Traditional cuisine from across the globe – Austria
People sometimes don’t realize how important food is, and we’re not talking here about eating healthy, no, we’re talking more about the importance of food as part of a country’s culture. Of course a country’s dishes will vary, sometimes greatly, from one region to another, depending on the particular characteristics of each, but usually there are a few general rules which apply to each country.
You may or may not be aware that there is a type of tourist out there called a “gourmet tourist”, and this is basically a person who will go on a trip to a foreign country and sample as much of the local food as possible, as their way of understating a place’s culture. Austria is one of those places that offers a lot to the gourmet tourist.
It should be noted that Austrian cuisine isn’t exactly a known term, not because it is not actually known, quite the contrary but more because in the world of international cooking that is not the term they use when referring to dishes from Austria. Instead the terms of “Wiener Küche” and “Viennese cuisine” are much more prevalent. This isn’t due to the fact that there’s no good cooking outside of Vienna, that has nothing to do with it, in fact it’s just a general term used to refer to a mix of culinary styles which characterize the multi-ethnicity of the once great Austrian Empire.
The base of Viennese cuisine is made up of influences from Hungary, Bohemia and Italy, one has to keep in mind that across the centuries, the Austrian Empire ruled over parts of these countries for various numbers of years. So there are definite characteristics to Viennese cuisine but there are also regional variations and typical dishes to be found around the country, depending on where you are visiting.
Probably the most well-known characteristic of Vienna cuisine is its sweet tooth. Sweet meals are oftentimes serves as main courses and this is a rather unique occurrence on the globe. This includes sweet omlettes or potato dough gnocchi, and various other things with fillings which include fruits, nuts and all manner of vanilla and chocolate sauces.
On the other hand, possibly the most popular of the Austrian dishes is the Wiener Schnitzel, a simple breaded piece of veal or pork, that is fried and served traditionally with buttered potatoes, chopped parsley, a slice of lemon and cranberries.
A bit less known internationally but all of the same very popular in Austria are stewed meats such as the Tafelspitz which is a particular piece of beef, usually served with horseradish in cream, parsley sauce, potatoes and young beans with dill.
Of course we’ve only offered a very short description of only some of the major things that characterize traditional Viennese food, and depending on where you will be staying you will highly likely encounter these alongside many other regional delicacies. Keep in mind that one of the best ways of experiencing as much of a country’s gastronomy as possible implies a lot of traveling, and there is no better way of doing it than with the help of some Austria car hire services.