Don’t deprive yourself of Christmas dinner. Despite the inflation that is killing their purchasing power, many French people still want to respect this tradition. But this year, this annual party may cost them much more than last year. Especially if they have opted for the festive dishes whose price has skyrocketed the most. More than ever, vigilance is required. Especially since among the great classics of a New Year’s Eve table are dishes that have resisted inflation quite well.
Wild turbot saw its price skyrocket by 55%
Let’s start by listing the products that are significantly more expensive this year than last year. Much has been said about the case of foie gras. And for good reason, among the festive dishes, none have seen their price skyrocket. In Rungis, a kilo of extra foie gras – the best quality you can find – costs almost twice as much as last year at the same time. Hit hard by the avian flu epidemic, waterfowl farmers are struggling to keep up with demand.
Bad news then for the Alsatians who, at Christmas, are more chicken than turkey. His favorite bird has seen its price increase by 45% in wholesale markets. But even the most classic Christmas birds are affected by the increase in prices. At the Rungis wholesale market, a whole turkey costs 21% more than last year. And if you’re more of a fish, you’ll have to break the bank. The wild turbot that we gladly serve at Christmas -because it usually weighs more than 2 kilos- has seen its price increase by 55% in one year.
Breton lobster or chicken
But what are these most inflation-resistant holiday dishes? The two most popular crustaceans, the Breton lobster and French lobster, whose price on wholesale markets only increased by 6-7% compared to the end of December 2021. We can also mention chicken with a protected designation of origin, which is certainly more expensive than chicken last year (+9% in the Rungis market), but which had seen its price drop in recent years. This exceptional bird actually costs no more than it does in 2019.
No more expensive does not mean cheap by any means. For a beautiful chicken of certified Bressan origin, you have to be able to pay between 75 and 100 euros at your butcher shop. In fact, apart from foie gras, the most inflation-resistant festive foods are those that already sold at very high prices in previous years. You see it with shellfish.
No price increase for scallops
French scallops are at the same price as last year, as the harvest was exceptional. And even for oysters or sea urchins, we remain at fairly moderate levels of increase (+4% to +15%).
We will end with a classic. for dessert, exotic fruits recently arrived by plane from their country of origin: lychees from Réunion, passion fruit from Vietnam and Asian mangosteens have not risen in price. In any case in wholesale markets. The only big flaw: its consumption is not ecologically correct.
Source: BFM TV
