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Austrian cuisine consists of many different local or regional cuisines. In addition toViennese cuisine, which is predominantly based on the cooking traditions of theHabsburg Empire, there are independent regional traditions in all thestates of Austria.
The Austrian cuisine shares similarities with its neighboring countries inCentral Europe, but particularly with the cuisines ofHungary,Bavaria,Bohemia andNorthern Italy. Dishes and preparation methods have often been adopted, integrated, adapted or mixed.
The Austrian cuisine is internationally known above all for itspastries such asKaiserschmarrn andapple strudel, as well as forTafelspitz andWiener schnitzel.
Breakfast is of the "continental" type, usually consisting ofbread rolls with either jam or cold meats and cheese, accompanied by coffee, tea or juice. The midday meal was traditionally the main meal of the day, but in modern times, as Austrians work longer hours further from home, this is no longer the case. The main meal is now often eaten in the evening.
A mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack of a slice of bread topped with cheese or ham is referred to as aJause; a more substantial version akin to a British "ploughman's lunch" is called aBrettljause after the wooden board on which it is traditionally served.
The most popular meats in Austria arebeef,pork,chicken,turkey andgoose. The prominent Wiener schnitzel is traditionally made ofveal. Pork in particular is used extensively, with many dishes using offal and parts such as the snout and trotters.
Austrian butchers use a number of special cuts of meat, includingTafelspitz (beef), andFledermaus (pork). Fledermaus (German for 'bat') is a cut of pork from the ham bone that resembles the winged animal. It is described as "very juicy, somewhat fatty, and crossed by tendons"; the latter makes it suitable for steaming, braising or frying after tenderization in a marinade.[3]
Austrian cuisine has many different sausages, likeFrankfurter,Käsekrainer,Debreziner (originating fromDebrecen in Hungary),Burenwurst,Blunzn (made with pig blood) andGrüne Würstl (green sausages). Green means raw in this context—the sausages are air-dried and are consumed boiled.Bacon in Austria is calledSpeck, and can be smoked, raw, salted, or spiced, among other preparations. Bacon is used in many traditional recipes as a salty spice.Leberkäse is a loaf of corned beef, pork and bacon; it contains neither liver nor cheese despite the name.Vanillerostbraten is a garlicky beef dish.
Austria has an old hunting tradition since there are many woods across the country. In the autumn season many restaurants in Austria traditionally offer game on their menus, along with seasonal vegetables and fruits like pumpkins from Styria. Typical game are:
The German names of game animals followed by-braten signifies a dish of roast game: for example,Hirschbraten is roast venison.
Austrian cakes and pastries are a well-known feature of its cuisine. Perhaps the most famous is theSachertorte, a chocolate cake with apricot jam filling, traditionally eaten with whipped cream. Among the cakes with the longest tradition is theLinzertorte. Other favourites include the caramel-flavouredDobostorte and the delicately layeredEsterhazy torte, named in honour ofPrince Esterházy (both originating from Hungary during the Austro-Hungarian empire), as well as a number of cakes made with fresh fruit and cream.Punschkrapfen is a classical Austrian pastry, a cake filled with cake crumbs,nougat chocolate,apricot jam and then soaked withrum.Tirolerkuchen is a hazelnut and chocolatecoffee cake.Mohr im Hemd, while traditionally something closer to a chocolatecustard, is now generally prepared as a steamed cake.
These cakes are typically complex and difficult to make. They can be eaten at a café or bought by the slice from a bakery. A "Konditorei" is a specialist cake-maker, and the designations "Café-Konditorei" and "Bäckerei-Konditorei" are common indicators that the café or bakery in question specialises in this field.
Austrian desserts are usually slightly less complicated than the elaborate cakes described above. The most famous of these is theApfelstrudel (apple strudel), layers of thin pastry surrounding a filling of apple, usually with cinnamon and raisins. Other strudels are also popular, such as those filled with sweetened curd cheese calledTopfen, sour cherry (Weichselstrudel), and sweet cherry and poppy seed (Mohnstrudel).
Another favourite isKaiserschmarr'n, a rich fluffy sweet thickpancake made with raisins and other fruits, broken into pieces and served with a fruit compote (traditionally made of plums calledZwetschkenröster (German:[ˈt͡svɛt͡ʃkn̩ˌʁœstɐ]ⓘ)) for dipping, while a speciality of Salzburg is themeringue-like "Salzburger Nocken". TheDanish pastry is said to originate fromVienna and in Denmark is calledwienerbrød (Viennese bread). The Danish pastry uses a dough in the classic cuisine referred to as "Viennese dough", made of thin layers of butter and flour dough, imported to Denmark by Austrian bakers hired during a strike among the workers in Danish bakeries in 1850.[4]
Viennese nougat is a softer form of the brown kind ofnougat common inCentral andNorthern Europe. As "Wiener nougat", a form of it—now made withpalm oil instead of the originalcocoa butter—is mass-produced by the confectionery companyFazer inFinland, where it has become a commonChristmas treat.
