October 1, 2025 • 21 mins
A family story flips with a single message: “You’re not German—you’re Luxembourgish.” That twist leads us from dusty records and shifting borders to living cousins, board meetings in Minnesota, and a deeper question we can’t stop asking: what does citizenship mean when you hold it from afar? We share how dual nationality moved from a cool discovery to a humbling responsibility, and why we decided that connection shouldn’t stop at ancestry. If the passport is a door, the work is walking through it—learning the history, showing up for community, and paying attention to how people live in Luxembourg right now.
Then we head to the kitchen, where culture gets real. We bake Anne Faber’s rhubarb custard cake—crisp-edged crust, tart fruit, and a restrained sweetness that begs for coffee—and set it next to a Dakota kuchen with a yeast-raised base and a richer, gooier custard. Two countries, one idea: fruit plus custard plus crust, interpreted through different pantries and seasons. We talk texture, balance, and why Luxembourgers and Upper Midwesterners share a quiet devotion to rhubarb. The verdict? If you crave bright, fruit-forward clarity, Luxembourg’s take shines; if you want comfort and dairy warmth, kuchen answers. Either way, the table becomes a map.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Welcome to Back to Luxembourg, a podcast by
American Luxembourgers about theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg and
its people, from the Moselle tothe Mississippi.
I'm Matthew Foster.
SPEAKER_02 (00:13):
And I'm Rebecca Seymours.
It's the 1st of October, and ontoday's episode, our first
episode, we're explaining who weare and what this podcast is all
about.
SPEAKER_00 (00:22):
Then we're trying a Luxembourgish recipe for rhubarb
custard cake and comparing it toa related dish from the Dakotas,
Kugen.
So come along with us as we goTek of Letztebusch.
Back to Luxembourg.
(00:42):
Hi, Rebecca.
Hi, Matthew.
How are you doing?
Good.
How are you?
I'm good.
So this is our first episode.
Yes.
I was thinking that we shouldstart out by talking about
origin story, I guess.
Sounds good to me.
So we're both Americans, bothborn in the United States, and
we're both Luxembourgers.
SPEAKER_02 (00:59):
Yep.
I grew up in Minnesota.
This journey of being aLuxembourger has been
interesting.
I always was told we wereGerman.
Great great-grandfather who camefrom Germany.
And about 10 years ago, maybe Idid, I can't, I think it was
23andMe like a DNA geneticancestry thing.
But now I'm like, wait, was thata good idea?
(01:20):
I don't know.
But anyway, someone came up as afirst cousin and she messaged me
because she's like, who are you?
So we're trying to figure outwho it is.
And it turns out it was a cousinof my dad's.
And then she said, you knowwhat?
We're actually not German.
We're Luxembourgish.
And I knew none of this.
And what had happened is her andher dad hired a genealogist,
(01:41):
went to Germany in the early2000s.
And right away the genealogistis like, You're not German.
You're Luxembourgish.
Go to Luxembourg.
And then ended up giving herlike a list of people, like
modern day relatives.
And she literally went door todoor, knocked on these people's
door, and was like, hey, so I'ma distant cousin.
(02:01):
Do you have any interest inbeing friends and whatever?
And some people did.
And so then through that, I'vethen met these Luxembourgish
relatives, which is a reallyawesome experience.
I didn't realize that I waseligible for dual citizenship
for like another maybe fiveyears after that.
unknown (02:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:20):
How about you?
How did how did you come aboutit?
SPEAKER_00 (02:23):
Mine pretty similar.
I remember, and this is likeclear as day in my head, asking
my father, where are yourancestors from?
And he was like, Well, I knowthat my grandfather was from
Canada.
My mom's side of the family, Idon't know, German or Dutch or
something.
And it's just like, well, inretrospect, not wrong.
Not wrong.
Yeah, exactly.
Not right, but not wrong.
Like in the early 2000s, I thinkthat it was just like kind of
(02:44):
identifying that my dad'smother, all of her grandparents
were from Luxembourg.
And I knew that Luxembourgextended citizenship to people
who were the descendants.
I didn't think that I qualified.
That would come much, muchlater.
And that was re-sparked when Igot together with Mark, my
partner.
So we were hanging out duringCOVID.
(03:04):
We're sitting on the couchwatching a movie after dinner
and talking about hobbies andstuff like that.
And both of us have a little bitof an interest in genealogy.
And so he's like, Well, whereare your ancestors from?
And I was just like, Well, kindof a hodgepodge, you know,
basically half from likeScotland and Ireland, and then
half from like German-ish, butI'm a quarter Luxembourgish.
And he just stopped cold and hesaid, I'm half.
SPEAKER_02 (03:26):
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00 (03:27):
Like, what?
I didn't grow up knowing aboutit.
Mark did, however, uh, becausehe grew up in a part of
Minnesota that was reallyheavily Luxembourgish and has
been Luxembourgish for a verylong time.
Me not so much.
So it was it was really aprocess of rediscovery, much
like you, where it was just likewe just kind of thought, yeah,
it's just kind of genericGerman.
SPEAKER_02 (03:46):
And even the documentations, like the death
certificate, it says Luxembourg,Germany.
SPEAKER_00 (03:53):
Yeah.
Cause like in the census recordsfor my ancestors, they are
identified as being fromLuxembourg in some documents and
then Germany and then Holland.
And then I realized that what itwas is like, oh, well, that was
who was ever in charge that daythat the census guy came around.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And so, like, they knew it'sjust like, well, we're from this
like village, we don't know whocontrols it right now.
It changed hands so many times,right?
(04:14):
Who was in charge?
Very hashtag Luxembourgproblems.
