Austrian Cuisine
Over the hundreds of years of Austria's existence, a unique tradition of Austrian Cuisine has emerged. Its traditional and well-known recipes attract millions of tourists each year. Austria's rich Cuisine is a result of its history as a multi-national empire, where all kinds of different cultures contributed their very own nuances.
The Habsburg Empire stretched from the borders of Imperial Russia to the Adriatic and consisted of more than a dozen nationalities with over 51 million people speaking sixteen different languages. Within the last seven centuries, the cosmopolitan Habsburg rule extended over Switzerland, Alsace, Burgundy, Spain, Holland, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. All of the above have influenced Austria's cuisine in their own way.
But not all of what can be enjoyed at Austria's restaurants and cafés nowadays has peacefully found its way into Austria's kitchens. Many a recipe and ingredient had been washed ashore by Austria's melting pot of pan-european cooking by accident or as a coincidence or war. The Turkish invasion of Europe for example heralded the birth of Austria's coffee culture by introducing the coffee bean to Viennese cooks. Furthermore, "Apfelstrudel" is an Austrian version of a Turkish delicacy introduced during the Turkish occupation. The Wiener Schnitzel probably originated in northern Italy, while the delicious Palatschinken (crêpes) and the Gulasch came from the Hungarian plains; the roasts and sausages were originally Southern German delicacies, the pastries originated in Bohemia.
Apart from the foreign influences on Austrian cuisine, every Austrian features their own local dishes: Frittatensuppe (crêpe soup) comes from Styria, Speckknödel (bacon dumplings) from Tyrol; and Salzburg, Mozart’s home, has contributed the so-called Salzburger Nockerln, a sweet soufflé made from egg whites.
Further information on Austria's cuisine and recipes may also be found on these external pages:
Food Specialities from Austria
Manner - Cream-filled Wafers
Founded in 1890, Josef Manner & Comp. AG is famous far beyond Austria’s frontiers for their high-quality confectionery. The product range embraces a large variety of chocolates, sweets and biscuits. The top-selling product are the “Manner Hazelnut Cream-filled Wafers”, a speciality from Vienna. Also popular in many countries are the Rum Coco Dragees and “Schoko-Bananen” from Casali, “Manner Nuß Würfel” (hazelnut cream-filled) and “Mozart Würfel” (marzipan and praline-filled) chocolates.
Salzburger Mozartkugeln
Mozart products from Mirabell are well known worldwide as a special kind of Austrian confectionary. The genuine Salzburger Mozartkugel from Mirabell has a spherical core of marzipan embedded in light and dark hazelnut/ nougat cram and coated, to the original recipe, with delicate plain chocolate. Coin shaped, the Salzburger Mozarttaler is another exquisite speciality from Mirabell: fine marzipan cream within layers of light and dark hazelnut-nougat cream and coated with delicate milk chocolate. The same can be said of the Mozartrolle, roll-shaped and of traditional structure: core of marzipan covered with light and dark hazelnut/ nougat cream and coated with delicate whole milk chocolate.
Red Bull Energy Drink
Trying to fight his jet-lag in east-asia the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz learnt about the Thai energy drink Krating Daeng. Adapting the idea for European markets he founded the Red Bull Company in 1984. After huge sales growths in Austria the brand was exported to Hungary, and soon in every corner of the world, selling billions of cans in about 130 countries. Hence Red Bull is the best selling export of Austria. Next to the actual products Red Bull produces the company also concentrates on sports sponsorships, for instance in soccer, skiing or sports flying.
Sachertorte, Sacher Cake
Sacher Torte is a famous Viennese cake, probably the most famous chocolate cake of all-time. It consists of chocolate sponge cake cut into three layers, between which apricot jam are thickly spread between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake. The whole cake is then iced with a velvet-like chocolate and served with a side dish of whipped cream.
1832 - The Sacher Torte was created by pastry chef Franz Sacher (1816-1907) in 1832 for Prince Clemens Lothar Wenzel Metternich (1773-1859) of Austria, the Austrian State Chancellor.
Austrian Wine
For centuries the eastern regions of Austria has taken special pride in its rich wine culture, growing exquisite red and white grapes for unique brands like Grüner Veltliner, Burgunder, Riesling or Blauer Portugieser. Thus Austria today produces more than 250 mio. liters each year, 30% of which are exported. Followed by Germany and Switzerland, the United States are the third biggest importer of Austrian Wine.
Further information on Austrian Wine may be found here:
wines_of_austria (pdf 1,79 mB)
Inquiries regarding Austrian Wine, e.g. seminars, may be sent here
d'arbo
For more than 100 years the firm Adolf d’Arbo AG has been engaged in the production of pure jams, honeys, natural fruit syrups, compotes and more. The products are free from all chemical preservatives or artificial colourings and flavourings. The line-up ranges from 200-g (7-oz) jars of fruit-and-honey jams (sweetened with honey only) through 250-g (8-oz) and 450-g (16-oz) jars of preserves and 18-g mini-jars and cups to bake proof jams in 13.3 kg packs.
Pumpkin Seed Products
This cold pressed Austrian pumpkin seed oil, is a true culinary delight. It has a delicious,
unique nutty flavour and isideal for salad dressing, bread dipping and drizzling. Pumpkin seed oil is rich in chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. It contains vitamins A as carotene, B1, B2, B6, C, D, E and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphor, selenium, zinc and a wide range of trace elements. The healing qualities of pumpkin seed oil have been recorded over many centuries. It is especially effective in treating and preventing inflammatory disease, prostate problems and bladder irritations. It also strengthens the immune system and both the raw pumpkin seed and the oil may also be used to reduce high blood pressure, relieve kidney problems, arthritis, poor skin conditions or any ailments related to a deficiency of the essential fatty acids (omega 3, 6, 9). Its use goes as far as ones imagination in the kitchen; however, it should not be heated since this will cause a loss of its nutritional value.