Austria is credited in popular legend with introducingcoffee to Europe after bags of coffee beans were left behind by the retreating Turkish army after theBattle of Vienna in 1683. Although the firstcoffeehouses had appeared in Europe some years earlier, the Viennese café tradition became an important part of the city's identity.
Coffee is served in a variety of styles, particularly in theViennese coffee houses. An AustrianMokka orkleiner Schwarzer is similar toespresso, but is extracted more slowly. Other styles are prepared from theMokka:
Italian styles such ascappuccino, espresso andlatte are also commonly served.
Traditionally, coffee is served with a glass of still water.
Drinking coffee together is an important social activity in Austrian culture. It is quite common for Austrians to invite friends or neighbours over for coffee and cake. This routine activity can be compared to the Britishafternoon tea tradition. It is also very common to go to a coffeehouse whiledating.
Viennesehot chocolate is very rich, containing heavy cream in addition to chocolate, and sometimes thickened further with egg yolk.
Almdudler is an Austrian soft drink based on mountain herbs and with a flavour reminiscent ofsambucus beverages. It is considered the "national drink of Austria", and is popularly used as a mixer with white wine or water. WhileRed Bull is popular all across the West, the energy drink company started in Austria. The headquarters of the Red Bull company are located atFuschl am See nearSalzburg.
Skiwasser is a traditional Austrian beverage, made by mixing water, raspberry syrup, and lemon juice. Skiwasser originated in AustrianTyrol, offered in winter ski huts and lodges. It is usually non-alcoholic, but alcoholic variations have been created.
Beer is generally sold in the following sizes: 0.2 litre (aPfiff), 0.33 litre (aSeidel,kleines Bier orGlas Bier) and 0.5 litre (aKrügerl orgroßes Bier orHoibe). At festivals one litreMaß and two litreDoppelmaß in theBavarian style are also sometimes dispensed. The most popular types of beer are palelager (known asMärzen in Austria), naturally cloudyZwicklbier, andwheat beer. At holidays like Christmas and Easterbock beer is also available.
Austrian beers are typically in thepale lager style, with the exceptions noted above. A dark amber "Vienna style" lager was pioneered in the city during the 19th century but is no longer common there.
Wine is principally cultivated in the east of Austria. The most important wine-producing areas are inLower Austria,Burgenland,Styria, and Vienna. TheGrüner Veltliner grape provides some of Austria's most notable white wines;Zweigelt is the most widely planted red wine grape. Southern Burgenland is a region that mainly grows red grapes; the "Seewinkel" area, east of theNeusiedler See in Burgenland's north, has more mixed wine cultures and is famous for its sweet wines. Wine is even grown within the city limits of Vienna – the only European capital where this is true – and some is even produced under the auspices of the city council.
Young wine (i.e., wine produced fromgrapes of the most recent harvest) is calledHeuriger and gives its name toinns in Vienna and its surroundings, which serveHeuriger wine along with food. In Styria, Carinthia and Burgenland, theHeuriger inns are known asBuschenschanken.
InUpper Austria,Burgenland, Lower Austria, Styria andCarinthia,Most, the fresh juice of grapes or apples is produced, whileSturm ("storm"), a semi-fermented grape juice is drunk after the grape harvest.Most andSturm are pre-stages of wine.
At the close of a meal, sometimesschnaps (fruit brandy), typically of up to 60% alcohol, is drunk. In Austria schnaps is made from a variety of fruits, for exampleapricots,rowanberries,gentiana roots, variousherbs and even flowers. The produce of small private schnapsdistilleries, of which there are around 20,000 in Austria, is known asSelberbrennter orHausbrand.
For food consumed in between meals there are many types of open sandwiches called "belegte Brote", or different kinds ofsausage with mustard, ketchup and bread, as well as sliced sausage,Leberkäse rolls orSchnitzelsemmeln (rolls filled withschnitzel).
Traditionally one can get aWurstsemmel (a roll filled, usually, withExtrawurst, a special kind of thinly sliced sausage, often with a slice of cheese and a pickle or cornichon) at a butcher or at thedelicatessen counter in a supermarket.