Did you know anything aboutLuxembourg before all of this?
SPEAKER_02 (04:22):
Or not really.
I drove through Luxembourgbefore this.
I didn't really have much of animpression because I drove
through it.
Just like, oh, pretty exactly.
Exactly.
It very much was like, I doremember being like, oh, this is
pretty and like the kind ofrolling hills and the river
valleys and stuff.
Right.
And now we're in Belgium.
Yep.
That was exactly it.
Once I found out about thatconnection, I was like, this is
(04:46):
really interesting.
Just the idea of this very smallcountry that has persisted for
all these years.
It it was just likemind-boggling to me because I'm
like, I'm somebody who I lovehistory.
I, you know what I mean, havelike traveled a lot, lived
abroad, whatever.
SPEAKER_00 (05:03):
Both of us have always been curious about the
outside world, like since wewere little kids.
And it'd actually be a good timeto mention that we haven't known
each other for that long.
Right.
Like, yeah, maybe two years.
Yeah, two or three years.
Cause like I mentioned I at workthat I was going on vacation.
I was going to be out of theoffice for a couple of weeks.
And so it's like, oh, well, areyou going to go have fun?
(05:24):
And it was just like, well, I'mactually going to go apply for
nationality for this countryLuxembourg.
And a coworker of mine was like,Oh my God, my neighbors did
that.
Yeah.
And it turns out that that wasyour sister and brother-in-law.
And so he was like, Do you wantme to pass on your email?
And I was sure.
And yeah, so that's that's how Idiscovered like the local group
(05:45):
in the Twin Cities.
Yep.
So we are both involved prettyheavily.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (05:50):
The Twin Cities say we're board members.
SPEAKER_00 (05:52):
Yes, we're board members.
Um in the Twin Cities LuxembourgAmerican Society.
And now this podcast is notofficially sanctioned by the
Twin Cities Luxembourg.
We are just speaking as forMatthew.
This is this is our thing.
But one thing that I've reallyenjoyed from going to the events
that we've organized for the forT class is learning about
(06:14):
people's motivations for gettingnationality.
Yeah.
And then what they've done withit or like how it kind of
changed them.
Yeah.
I don't know about you, but Iknow that like it went from
being really cool to being like,oh my God.
Yeah.
Like that.
I mean, just overnight.
Yep.
SPEAKER_02 (06:33):
It did.
And I honestly feel, and I stillfeel sometimes to this day, like
I'm not worthy.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
I'm like my experiences withLuxembourg have been incredible.
Like I love being there.
Everyone I've interact, youknow, I've just have had all
positive.
And it feels like incrediblyamazing that I can be a citizen
of this amazing country.
SPEAKER_00 (06:53):
Right.
Because all inheritance isaccidental.
Yes.
I mean, I didn't do anything todeserve this.
I just I got lucky.
And I think that with it with acombination of that and the fact
that both of us take the idea ofcitizenship so seriously.
I mean, I think that that'sreally what our motivation is.
SPEAKER_02 (07:11):
Well, and I very much felt like the very least I
could do in becoming a citizen,I think you felt the same.
I think we've talked about this.
The very least I can do is getto know more about Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (07:23):
Yeah.
Cause when I see people who talkabout like, well, why did you
get citizenship?
And they talk about, well, Iwanted to feel more connected to
my ancestors.
And it's like, yeah, you don'tneed a passport to do that.
Not at all.
Yeah.
But I also understood that,like, by accepting the
citizenship, by pursuing thenationality, the Luxembourgish
nationality, that therelationship between me and
(07:43):
Luxembourg no longer wentthrough my ancestors.
Yeah.
It became one-on-one.
It is you, yeah.
And I feel that it's part of thedeal of being a good citizen.
How do we become goodLuxembourgers?
Yes, even from this distance.
We'll probably never live inLuxembourg.
Right.
I mean, I would like to.
I would too.
I mean, but I don't know.
I don't know if that willhappen, but I'd like to.
(08:05):
I don't know if it would happen.
I mean, like I would even loveto live there for just like a
year.
Yeah.
Just to like do all the stuffthat happens the year.
Like go to the hoppingprocession and same.
SPEAKER_02 (08:16):
Seriously.
SPEAKER_00 (08:17):
Like and all the other stuff that we're going to
be talking about over the courseof this podcast.
And yeah, like I would reallylove to do that.
But like, but again, but thatthat that it is such a profound
gift.
Yeah.
That we have just been given.
Yeah.
That it's just like, yeah, thisreally makes me feel humbled.
Like I really need to know mystuff.
SPEAKER_02 (08:36):
I think about how if my ancestor who came from
Luxembourg to the United States,like if I could talk to them
now, they'd be like, what?
Like the world was so different.
You know what I mean?
They'd be like, why do you wantwhat?
Why do you care aboutLuxembourg?
Like we left here, whatever.
It's just a totally differentreality.
So it it very much felt like forme getting citizenship, like,
(08:57):
okay, sure.
I want to understand the historyand and to get to know the
country more, but I also want tounderstand modern day
Luxembourg.
What is life like on a dailybasis for modern people, you
know, normal people living inLuxembourg?
SPEAKER_00 (09:11):
Right.
And now we have decided to dothis podcast to just kind of
explore more about not just theheritage but modern day
Luxembourg and dig into it moreand more and more.
What do you want to learn?
What and what do you hope whatdo you hope people kind of learn
about Luxembourg through all ofthis?
SPEAKER_02 (09:31):
I feel like my answer is everything, which is I
just I'm fascinated.
I want to learn moreinformation.
I also think it's why does itexist, right?
And like why is it persisted?
