Culinary Christmas classic more expensive than 2022
Many German living rooms on Christmas Eve would be unthinkable without it: potato salad with sausages. The traditional Christmas "dinner" already cost significantly more than before last year. This year, prices are rising again, as an analysis shows.
The dish is one of the classics on Christmas Eve: potato salad with sausages. However, consumers will once again have to dig a little deeper into their pockets for this popular Christmas meal this year. Due to inflation, it will cost an average of €6.97 for four people - 4.7 percent more than in 2022, when the price had already risen by almost 24 percent compared to the previous year. This is according to calculations by the German Economic Institute (IW), which is close to employers and is based on price data from the supermarket chain Rewe.
Regionally, the prices for mayo-based potato salad and sausages in December 2023 vary widely in some cases. According to the IW, the festive meal will be most expensive in two districts in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the Rhine-Hunsrück district, a family of four will have to shell out 7.80 euros, while in the neighboring district of Cochem-Zell it will be 7.75 euros. A few hundred kilometers further east, in Thuringia, it is the cheapest. The same ingredients cost just 6.62 euros in Gera and Weimar.
Preparation varies regionally
Due to lower wages and costs, Christmas dinner is also slightly cheaper in eastern Germany this year. There are differences not only geographically, but also between the different versions of the Christmas classic. In the potato salad variant with vinegar and oil, which is particularly popular in southern Germany, the dish is ten percent more expensive than in 2022 due to inflation, but the bottom line is that it is cheaper. For four people, it costs an average of 6.19 euros.
Due to high inflation, many foods have become significantly more expensive in recent years. According to a market analysis by the NRW consumer advice center, the ingredients of typical festive dishes were on average around 27% more expensive in October 2023 than two years earlier.
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The increase in inflation is affecting even traditional Christmas dishes, like potato salad with sausages. This year, the food requirements for this classic meal have risen, with an average cost of €6.97 for four people, representing a 4.7% price hike compared to 2022. Despite inflation, the potato salad variant with vinegar and oil, popular in southern Germany, is still slightly cheaper than last year due to lower wages and costs.
The price increase in food requirements during Christmas is not limited to potato salad and sausages. A market analysis by the NRW consumer advice center reveals that the average cost for ingredients of typical festive dishes have escalated by around 27% compared to two years ago.
Source: www.ntv.de
