Which nations spend the most on Christmas dinner?

Families in Germany could face the most expensive Christmas dinners in the world this year, according to a study conducted in 11 countries on three continents by eToro. But how much will we pay for Christmas Eve in Poland?

In a nutshell:

• Polish borscht with dumplings at the bottom of the list of surveyed markets,
• Nations that eat turkey on Christmas Eve bear the highest cost, with the Spanish meal being the second most expensive, just after the German goose with garnish,
• Romanians spend the least on the traditional Christmas dinner, consisting of sarmali with mamalga and cozonak (pork and beef cabbage rolls wrapped in sauerkraut leaves with side dishes).

Christmas and the Inflation Madness

eToro looked at the prices of traditional Christmas food ingredients in local supermarkets and found that a typical German Christmas meal of roast goose and side dishes (including bacon, apples and onions) would cost PLN 310,70 to feed a family of four, of which three a kilogram goose costs over PLN 3. At the other end of the spectrum, a typical Romanian Christmas feast of sarmales and typical toppings such as sour cream and hot peppers would cost a family of four just 270 zlotys.

While German families face the most expensive Christmas dinner according to an eToro study, several other poultry-eating countries face similarly high costs. For example, Spanish families will spend similarly high sums on a Christmas meal - for a turkey with apples, raisins and onions they will pay PLN 283,70. The exception is the UK, where turkey costs are lower. Families in the UK will pay £151,30 to enjoy a traditional British Christmas dinner of turkey and classic trimmings.

How does the Polish Christmas Eve look like compared to Christmas dinners in other countries? At first glance, it seems to be one of the cheapest. However, in the comparison, we compared the cost of only one dish - dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms (along with borsch), which turned out to be much cheaper than meat dishes served on tables in other countries. However, the entire Polish Christmas Eve - consisting of 12 dishes will not be significantly cheaper than similar dinners served in Western Europe or in the USA.

Paweł Majtkowski, market analyst at eToro, commented:

“Families around the world are experiencing a significant increase in food prices, which on average have risen above the official rate inflation. In Poland, food prices increased by 22,3% during the year. while official inflation was 17,4 percent. This increase in prices can be seen in the case of the costs of Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner.

Inflation affects food prices around the world, but there are large differences between countries. This shows that inflationary pressure is also local, and not only due to global factors.

In many countries, the answer to rising prices is to look for savings through various alternative products, e.g. using cheaper chicken meat instead of beef or pork. In Poland, the rule applies on holidays , so most Polish families will not save on Christmas Eve. However, the economy can spur a more family-friendly world by organizing collective Christmas Eves, because when several families sit at the table, the costs per family are much lower.”

Sources:

• https://www.mniammniam.com/barszcz-czerwony-magdy-gessler
• https://kuchnia.wp.pl/pierogi-wigilijne-przepis-magdy-gessler-6455268227397249a
• https://www.biedronka.pl/pl

The table shows the cost of Christmas dinner ingredients in 11 countries (PLN)

Poles (after Norwegians and Romanians) will enjoy the third cheapest Christmas dinner among the countries covered by the study - with a typical Polish Christmas meal consisting of dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms and borscht, which for a family of four costs around PLN 141,60.

Food prices have soared globally this year: in the UK, food prices rose 16,2 per cent. in the last 12 months, in the European Union - by 17,8 percent, and in Poland - by 22,3 percent.