Gala dinner of the King and Queen in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: here is the menu

As part of the State visit of the King and Queen to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a grand gala dinner was held last night. Our journalist Amelie Schildt who follows the journey of our sovereigns received the menu. It gives the mouth water and we do not resist the pleasure of sharing the names, sometimes fun as they are sophisticated and long, dishes.

The guests started with a "fresh Breton lobster lettuce salad with mango and ginger seasoning". After that, they tasted as a main dish a "Luxembourg-style veal chop in herb crust with ginger beetroot, mushroom ravioli and truffle potatoes and short juice". Finally, a "Frozen Chocolate Candy with Vanilla-Salted Butter Caramel with Almond Lace Tile and Chocolate Sauce" served sweetness for dessert.

With the meal, the guests enjoyed a 2010 Luxembourgish Riesling GottesgOf white wine and a 2010 Sassicaia Bolghai Italian red wine.

The program of the state visit

Philippe and Mathilde pay a three-day state visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Small country of 2,586 km2 for a little more than 610,000 inhabitants, including 24,000 Belgians plus some 46,000 cross-border workers who join its companies daily, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg shares a long history with Belgium. A family story, first, since Grand Duke Henry and King Philippe are cousins. A history of fruitful bilateral relations, too, in the Benelux and the various political coordination entities.

Despite an unemployment rate of 5.2% – one of the lowest in Europe – and a GDP growth rate of 2.6%, higher than Belgian growth, the two states, located in the heart of Europe, also face the same challenges in terms of mobility, climate or digital evolution. These challenges will be at the center of the program of King Philip and Queen Mathilde.

Thus, if the first day of the state visit was devoted on Tuesday to traditional protocol activities, with reception at the Grand Ducal Palace and the City Hall, this Wednesday, the queen and the official delegation will participate in a seminar on medical innovation at the University of Luxembourg. The king will visit the military center of Diekirch alongside the Grand Duke, illustrating the military cooperation between the two countries.

Philippe will then travel to the European satellite company for a symposium on Belgian-Luxembourg cooperation in space matters. On Thursday, the royal couple is expected at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce for a seminar devoted to technologies applied to the financial sector, then to the Biodiversum center for an exhibition on the circular economy. After a boat ride and a visit to a wine institute, the sovereigns will take leave of the Grand Duke. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, she will not participate in this state visit, excused for medical reasons. Philippe and Mathilde will then take the train back to Brussels in the evening.

While the private visits of the King and Queen to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are numerous, the last Belgian state visit to our neighbors dates back to 1994. At the time, it was the first official visit, except Belgium, Albert II.