And what what is so unique aboutit?
Why do we love like modern day?
What's the culture like?
What you know, and I meanthere's a million questions that
I think are just interesting.
(09:52):
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:53):
Well, we will be exploring all of it.
All of it.
So, Rebecca, we have cake.
(10:13):
Can't wait.
I know we have so we have twocakes.
I thought that this would besort of fun.
So, one of the things that I'mreally interested in, and that
we're both pretty good homecooks.
Yep.
I was reading a recipe, Anne'sKitchen, uh, from Anne Faba, who
is basically the Martha Stewartof Luxembourg of Luxembourg who
(10:33):
has written cookbooks availablein English, has TV shows in
Germany, and yeah, she's done alot of really cool work.
I took one of her recipes, whichis for a rhubarb custard cake.
Okay.
So I made this, and as soon as Imade it, it reminded me of a
dessert that I grew up with,which is coogan, the official
(10:57):
state dessert of South Dakota.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, a lot of things are calledKoogan, though.
Yes.
Like I don't know what whatcoogan did you grow up with?
I grew up eating peach cooking.
Yes.
Oh, in Kooken.
Yep.
Yeah.
No, in in Dakota, it's Kogen.
Nope.
That always was told it kuken.
No, Kugen.
SPEAKER_02 (11:18):
It's spelled the same, right?
Uh yeah.
I think K-U-C-H-E-N.
Yeah, K-U-C-H-En.
Yeah.
My mom's mom, who they're fromGermany.
Apparently, it was the familyrecipe passed down.
I don't know how much truththere is in that.
So I still will make it inAugust because that's when
(11:39):
peaches are ripe and I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (11:41):
But it it the reason I'm like, I don't know, is
because it's sour cream.
I guess it could have been likecreme fresh or something
different.
Or like fark or yeah, like somesort of fresh yeah, cheese,
something like that.
But so it's peaches and sourcream and egg yolks, I think.
And similar.
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Well, and and and so and the base of this is it.
This base is like a pie crust.
SPEAKER_02 (12:06):
Oh, so it's not yeast.
It is not.
So it's definitely on thesweeter side.
It's more like a dessert, but wealways had it as like a brunch.
SPEAKER_00 (12:15):
Right.
So, but as I was doing theresearch for this, where there
are a lot of analogous recipeswhere it's like that you have
this kind of like idea of fruitplus custard plus crust.
Yep.
Now, whether or not the crust ischemical leavened, like with
baking sort of baking powder, orif it's yeast leavened, that
seems to be a big difference.
(12:36):
And so I was able to snag somerhubarb for pretty cheap.
Awesome.
And that's the other thing thatI have discovered too in my
research into the culinaryhistory of both countries, is
that upper Midwesterners andLuxembourgers are united in a
love of rhubarb.
Yep.
Because it's it's really good.
SPEAKER_02 (12:57):
It is good, it's great.
SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
So this morning went to the farmer's market in
Minneapolis, got some rhubarb,and then I made two versions of
custard rhubarb.
There's there's yours.
A custard, custard, custardrhubarb cake.
So the one that isn't quite asshiny is the Luxembourgish one.
(13:21):
Okay.
And so this is based on a recipefrom Anne Faber from Ann's
Kitchen.
Okay.
I don't think that it's atraditional recipe per se.
Okay.
But it's definitely somethingthat she presents as being kind
of typically Luxembourgish.
Sure.
And then the other one is theDakota version.
So shall we try the Anne'sversion?
SPEAKER_02 (13:39):
Anne's versions for yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:45):
Okay, that's that's real good.
SPEAKER_02 (13:47):
Oh god, that is so good.
SPEAKER_00 (13:49):
I've made this before.
SPEAKER_02 (13:51):
Oh my god.
I okay, and truthfully, lookingat it, I thought like it might
be a little dry, right?
Because it looks like it, youwould think it's going to be
dry.
SPEAKER_00 (14:00):
Yeah.
And when I was baking it, likebecause the crust, I mean, it
basically comes out like acookie dough.
Yeah.
Like you press it in.
I mean, it says, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:08):
And I could see that.
And like, yeah, but it's not.
unknown (14:11):
Damn.
SPEAKER_02 (14:11):
It like crumbles with the like I don't know.
I was like, the I hate the wordmoistness, but you know what I
mean?
It crumbles with the I don't.
SPEAKER_00 (14:24):
Well, it's yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:25):
Oh my gosh, that's so good.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
Good work as usual, Ann.
SPEAKER_02 (14:30):
Yeah, I might have to make this, or not might.
I feel like I should make this.
SPEAKER_00 (14:35):
Yeah, if it's rhubarb season.
Fortunately, he says as hismouth is filled with rhubarb
does freeze really, really well.
That's true.
SPEAKER_02 (14:47):
Literally, maybe I have to go to the farmer's
market tomorrow and make some.
That was so good.
SPEAKER_00 (14:51):
It's so well balanced.
I mean, like, it's it's notsweet at all.
Like, I really want coffee withus.
Right?
Except it's like what?
What?
Yeah, it's seven o'clock atnight.
At night.
So really not coffee time.
Yeah, we're not we're not havingcoffee.
Like it would it would also gowell with port.
SPEAKER_02 (15:09):
It would.
It would go very well with port.
SPEAKER_00 (15:12):
I don't have any of that either.
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
But it's the perfect because like I don't love overly
sweet things.
You know, rhubarber's is tart,so you need some sugar to
balance it.
Sometimes it can likeovercorrect too much, right?
Where you do too much sweetness.
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (15:29):
But it's the perfect where it's like sweet, but not
overly sweet, but you get theflavor of the rhubarb.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
Yeah, it's a really solid recipe.
