BERLIN – Fewer and fewer Germans are roasting the traditional St Martin’s (Martinmas) goose to celebrate the November 11 holiday, sending imports of goose meat to the country tumbling over the past decade.
Imports have fallen by 32.8% over the last 10 years, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, which reported the figures ahead of the holiday.
The Catholic feast day of St Martin of Tours has long been a beloved folk holiday in Germany, especially in the heavily Catholic western Rhineland region.
Children often celebrate by making paper lanterns, walking in processions and gathering sweets. Bonfires and wine are also common.
A roast goose is often the centrepiece of the traditional holiday meal.
According to the report, just under 14,800 tons of goose were imported into Germany in 2022. A year earlier, the figure was 18,200 tons, and in 2012 it was just under 22,000 tons.
Only a small fraction of the goose meat supply came from commercial slaughter in Germany – just under 2,400 tons in 2022, according to the report.
The majority of imports came from Poland in 2022 (76.1%), while suppliers in Hungary accounted for much of the rest (21.5%).
