Eating in Austria

What do you eat in Austria?

Do you know typical dishes from Austria? Maybe you think of Wiener Schnitzel, Sachertorte, Kaiserschmarrn or fried chicken! Indeed, they are all eaten in Austria. Each region also has its own specialties.

The cuisine was also influenced by neighboring countries or regions such as Hungary, Bohemia and northern Italy. The goulash was successfully taken over from Hungary. Austria is particularly known for its desserts and pastries.

What is a snack?

According to topb2bwebsites, a small meal or a snack is in Austria snack. One likes to eat a piece of bread with Liptauer or minced meat on it. Liptauer is a spread made from cream cheese that is mixed with spices and sometimes capers, mustard, anchovies and pickles. For minced meat, smoked bacon is chopped with salt, pepper and garlic to make a spread. But there can also be a sausage with bread as a snack.

Main courses: Wiener schnitzel and fried chicken

The most famous dish, which is also available in Germany, is probably the Wiener Schnitzel. It’s a thin, breaded schnitzel made from veal. The Viennese fried chicken (breaded and crispy fried chicken parts) and the Viennese boiled fillet also come from Viennese cuisine. In beef, boiled beef is the name given to the meat that is the front tail piece. For preparation, this piece of meat is boiled in water or broth and then cut into slices.

Other typical dishes in Austria are roast pork, cabbage steaks, grenadier march and poppy seed noodles. You can find photos of them and many more dishes in the slideshow below.

Sweet: From apple strudel to Kaiserschmarrn

Austrian cuisine is also known for its desserts and pastries. The latter include Kaiserschmarrn (thick pancakes cut in a pan), pancakes (pancakes) and curd dumplings (dumplings made from quark and semolina). Salzburg dumplings are made from egg whites. The most famous cake is the Sachertorte, and the Linzer Torte is also popular.

Coffee houses and coffee culture

The first coffee house was set up in Vienna as early as the 17th century. Today the Viennese coffee house culture is even a UNESCO cultural heritage. In the past, people went here mainly to have a coffee, read the newspaper and meet others.

There are many varieties of coffee in Austria. Melange, for example, is a milk coffee (half coffee, half milk), a capuchin is black coffee with a dash of liquid whipped cream and a Einspänner is a small mocha in a glass with a lot of whipped cream.

Christmas in Austria

How do you celebrate Christmas in Austria?

In Austria, Christmas is celebrated very much like in Germany. There is an Advent wreath in the run-up to Christmas, presents are given on Christmas Eve, a Christmas tree is put up and December 26th is also a public holiday. There are Christmas markets here in every city, but they are called Christmas markets. And there are still a few differences!

So it is the Christ Child who brings the presents – and not Santa Claus. So that the Christ Child can also come into the house, the window is opened shortly before the presents on Christmas Eve.

A special custom in Austria is the Krampus run. Krampus is the name of a terrifying figure. He accompanies St. Nicholas. While St. Nicholas gives presents to the good children, the Krampus punishes the naughty children. The whole group of Nikolaus, Krampus and companions is called a pass in Austria. There is also the Krampus run, in which people dressed as Krampus roam the streets and scare people. The Krampus usually wears a fur and a mask with horns and he has a tail with him.

The nights between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6th) are called Rauhnächte. The house is burned with herbs and incense to drive away evil spirits.

And what’s on the table for Christmas?

In Styria, people like cold platters with fish or sausages on Christmas Eve. On the holidays there is a lavish meal with roasts or goose. In Vienna there is often a carp on the banquet table. Potato salad – that is potato salad – is popular with many people with sauerkraut and fish or bratwurst. Cut soup is a bread soup that Upper Austrians like, while noodle soup is more on the Christmas menu in Tyrol.