Austrian cuisine

Austria is called a small country with great cuisine, and this is not surprising. Year after year, her chefs have collected the best dishes and technologies for their preparation throughout Europe, and then adapted them for themselves. As a result, the world was presented with a unique Viennese cuisine, which, according to some authors of cookbooks, was called the best already in the XNUMXth century, and with it national delicacies, according to the ability to cook which the locals even chose their wives.

History and traditions

Perhaps the Austrians had a special attitude to food in the distant past. This is evidenced by the fact that most of the national Austrian dishes originally appeared in the families of ordinary peasants, and then on the tables of the emperors. The very cuisine of this country developed under the influence of the traditions of other nationalities who at different times lived in the Habsburg empire: Germans, Italians, Hungarians, Slavs, etc.

Already in those days, the locals were famous for their love of feasts, for which they prepared original and sometimes exotic dishes, the recipes of which have survived to this day and have been preserved on the pages of old cookbooks. Among them: Tyrolean eagle with dumplings, porcupine with noodles in vinegar sauce, fried squirrel with salad.

Subsequently, Emperor Leopold I introduced a tax on subjects, determining their well-being by the quantity and quality of food consumed. Controlled the execution of the imperial will “Höferlguckerli”, or “people sticking their nose into other people’s plates.” This was the impetus for the formation of rules regarding the number of dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner for different segments of the population. For example, artisans had the right to 3 dishes, the consumption of which could stretch for 3 hours. The nobility, in turn, allowed herself to feast on food from 6 to 12 hours a day, depending on her position in society.

And during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, exquisite wines appeared in Austria, which you can taste even today. At the same time, an “unwritten rule” was born among the population to wash down food with wine or beer, which has survived to this day. True, now the locals can afford to deviate from it, replacing these drinks with a glass of schnapps or a cup of coffee.

It is also worth noting that the concepts of Austrian and Viennese cuisine are identified today, however, this is wrong, since the first combines regional variations in the preparation of the same dishes, and the second – exclusively culinary hits of the capital, Vienna, such as Viennese strudel, Viennese schnitzel, Viennese cake, Viennese coffee.

Features

Distinctive features of the national Austrian cuisine are:

• Conservativeness. Despite the minor changes that were made to the old recipes, they still exist, allowing contemporaries to eat as the empress herself ate.
• Calorie content, exquisite presentation of dishes and their large portions. It so happened historically that these people love to eat deliciously and are not shy about it, therefore, many of its representatives have problems with being overweight.
• Lack of spicy, sour or, conversely, too “soft” tastes.
• Regionality. Today, on the territory of this country, several regions are conditionally distinguished, the cuisines of which are characterized by their distinctive features. We are talking about the provinces of Tyrol, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg.

Basic cooking methods:

The uniqueness of Austrian cuisine lies in its history and identity. That is why tourists joke that they go to this country not so much to enjoy its architecture and museum exhibits, but to taste national dishes. And there are plenty of them here:

Viennese schnitzel is the “business card” of Austrian cuisine. Nowadays it is often made from pork, but the original recipe, which was borrowed from Italy about 400 years ago and refined, uses young veal.

Apple strudel is a work of art that is prepared with the addition of cottage cheese, almonds or cinnamon and literally melts in your mouth. It was by the skill to bake it that wives were chosen for themselves several centuries ago.

Erdepfelgulyash is a stewed Jerusalem artichoke.

Kaiserschmarren is an omelet made from milk, eggs, flour, sugar, cinnamon and raisins and turns out to be incredibly tasty and crunchy. Served with powdered sugar.

Boischel is a stew of heart and lungs.

Viennese coffee. Austria is fabulously rich in its coffee houses. Austrians gather in them not only to have a snack, but also to read the newspaper, chat with friends, play games, just relax. And this tradition has existed since 1684, when the first coffee shop appeared here. By the way, even the great composer I.S. Bach, having written his “Coffee Cantata”. In addition to Viennese coffee, there are over 30 other varieties in Austria.

Sacher – a chocolate cake with jam, served with a coffee made according to a special recipe.

Potato goulash with garlic.

Tafelspitz – boiled beef (a favorite dish of Emperor Franz Joseph I).

Viennese soup with meatballs and herbs.

Wine. The country’s national drink, like vodka in Russia or whiskey in the UK.

Palachinken – pancakes with cottage cheese, apricot jam and whipped cream.

Jellied carp, which is included in the menu of the best restaurants.

Gluwein is a hot red wine drink with spices. It differs from mulled wine in the absence of zest.

Schnapps is a fruity moonshine.

Hermknedl – a bun with poppy seeds with fruit or vanilla sauce.