We met Debbie near Place de Paris in the heart of Luxembourg. Visiting the city during shoulder season has its advantages, and today, that advantage is a nearly private tour with all three participants being coincidentally Canadian.
The culinary diversity of the country is driven by its neighbours (Belgium, France and Germany) and the impressive cultural diversity created through immigration. There are over 160 nationalities living in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and so naturally, the culinary influences are plenty.
Historically, however, Luxembourgish cuisine has heavy French and German influences leaning into casual meals and intricate baked goods. Our first stop on the 3-hour Food Tour: Uncover the Tastes of Luxembourg is Pâtisserie Hoffmann. This traditional bakery chain is a city staple offering a wide range of baked goods and desserts. We are here for a bite of Rieslingspaschtéit, a classic flaky pastry filled with Riesling (wine) jelly and pâté invented by Pierre Kaempff in 1928. A small circular opening at the top serves as a sneak peek for your first bite. Today in certain bakeries you will also find tourte au Pinot Noir made with local Pinot Noir, and you guessed it, pâté.
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Rieslingspaschtéit served with a side salad and as a whole at Pâtisserie Hoffmann.
Below: Crémant and cured ham at Brasserie Guillaume. All images by Kateryna Topol.
A walk through the city takes us to another local staple, Brasserie Guillaume. The restaurant specialises in seafood, but we sit down for a taste of Éisleker ham, in-house slow-cured local ham. Served with a highly coveted glass of the Alice Hartmann crémant (or riesling) and fresh bread, the ham is surprisingly tender and flavourful with the freshness you can only get with in-house cured meats. Luxembourgish love Crémant and produce plenty of it in the country.
Pivoting through the city streets, Debbie speaks about local culture, history, culinary influences, and shares shopping suggestions. Kaempff-Kohler, another popular chain operated by the descendants of the Rieslingspaschtéit inventor, is our next stop. These bakery and shop shelves are filled with fresh and packaged sweets, jarred pâtés and terrines, bottled soups, and caviar. Kaempff-Kohler is a great spot for a seated lunch break or takeaway, and the City Centre location has a lovely patio ideal for people watching. Our culinary discovery includes a bite of a delicate ham and egg quiche.
Above: Quiche at Kaempff-Kohler, below: Chocolats Genaveh Luxembourg.
For the sweet break, we duck into Chocolats Genaveh Luxembourg, a family-owned and operated chocolate shop. The friendly staff bring out a tray of hot chocolate cup and chocolate pairing, all three decadently delicious and rich.
Luxembourgish cherish their lunch time, in fact, lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Ënnert de Steiler is a beloved traditional lunch spot for home-cooked hearty meals. It is the oldest bar in the city, spread across multiple floors. On our lunch menu are Kniddelen, local speciality dumplings paired with a sausage. These dense, loosely formed dumplings are served in a bacon cream sauce offset by the Wäinzoossiss (Luxembourgish sausage) in mustard sauce. The dish might not be the most attractive to the eye but it is packed with flavour.
Sufficiently satiated, we parted with Debbie, taking mental notes for many more places to visit and many more delicacies to try.
Kniddelen (dumplings) served with Wäinzoossiss (sausage) at the Ënnert de Steiler.
Below: Quiche at Kaempff-Kohler