It really is.
I mean, the only pain in thebutt for this is that it
requires a spring porn pan,yeah, which is a little bit of
an annoyance.
And a lot of people don't havethem, but well worth it.
So good job, Ann.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (15:55):
Good work, Ann.
And good work, you on making it.
SPEAKER_00 (15:57):
Well, thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, so shall we try theDakota?
Let's do it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:02):
So this is and I have And this looks more similar
to the peach cooking I grew upeating.
SPEAKER_00 (16:12):
And this is also really good.
Also very good.
So this recipe, again, nobodyreally knows what the origin of
this is, but it's definitelyGermanic in some respect.
The theory is that it's actuallyfrom the Volga Germans, who were
Germans who had been invited byCatherine the Great to settle in
(16:33):
Russia to modernize Russianagriculture.
And then they all moved out.
Yep.
SPEAKER_02 (16:38):
Because people have getting getting rid of serfdom
and then trying to just oops fixit.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Because people tend to move out of Russia.
And they all ended up in thenorthern Great Plains.
Okay.
Basically the Dakotas and partsof Nebraska.
And so, which is why that thisform of Coogan is really not
known very much outside of theupper Midwest.
So how does this compare to likewhat you yeah?
So it's pretty similar.
SPEAKER_02 (17:05):
It's very similar and very different, if that
makes sense.
So I would say the the custardis very similar.
It's the the crust is verydifferent.
SPEAKER_00 (17:14):
Right.
So this is a yeast-based crust.
The base for this is extremelybready and not sweet at all.
Yep.
Like if you just eat this on itsown, there's almost no sugar in
it.
It doesn't really taste thatsweet.
It's just basically a good flatbread.
SPEAKER_02 (17:30):
And there is a similarity with the peach
coconut I grew up eating.
So a pie crust, right, isbasically just butter and flour,
right?
And sugar, a lot of times, likepeople sweeten a crust.
And the peach cocon I grew upeating is not sweetened.
So the crust is like crumbly,but the sweetness comes from the
peaches and the cust the middlepart, you know what I mean?
(17:51):
Rather than the crust.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
And yeah, and this is exactly the same way where
it's just like the crust isbasically like you could use
this for any number ofapplications.
Yep.
But I can definitely tell thatthese two dishes are uh related.
Yes.
Like they came from like it'sthe same idea, executed in a
slightly different way.
Which one do you prefer?
SPEAKER_02 (18:14):
That's a good question.
I don't know.
I think I would have to revisitboth, but I think I'm leaning
towards the Anne Kitchens one,only because I've never had
something quite like that.
unknown (18:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (18:27):
Do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (18:28):
No, and I think that I'm with you is that it's
because like the Dakota coolinghere that we have the raspberry,
where it's like it's verydistinct layers and things like
this.
The rhubarb cake, the custardcake, even though it is made in
distinct layers, because I madeit, yep, they all kind of meld
together and it's uh it's morecoherent.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
And I do think that I prefer the the ants.
And it's because the ants, too,is a little more fruit forward.
Like it's a little morerhubarbi.
SPEAKER_02 (19:03):
You definitely taste the rhubarb in like the best way
possible, right?
SPEAKER_00 (19:07):
Both have their merits, but I'm gonna have to
go.
I think that team Luxembourgwins.
SPEAKER_02 (19:12):
It is Team Luxembourg, they're both great,
like amazing.
But like if I had had the SouthDakota one by itself, yeah, I'd
be like, this isn't the bestthing ever.
This is incredible.
I love all of this.
Sure.
You know what I mean?
And then you throw in theLuxembourgish and the rhubarb,
and you're like, wait a minute.
SPEAKER_00 (19:29):
Yeah, and if you read if you like rhubarb, yeah,
and that bright citrusy aspectthat rhubarb has, that's really
the choice.
If you like more kind of sweet,dairy, forward, then go to the
Dakota Coogan.
SPEAKER_01 (19:46):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (19:46):
It's gooeier, yep, it's more, yeah, it's more
custardy.
Yep.
Yeah.
So they have both, they bothhave their place.
They do.
Now I'm kind of wondering, it'slike, should I go upstairs and
make a pot of coffee quick?
SPEAKER_02 (19:59):
I mean, maybe, right?
I mean, like, and they're meantfor like and people be like, you
dip it in the coffee, you knowwhat I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (20:04):
Like, yeah, no, no, no.
And we're not gonna do thatbecause it's 7:30 in the
evening.
Yeah, and we're both north of40.
SPEAKER_02 (20:10):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (20:11):
So fuck coffee.
SPEAKER_02 (20:13):
So not now.
SPEAKER_00 (20:14):
Yeah.
In fact, guys, we're gonna gohave dinner and go have a couple
of drinks.
Sounds good.
It's yeah, can't wait.
SPEAKER_02 (20:22):
So and probably still talk about this kookin for
real.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
Right.
Next time I'm back toLuxembourg, we'll be reporting
from Luxembourg on theenthronement of Guillaume V,
Luxembourg's new Grand Duke.
SPEAKER_02 (20:42):
Since we're traveling, we'll also have a
rundown of our favorite thingsto do, places to stay, and food
to eat in Luxembourg City.
SPEAKER_00 (20:50):
We'll also cover our souvenir shopping in Luxembourg.
We'll exchange notes about thethings that we always bring
back, and what fun new stuff wegrabbed on the trip.
SPEAKER_02 (20:59):
Look for that episode on Wednesday, October
15th, 2025.
For more from Back to Luxembourgand to get in touch, visit our
website at back2.lu.
