Austrian Recipes

Wiener schnitzel leads, followed by Tafelspitz boiled beef, gulasch, bread dumplings, Käsespätzle, and an exceptional dessert tradition: apfelstrudel, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn, and Salzburger nockerl. Viennese coffeehouse culture — melange, einspänner, marble tables, newspapers — is itself UNESCO-recognized. The cuisine blends Hungarian, Bohemian, Italian, and Balkan inheritances refined in imperial Vienna.

They share schnitzel, dumplings, sausage, and beer, but Austrian cooking is the more cosmopolitan heir of the Habsburg empire: paprika gulasch from Hungary, knödel and powidl from Bohemia, and a far deeper dessert culture (Mehlspeisen). Wiener schnitzel must be veal, while German schweineschnitzel is pork. Austria also favors boiled beef dishes like Tafelspitz, rare on German menus, and pumpkin seed oil in Styria.

Veal — in Austria the name 'Wiener schnitzel' is legally protected and may only describe a breaded veal cutlet. The same preparation with pork must be labeled 'Schnitzel Wiener Art' (Vienna-style). The hallmarks are a thin, evenly pounded cutlet, a light breading that puffs and wrinkles away from the meat (soufflieren), and frying in plenty of clarified butter, served simply with lemon.

Kaiserschmarrn is forgiving and fast: a thick pancake batter with raisins, cooked in butter, torn into pieces, caramelized with sugar, and served with plum compote (zwetschkenröster). For savory, try Tiroler gröstl — pan-fried potatoes, onions, and bacon topped with a fried egg. Schnitzel itself is also beginner-friendly if you keep the oil hot and the cutlet thin.

In 1832, sixteen-year-old apprentice Franz Sacher improvised a dense chocolate cake with apricot jam and chocolate glaze when his head chef fell ill before a banquet for Prince Metternich. His son later founded the Hotel Sacher, and a decades-long court battle with Demel pastry shop over the 'original' title ended in 1963 — Hotel Sacher won the right to the seal, while Demel sells its own version.