There are also other common yet informal delicacies that are typical of Austrian food. For example, theBosna or Bosner (a spicedbratwurst in ahot dog roll), is an integral part of the menu at Austria's typical fast-food restaurant, the sausage stand (Würstelstand). Most Austrian sausages contain pork.
InLower Austria, local delicacies such asWaldviertelpoppies, Marchfeldasparagus andWachau apricots are cultivated. Famous are the "Marillenknödel": small dumplings filled with apricots and warm butter-fried breadcrumbs on it. Their influence can be felt in the local cuisine, for example in poppy seed noodles "Mohnnudeln".Game dishes are very common. Lower Austria is striking for the differences within its regional cuisine due to its size and the variety of its landscape.
Burgenland's cuisine has been influenced byHungarian cuisine owing to its former position within the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dishes consist mainly of fish, chicken or pork. Potatoes are the most common side dish, for example, crushed potatoes with onions called "Greste Krumpian" (= Geröstete Kartoffeln, which comes from "geröstet", meaning "roasted", and the Hungarian term "krumpli" for potatoes). Because of Hungarian influence, Burgenlandish dishes are often spicier than elsewhere in Austria, often indicated with the terms "Zigeuner..." ("Gypsy") or "Serbisch..." ("Serbian").Polenta is a popular side-dish within Burgenland's Croatian minority. OnSt Martin's Day (November 11) aMartinigans (St Martin's goose) is often prepared, andcarp is a typical Christmas dish.
Styrian taverns where local winemakers serve their new wine, local cold food and homemade cakes are calledBuschenschank. They are famous for theirBrettljause, a cold hors d'oeuvre served on a wooden board, typical withVerhackertes (aspread made from finely chopped raw white bacon), different types of cold meat (Gselchtes: salted and smoked meat,Schweinsbraten: roast pork, air-dried sausages,Speck: ham) grated horseradish, hard-boiled eggs, meat paste,Liptauer, pumpkin seed spread, vegetables, pickles and cheese withsourdough bread, alsoKäferbohnensalat (runner bean salad) withpumpkin seed oil is typical.[5]Schilcher, a very dryrosé, is the regional style of wine found in Western Styria. A typically Styrian delicacy is pumpkin seed oil, which lends itself particularly to salads on account of its nutty flavour. Many kinds ofpumpkin dishes are also very popular.Heidensterz, resembling a dry, almost crumbly version ofgrits made frombuckwheat flour, is a local dish enjoyed in cold weather. Especially in autumn, game dishes are very common.[6]
Carinthia's many lakes mean that fish is a popular main course. Grain, dairy produce and meat are important ingredients in Carinthian cuisine. CarinthianKasnudeln (noodle dough pockets filled withquark andmint) and smallerSchlickkrapfen (mainly with a meat filling) are well-known local delicacies.Klachlsuppe (pig's trotter soup) andReindling (yeast-dough pastry/cake filled with a mix of cinnamon, sugar, walnuts and raisins) are also produced locally.
Various types ofdumplings are an important part ofUpper Austrian cuisine, as they are in neighbouring Bavaria and Bohemia.Linzertorte, a cake that includes ground almonds or nuts and redcurrant jam, is a popular dessert from the city ofLinz, the capital of Upper Austria.Linzeraugen are fine, soft biscuits filled withredcurrant jam calledRibiselmarmelade, which has a sharp flavour.
Kasnocken (cheese dumplings) are a popular meal, as are freshwater fish, particularly trout, served in various ways.Salzburger Nockerl (ameringue-like dish) is a well-known local dessert.
Tyrolean bacon and all sorts of dumplings includingSpeckknödel (dumplings with pieces of bacon) andSpinatknödel (made of spinach) are an important part of the local cuisine. Tyrolean cuisine is very simple because in earlier times Tyroleans were not very rich, farming on mountains and in valleys in the middle of the Alpine Region. Tyrolean food often contains milk, cheese, flour and lard.
The cuisine ofVorarlberg has been influenced by theAlemannic cuisine of neighbouring Switzerland andSwabia. Cheese and cheese products play a major role in the cuisine, withKäsknöpfle andKässpätzle (egg noodles prepared with cheese) being popular dishes. Other delicacies includeKrautspätzle (sauerkraut noodles),Käsdönnala (similar to aquiche),Schupfnudla (made from a dough mixing potato and flour),Frittatensuppe (pancake soup),Öpfelküachle (apple cake) andFunkaküachle (cake traditionally eaten on the first Sunday of Lent).
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