SPEAKER_00 (21:11):
And remember to subscribe to the podcast service
of your choice.
And if you like the episode,please write a review.
SPEAKER_02 (21:17):
Thanks very much for listening.
I'm Rebecca Seamers.
SPEAKER_00 (21:20):
And I'm Matthew Foster.
Until next time, A biento, bisspeta, and of course, Hadi!
Welcome to Back to Luxembourg, a podcast by
American Luxembourgers about theGrand Duchy of Luxembourg and
its people, from the Moselle tothe Mississippi.
I'm Matthew Foster.
SPEAKER_02 (00:13):
And I'm Rebecca Seymours.
It's the 1st of October, and ontoday's episode, our first
episode, we're explaining who weare and what this podcast is all
about.
SPEAKER_00 (00:22):
Then we're trying a Luxembourgish recipe for rhubarb
custard cake and comparing it toa related dish from the Dakotas,
Kugen.
So come along with us as we goTek of Letztebusch.
Back to Luxembourg.
(00:42):
Hi, Rebecca.
Hi, Matthew.
How are you doing?
Good.
How are you?
I'm good.
So this is our first episode.
Yes.
I was thinking that we shouldstart out by talking about
origin story, I guess.
Sounds good to me.
So we're both Americans, bothborn in the United States, and
we're both Luxembourgers.
SPEAKER_02 (00:59):
Yep.
I grew up in Minnesota.
This journey of being aLuxembourger has been
interesting.
I always was told we wereGerman.
Great great-grandfather who camefrom Germany.
And about 10 years ago, maybe Idid, I can't, I think it was
23andMe like a DNA geneticancestry thing.
But now I'm like, wait, was thata good idea?
(01:20):
I don't know.
But anyway, someone came up as afirst cousin and she messaged me
because she's like, who are you?
So we're trying to figure outwho it is.
And it turns out it was a cousinof my dad's.
And then she said, you knowwhat?
We're actually not German.
We're Luxembourgish.
And I knew none of this.
And what had happened is her andher dad hired a genealogist,
(01:41):
went to Germany in the early2000s.
And right away the genealogistis like, You're not German.
You're Luxembourgish.
Go to Luxembourg.
And then ended up giving herlike a list of people, like
modern day relatives.
And she literally went door todoor, knocked on these people's
door, and was like, hey, so I'ma distant cousin.
(02:01):
Do you have any interest inbeing friends and whatever?
And some people did.
And so then through that, I'vethen met these Luxembourgish
relatives, which is a reallyawesome experience.
I didn't realize that I waseligible for dual citizenship
for like another maybe fiveyears after that.
unknown (02:20):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:20):
How about you?
How did how did you come aboutit?
SPEAKER_00 (02:23):
Mine pretty similar.
I remember, and this is likeclear as day in my head, asking
my father, where are yourancestors from?
And he was like, Well, I knowthat my grandfather was from
Canada.
My mom's side of the family, Idon't know, German or Dutch or
something.
And it's just like, well, inretrospect, not wrong.
Not wrong.
Yeah, exactly.
Not right, but not wrong.
Like in the early 2000s, I thinkthat it was just like kind of
(02:44):
identifying that my dad'smother, all of her grandparents
were from Luxembourg.
And I knew that Luxembourgextended citizenship to people
who were the descendants.
I didn't think that I qualified.
That would come much, muchlater.
And that was re-sparked when Igot together with Mark, my
partner.
So we were hanging out duringCOVID.
(03:04):
We're sitting on the couchwatching a movie after dinner
and talking about hobbies andstuff like that.
And both of us have a little bitof an interest in genealogy.
And so he's like, Well, whereare your ancestors from?
And I was just like, Well, kindof a hodgepodge, you know,
basically half from likeScotland and Ireland, and then
half from like German-ish, butI'm a quarter Luxembourgish.
And he just stopped cold and hesaid, I'm half.
SPEAKER_02 (03:26):
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_00 (03:27):
Like, what?
I didn't grow up knowing aboutit.
Mark did, however, uh, becausehe grew up in a part of
Minnesota that was reallyheavily Luxembourgish and has
been Luxembourgish for a verylong time.
Me not so much.
So it was it was really aprocess of rediscovery, much
like you, where it was just likewe just kind of thought, yeah,
it's just kind of genericGerman.
SPEAKER_02 (03:46):
And even the documentations, like the death
certificate, it says Luxembourg,Germany.
SPEAKER_00 (03:53):
Yeah.
Cause like in the census recordsfor my ancestors, they are
identified as being fromLuxembourg in some documents and
then Germany and then Holland.
And then I realized that what itwas is like, oh, well, that was
who was ever in charge that daythat the census guy came around.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And so, like, they knew it'sjust like, well, we're from this
like village, we don't know whocontrols it right now.
It changed hands so many times,right?
(04:14):
Who was in charge?
Very hashtag Luxembourgproblems.
Did you know anything aboutLuxembourg before all of this?
SPEAKER_02 (04:22):
Or not really.
I drove through Luxembourgbefore this.
I didn't really have much of animpression because I drove
through it.
Just like, oh, pretty exactly.
Exactly.
It very much was like, I doremember being like, oh, this is
pretty and like the kind ofrolling hills and the river
valleys and stuff.
Right.
And now we're in Belgium.
Yep.
That was exactly it.
Once I found out about thatconnection, I was like, this is
(04:46):
really interesting.
Just the idea of this very smallcountry that has persisted for
all these years.
It it was just likemind-boggling to me because I'm
like, I'm somebody who I lovehistory.
I, you know what I mean, havelike traveled a lot, lived
abroad, whatever.
