Press releases

There are still 70 days until Christmas Eve. Aachen traditionally gets a major boost of Christmas spirit even earlier: Since Thursday, October 15, the time has come—the Christmas liver sausage season is officially open. Mayor Michael Ziemons and Rolf Gerrards, chairman of the Aachen-based Aixtra Butchers, jointly cut into the Aachen Christmas liver sausage at Aachen City Hall.

It was a wonderful first for the mayor: “The Christmas liver sausage is a product I grew up with—one that many people from Aachen grew up with—and it’s as much a part of Aachen as the Printe,” said Michael Ziemons. Turning to Aachen’s “Aixtra” butchers, he added: “As ‘Aixtra’ butchers, you stand for quality and craftsmanship all year round. That makes us, as a city, proud and grateful.”

The authentic Christmas liver sausage—known in the Aachen dialect as “Öcher Chressmeslëäverwooesch”—may only be produced by butchers within the city limits of Aachen in accordance with strict quality standards. This was decided by the European Commission, which awarded the Aachen Christmas liver sausage and the “Öcher Puttes” the seal of approval for a geographically protected product in February 2016.

It’s not just a dash of cream—the addition of Christmas spice blends such as coriander, cardamom, and anise, as well as the inclusion of various nuts, cranberries, and even honey, have defined the unique flavor of this Aachen delicacy for more than 120 years. Sometimes it’s even enhanced with Aachen Printen. The exact recipe, however, remains a secret known only to individual butchers.

The president of the Aachen-based Aixtra Butchers emphasizes the importance of this annual event, which takes place a few months before Christmas itself: “This day is very important not only for us as Aixtra Butchers, but also for the trade as a whole. To showcase to the outside world what we have here in Aachen as a European-protected product that is known far beyond the city limits.”

The ceremonial cutting of the sausage is traditionally accompanied by a generous act of charity. The city’s butcher’s guild member businesses are donating several kilograms of Aachen Christmas liver sausage and an equal amount of “Öcher Puttes” to social institutions—this year to Café Kontakt at the Alexian Center for Mental Health and the Franziska-Schervier-Stube.