as well as beers withoutalcohol and Christmas beer in December.[14][15] The main brands of beer are Bofferding, who also produce Battin; Mousel andDiekirch, who share the same brewery in Diekirch; and Simon. Since the 2000s there has been a resurgence of local microbreweries creating craft beer such as, Beierhaascht, Ourdaller and Grand Brewing.[16]