SPEAKER_00 (05:03):
Both of us have always been curious about the
outside world, like since wewere little kids.
And it'd actually be a good timeto mention that we haven't known
each other for that long.
Right.
Like, yeah, maybe two years.
Yeah, two or three years.
Cause like I mentioned I at workthat I was going on vacation.
I was going to be out of theoffice for a couple of weeks.
And so it's like, oh, well, areyou going to go have fun?
(05:24):
And it was just like, well, I'mactually going to go apply for
nationality for this countryLuxembourg.
And a coworker of mine was like,Oh my God, my neighbors did
that.
Yeah.
And it turns out that that wasyour sister and brother-in-law.
And so he was like, Do you wantme to pass on your email?
And I was sure.
And yeah, so that's that's how Idiscovered like the local group
(05:45):
in the Twin Cities.
Yep.
So we are both involved prettyheavily.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (05:50):
The Twin Cities say we're board members.
SPEAKER_00 (05:52):
Yes, we're board members.
Um in the Twin Cities LuxembourgAmerican Society.
And now this podcast is notofficially sanctioned by the
Twin Cities Luxembourg.
We are just speaking as forMatthew.
This is this is our thing.
But one thing that I've reallyenjoyed from going to the events
that we've organized for the forT class is learning about
(06:14):
people's motivations for gettingnationality.
Yeah.
And then what they've done withit or like how it kind of
changed them.
Yeah.
I don't know about you, but Iknow that like it went from
being really cool to being like,oh my God.
Yeah.
Like that.
I mean, just overnight.
Yep.
SPEAKER_02 (06:33):
It did.
And I honestly feel, and I stillfeel sometimes to this day, like
I'm not worthy.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
I'm like my experiences withLuxembourg have been incredible.
Like I love being there.
Everyone I've interact, youknow, I've just have had all
positive.
And it feels like incrediblyamazing that I can be a citizen
of this amazing country.
SPEAKER_00 (06:53):
Right.
Because all inheritance isaccidental.
Yes.
I mean, I didn't do anything todeserve this.
I just I got lucky.
And I think that with it with acombination of that and the fact
that both of us take the idea ofcitizenship so seriously.
I mean, I think that that'sreally what our motivation is.
SPEAKER_02 (07:11):
Well, and I very much felt like the very least I
could do in becoming a citizen,I think you felt the same.
I think we've talked about this.
The very least I can do is getto know more about Luxembourg.
SPEAKER_00 (07:23):
Yeah.
Cause when I see people who talkabout like, well, why did you
get citizenship?
And they talk about, well, Iwanted to feel more connected to
my ancestors.
And it's like, yeah, you don'tneed a passport to do that.
Not at all.
Yeah.
But I also understood that,like, by accepting the
citizenship, by pursuing thenationality, the Luxembourgish
nationality, that therelationship between me and
(07:43):
Luxembourg no longer wentthrough my ancestors.
Yeah.
It became one-on-one.
It is you, yeah.
And I feel that it's part of thedeal of being a good citizen.
How do we become goodLuxembourgers?
Yes, even from this distance.
We'll probably never live inLuxembourg.
Right.
I mean, I would like to.
I would too.
I mean, but I don't know.
I don't know if that willhappen, but I'd like to.
(08:05):
I don't know if it would happen.
I mean, like I would even loveto live there for just like a
year.
Yeah.
Just to like do all the stuffthat happens the year.
Like go to the hoppingprocession and same.
SPEAKER_02 (08:16):
Seriously.
SPEAKER_00 (08:17):
Like and all the other stuff that we're going to
be talking about over the courseof this podcast.
And yeah, like I would reallylove to do that.
But like, but again, but thatthat that it is such a profound
gift.
Yeah.
That we have just been given.
Yeah.
That it's just like, yeah, thisreally makes me feel humbled.
Like I really need to know mystuff.
SPEAKER_02 (08:36):
I think about how if my ancestor who came from
Luxembourg to the United States,like if I could talk to them
now, they'd be like, what?
Like the world was so different.
You know what I mean?
They'd be like, why do you wantwhat?
Why do you care aboutLuxembourg?
Like we left here, whatever.
It's just a totally differentreality.
So it it very much felt like forme getting citizenship, like,
(08:57):
okay, sure.
I want to understand the historyand and to get to know the
country more, but I also want tounderstand modern day
Luxembourg.
What is life like on a dailybasis for modern people, you
know, normal people living inLuxembourg?
SPEAKER_00 (09:11):
Right.
And now we have decided to dothis podcast to just kind of
explore more about not just theheritage but modern day
Luxembourg and dig into it moreand more and more.
What do you want to learn?
What and what do you hope whatdo you hope people kind of learn
about Luxembourg through all ofthis?
SPEAKER_02 (09:31):
I feel like my answer is everything, which is I
just I'm fascinated.
I want to learn moreinformation.
I also think it's why does itexist, right?
And like why is it persisted?
And what what is so unique aboutit?
Why do we love like modern day?
What's the culture like?
What you know, and I meanthere's a million questions that
I think are just interesting.
(09:52):
So yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:53):
Well, we will be exploring all of it.
All of it.
So, Rebecca, we have cake.
(10:13):
Can't wait.
I know we have so we have twocakes.
I thought that this would besort of fun.
So, one of the things that I'mreally interested in, and that
we're both pretty good homecooks.
Yep.
I was reading a recipe, Anne'sKitchen, uh, from Anne Faba, who
is basically the Martha Stewartof Luxembourg of Luxembourg who
(10:33):
has written cookbooks availablein English, has TV shows in
Germany, and yeah, she's done alot of really cool work.
