The “Cozonac” Retains the Star Christmas Dessert of Romania

In Romanian and Bulgarian homes, sweets are an essential element of the Festive Season, reveals Colliers in its latest ”Festive Season in CEE” report, which involved respondents from Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. More specifically, in Romania, sweet gifts are bought by 45% of respondents, and among Bulgarians the share is at 47%, significantly higher than the average for the CEE-6 region, where 27% of respondents choose sugary products as a holiday gift. On the other side are the Czech Republic (3%) and Slovakia (13%), where almost no sweets are bought for the holidays. The same survey shows that the traditional holiday symbols for Romanians are cozonacul and Christmas pies Pelincile Domnului.

The Christmas season is marked by various traditions and culinary treats. Across the EU, every country proudly shows its unique culinary traditions, with a particular focus on festive sweets, and Colliers’ data shows that Romania is among the EU countries with a strong inclination for sugary treats, especially chocolate and pure sugar (with the latter an indicator of in-home baking).

“We looked at Eurostat’s inflation baskets, which provide a detailed overview of the spending categories, and by examining sugary products in general, such as sugar, jams, chocolates and confectionery, we found that countries in Central and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Baltic countries are dominating the top positions. Bulgaria ranks first in the EU and Romania is not far behind either, with sugar products making up around 2% of the consumption basket. Romania and Bulgaria rank lower in the EU for confectionery products, but it’s crucial to note that Bulgarians lead in overall spending on sugary products, while Romanians are better in other product categories like chocolate or pure sugar intake”, explains Silviu Pop, Director CEE & Romania Research at Colliers.

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Colliers’ Festive Season in CEE-6 survey also shows that in Romania, more than half of those surveyed buy gifts at the last minute, while in most countries, respondents start buying gifts 1 – 2 months in advance. Shoppers across the CEE-6 countries reported that most often spend between 26 and 50 euro on a gift for one person.