Among the national favorites are some of the best pastries you're ever likely to eat; delicious Luxembourg cheese; trout, crayfish, and pike from local rivers; Ardennes ham smoked in saltpeter; hare, wild boar, and other game during the hunting season; and in September lovely small plum tarts called quetsch. Other tasty treats include the national dish of smoked neck of pork with broad beans (judd mat gaardebounen); a friture of fried small river fish such as bream, chub, gudgeon, roach, and rudd; calves' liver dumplings (quenelles) with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes; black pudding (treipen) and sausages with mashed potatoes and horseradish; and a green-bean soup (bouneschlupp). French cuisine majors on restaurant menus, and German and Belgian influences make their presence felt.
Luxembourg City, because of its large number of international diplomatic and business visitors, has many fine restaurants offering international cuisine. It has just as many small cafes and bistros featuring traditional dishes. In smaller towns and villages, hotel restaurants are often quite good, as are the small local cafes.
Winemaking along the Moselle has a history that dates back to the Romans. And, of course, the Moselle wines (mostly white) will top any list. Look for Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Rivaner, Elbling, Gewürztraminer, and Crémant de Luxembourg, and for the National Mark, which certifies that they're true Luxembourg wines. In beers, look for such brand names as unfiltered Mousel (pronounced "mooz-ell"), Bofferding, and Henri Funck.