I took one of her recipes, whichis for a rhubarb custard cake.
Okay.
So I made this, and as soon as Imade it, it reminded me of a
dessert that I grew up with,which is coogan, the official
(10:57):
state dessert of South Dakota.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, a lot of things are calledKoogan, though.
Yes.
Like I don't know what whatcoogan did you grow up with?
I grew up eating peach cooking.
Yes.
Oh, in Kooken.
Yep.
Yeah.
No, in in Dakota, it's Kogen.
Nope.
That always was told it kuken.
No, Kugen.
SPEAKER_02 (11:18):
It's spelled the same, right?
Uh yeah.
I think K-U-C-H-E-N.
Yeah, K-U-C-H-En.
Yeah.
My mom's mom, who they're fromGermany.
Apparently, it was the familyrecipe passed down.
I don't know how much truththere is in that.
So I still will make it inAugust because that's when
(11:39):
peaches are ripe and I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (11:41):
But it it the reason I'm like, I don't know, is
because it's sour cream.
I guess it could have been likecreme fresh or something
different.
Or like fark or yeah, like somesort of fresh yeah, cheese,
something like that.
But so it's peaches and sourcream and egg yolks, I think.
And similar.
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Well, and and and so and the base of this is it.
This base is like a pie crust.
SPEAKER_02 (12:06):
Oh, so it's not yeast.
It is not.
So it's definitely on thesweeter side.
It's more like a dessert, but wealways had it as like a brunch.
SPEAKER_00 (12:15):
Right.
So, but as I was doing theresearch for this, where there
are a lot of analogous recipeswhere it's like that you have
this kind of like idea of fruitplus custard plus crust.
Yep.
Now, whether or not the crust ischemical leavened, like with
baking sort of baking powder, orif it's yeast leavened, that
seems to be a big difference.
(12:36):
And so I was able to snag somerhubarb for pretty cheap.
Awesome.
And that's the other thing thatI have discovered too in my
research into the culinaryhistory of both countries, is
that upper Midwesterners andLuxembourgers are united in a
love of rhubarb.
Yep.
Because it's it's really good.
SPEAKER_02 (12:57):
It is good, it's great.
SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
So this morning went to the farmer's market in
Minneapolis, got some rhubarb,and then I made two versions of
custard rhubarb.
There's there's yours.
A custard, custard, custardrhubarb cake.
So the one that isn't quite asshiny is the Luxembourgish one.
(13:21):
Okay.
And so this is based on a recipefrom Anne Faber from Ann's
Kitchen.
Okay.
I don't think that it's atraditional recipe per se.
Okay.
But it's definitely somethingthat she presents as being kind
of typically Luxembourgish.
Sure.
And then the other one is theDakota version.
So shall we try the Anne'sversion?
SPEAKER_02 (13:39):
Anne's versions for yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:45):
Okay, that's that's real good.
SPEAKER_02 (13:47):
Oh god, that is so good.
SPEAKER_00 (13:49):
I've made this before.
SPEAKER_02 (13:51):
Oh my god.
I okay, and truthfully, lookingat it, I thought like it might
be a little dry, right?
Because it looks like it, youwould think it's going to be
dry.
SPEAKER_00 (14:00):
Yeah.
And when I was baking it, likebecause the crust, I mean, it
basically comes out like acookie dough.
Yeah.
Like you press it in.
I mean, it says, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:08):
And I could see that.
And like, yeah, but it's not.
unknown (14:11):
Damn.
SPEAKER_02 (14:11):
It like crumbles with the like I don't know.
I was like, the I hate the wordmoistness, but you know what I
mean?
It crumbles with the I don't.
SPEAKER_00 (14:24):
Well, it's yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:25):
Oh my gosh, that's so good.
SPEAKER_00 (14:28):
Good work as usual, Ann.
SPEAKER_02 (14:30):
Yeah, I might have to make this, or not might.
I feel like I should make this.
SPEAKER_00 (14:35):
Yeah, if it's rhubarb season.
Fortunately, he says as hismouth is filled with rhubarb
does freeze really, really well.
That's true.
SPEAKER_02 (14:47):
Literally, maybe I have to go to the farmer's
market tomorrow and make some.
That was so good.
SPEAKER_00 (14:51):
It's so well balanced.
I mean, like, it's it's notsweet at all.
Like, I really want coffee withus.
Right?
Except it's like what?
What?
Yeah, it's seven o'clock atnight.
At night.
So really not coffee time.
Yeah, we're not we're not havingcoffee.
Like it would it would also gowell with port.
SPEAKER_02 (15:09):
It would.
It would go very well with port.
SPEAKER_00 (15:12):
I don't have any of that either.
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
But it's the perfect because like I don't love overly
sweet things.
You know, rhubarber's is tart,so you need some sugar to
balance it.
Sometimes it can likeovercorrect too much, right?
Where you do too much sweetness.
SPEAKER_00 (15:29):
Right.
SPEAKER_02 (15:29):
But it's the perfect where it's like sweet, but not
overly sweet, but you get theflavor of the rhubarb.
I don't know.
SPEAKER_00 (15:37):
Yeah, it's a really solid recipe.
It really is.
I mean, the only pain in thebutt for this is that it
requires a spring porn pan,yeah, which is a little bit of
an annoyance.
And a lot of people don't havethem, but well worth it.
So good job, Ann.
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (15:55):
Good work, Ann.
And good work, you on making it.
SPEAKER_00 (15:57):
Well, thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, so shall we try theDakota?
Let's do it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:02):
So this is and I have And this looks more similar
to the peach cooking I grew upeating.
SPEAKER_00 (16:12):
And this is also really good.
Also very good.
So this recipe, again, nobodyreally knows what the origin of
this is, but it's definitelyGermanic in some respect.
The theory is that it's actuallyfrom the Volga Germans, who were
Germans who had been invited byCatherine the Great to settle in
(16:33):
Russia to modernize Russianagriculture.
And then they all moved out.
Yep.
SPEAKER_02 (16:38):
Because people have getting getting rid of serfdom
and then trying to just oops fixit.
SPEAKER_00 (16:45):
Because people tend to move out of Russia.
And they all ended up in thenorthern Great Plains.
Okay.
Basically the Dakotas and partsof Nebraska.
And so, which is why that thisform of Coogan is really not
known very much outside of theupper Midwest.
So how does this compare to likewhat you yeah?
So it's pretty similar.
SPEAKER_02 (17:05):
It's very similar and very different, if that
makes sense.
So I would say the the custardis very similar.
It's the the crust is verydifferent.
SPEAKER_00 (17:14):
Right.
So this is a yeast-based crust.
The base for this is extremelybready and not sweet at all.
Yep.
Like if you just eat this on itsown, there's almost no sugar in
it.
It doesn't really taste thatsweet.
It's just basically a good flatbread.
SPEAKER_02 (17:30):
And there is a similarity with the peach
coconut I grew up eating.
So a pie crust, right, isbasically just butter and flour,
right?
And sugar, a lot of times, likepeople sweeten a crust.
And the peach cocon I grew upeating is not sweetened.
So the crust is like crumbly,but the sweetness comes from the
peaches and the cust the middlepart, you know what I mean?
(17:51):
Rather than the crust.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
And yeah, and this is exactly the same way where
it's just like the crust isbasically like you could use
this for any number ofapplications.
Yep.
But I can definitely tell thatthese two dishes are uh related.
Yes.
Like they came from like it'sthe same idea, executed in a
slightly different way.
Which one do you prefer?
SPEAKER_02 (18:14):
That's a good question.
I don't know.
I think I would have to revisitboth, but I think I'm leaning
towards the Anne Kitchens one,only because I've never had
something quite like that.
unknown (18:26):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (18:27):
Do you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (18:28):
No, and I think that I'm with you is that it's
because like the Dakota coolinghere that we have the raspberry,
where it's like it's verydistinct layers and things like
this.
The rhubarb cake, the custardcake, even though it is made in
distinct layers, because I madeit, yep, they all kind of meld
together and it's uh it's morecoherent.
SPEAKER_01 (18:49):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (18:50):
And I do think that I prefer the the ants.
And it's because the ants, too,is a little more fruit forward.
Like it's a little morerhubarbi.
SPEAKER_02 (19:03):
You definitely taste the rhubarb in like the best way
possible, right?
SPEAKER_00 (19:07):
Both have their merits, but I'm gonna have to
go.
I think that team Luxembourgwins.
SPEAKER_02 (19:12):
It is Team Luxembourg, they're both great,
like amazing.
But like if I had had the SouthDakota one by itself, yeah, I'd
be like, this isn't the bestthing ever.
This is incredible.
I love all of this.
Sure.
You know what I mean?
And then you throw in theLuxembourgish and the rhubarb,
and you're like, wait a minute.
SPEAKER_00 (19:29):
Yeah, and if you read if you like rhubarb, yeah,
and that bright citrusy aspectthat rhubarb has, that's really
the choice.
If you like more kind of sweet,dairy, forward, then go to the
Dakota Coogan.
SPEAKER_01 (19:46):
Yep.
SPEAKER_00 (19:46):
It's gooeier, yep, it's more, yeah, it's more
custardy.
Yep.
Yeah.
So they have both, they bothhave their place.
They do.
Now I'm kind of wondering, it'slike, should I go upstairs and
make a pot of coffee quick?
SPEAKER_02 (19:59):
I mean, maybe, right?
I mean, like, and they're meantfor like and people be like, you
dip it in the coffee, you knowwhat I mean?
SPEAKER_00 (20:04):
Like, yeah, no, no, no.
And we're not gonna do thatbecause it's 7:30 in the
evening.
Yeah, and we're both north of40.
SPEAKER_02 (20:10):
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (20:11):
So fuck coffee.
SPEAKER_02 (20:13):
So not now.
SPEAKER_00 (20:14):
Yeah.
In fact, guys, we're gonna gohave dinner and go have a couple
of drinks.
Sounds good.
It's yeah, can't wait.
SPEAKER_02 (20:22):
So and probably still talk about this kookin for
real.
SPEAKER_00 (20:26):
Right.
Next time I'm back toLuxembourg, we'll be reporting
from Luxembourg on theenthronement of Guillaume V,
Luxembourg's new Grand Duke.
SPEAKER_02 (20:42):
Since we're traveling, we'll also have a
rundown of our favorite thingsto do, places to stay, and food
to eat in Luxembourg City.
SPEAKER_00 (20:50):
We'll also cover our souvenir shopping in Luxembourg.
We'll exchange notes about thethings that we always bring
back, and what fun new stuff wegrabbed on the trip.
SPEAKER_02 (20:59):
Look for that episode on Wednesday, October
15th, 2025.
For more from Back to Luxembourgand to get in touch, visit our
website at back2.lu.
SPEAKER_00 (21:11):
And remember to subscribe to the podcast service
of your choice.
And if you like the episode,please write a review.
SPEAKER_02 (21:17):
Thanks very much for listening.
I'm Rebecca Seamers.
SPEAKER_00 (21:20):
And I'm Matthew Foster.
Until next time, A biento, bisspeta, and of course, Hadi!
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