Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

FOOD AND DRINK

Four underwhelming Austrian dishes – and what to eat instead

Austria has an amazing food and drinks scene but some dishes miss the mark. Here are four local foods that may disappoint foreigners... and don't forget to share your opinions in our survey.

Published: 9 February 2023 17:09 CET
Updated: 11 February 2023 13:47 CET
Four underwhelming Austrian dishes - and what to eat instead
A Vienna Schnitzel (Photo by Mark König on Unsplash)

If you think about Austria, it is very unlikely that the country’s cuisine will be the first thing to come to mind. Conversely, travellers might think of destinations such as France or Italy when prompted about their favourite gastronomical destinations.

To be fair, Austria has plenty of delicious local dishes. For example, the different types of sausages you can find at a Würstelstand or a super tasty dessert like the Kaiserschmarrn are typically a success among locals and foreigners alike. Some other dishes, however, can be quite a disappointment.

READ ALSO: Seven common myths about Austrian food you need to stop believing

Here’s the (controversial, we know) list of four completely underwhelming Austrian dishes: 

Schnitzel

The list starts strong with what is arguably the most famous Austrian dish of all. The Schnitzel, or Wienerschnitzel, is a dish made of a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet traditionally served with potato salad.

It does have a very remarkable history involving emperors and controversy about its true origins. Still, truth be told, it can be a bit bland – especially if you are a big fan of cuisines such as the Italian one. It feels as if Austria was so close to something great (i.ge. A beef parmigiana) but just stopped short (and dry) of it.

The schnitzel is also the biggest tourist trap in Austria. Locals really do eat it often, so you can find it pretty much anywhere at reasonable prices, but some restaurants, especially in the city centre, will charge a fortune for it. 

The Tafelspitz is a much better option if you like meat and want to eat a traditional and tasty Austrian dish.

READ ALSO: How did the Wiener Schnitzel become an Austrian icon?

Sachertorte

If you are a fan of desserts, there is a very traditional and just as underwhelming Austrian one as well: the Sachertorte.

The traditional Austrian Sachertorte (Photo by Leqi (Luke) Wang on Unsplash)

You might get your residence permit cancelled if you say this out loud to an Austrian, but the Sachertorte really isn’t tasty at all. It’s fancy, yes, it looks very Instagrammable, and it’s usually served at gorgeous Viennese cafes. But tasty?  It’s a dense dark chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle and dark chocolate icing.

If you want something traditional and tastier, the Austrian version of the Apfelstrudel, or its cousin, the Topfenstrudel, is worth it.

READ ALSO: Austrian Christmas dinner: The traditional foods and drinks for the festive season

Knödel

Though this is not an Austrian dish (the Knödel is very common in all of central Europe), you will see plenty of these dumplings around. They are usually made from flour, bread or potatoes and can be eaten as a main dish, but are often seen as a side dish to a meat plate or soup.

This is a controversial choice because there are so many types of Knödel, from liver to bread-and-cheese, that you are bound to find at least one pleasing taste. But it is also a risky dish to try if you are not a fluent German speaker. 

The texture – sometimes described as similar to eating an old piece of bread dipped in soup – also takes some getting used to.

If you want to try the Knödel, the sweet versions of eat (filled with plum or nougat) are very tasty and fresh.

READ ALSO: Five dishes to enjoy this apricot season in Austria

Mozartkugeln

Also known as “the balls of Mozart” (ok, not really), the Mozartkugeln is a typical candy sold everywhere in Austria, but definitely more in Salzburg, where the composer was born.

From the outside, it looks like a delicious and promising chocolate truffle, but unless you have an exquisite palate and fancy tastebuds, you will not like what’s coming for you. The small and round sweet is made of pistachio, marzipan and nougat and covered with dark chocolate.

Definitely a mix that is not for everyone. Even so, the tiny Mozart balls are sold in charming boxes and make a nice gift for your chic family and friends back home.

Another typical Austrian dessert that can be boxed and shipped to your loved ones and is almost sure to appeal to every type of palate, however, is the Manner.

We want to hear from you: What is your favourite Austrian dish and what is your least favourite one? Let us know using the form below:

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

FOOD AND DRINK

Did Austria really invent France’s iconic croissant?

It's often said that Austria in fact invented the croissant - and some even claim that Marie Antoinette brought it to France - but the real story is a little more complicated than that.

Published: 17 April 2024 15:43 CEST
Updated: 20 April 2024 12:47 CEST
Did Austria really invent France's iconic croissant?

The croissant is probably the food product most closely associated with France (tied with the baguette) but is it even French? Well, it depends on how you look at it.

The French croissant is usually credited to a couple of Austrian migrants – August Zang and Ernest Schwartzer, who opened a bakery in Paris in the 1830s. They specialised in the pastries and cakes of their homeland and are generally agreed to have popularised the kipferl in France.

Listen to the team from The Local discussing croissants in the latest episode of the Talking France podcast. Listen here or on the link below

The kipferl shows up in records in Austria at least as early as the 13th century, so it definitely pre-dates the croissant.

In the 1800s the French went crazy for Austrian pastries, which is why we talk about viennoiseries (referencing Austrian capital Vienna) to refer to breakfast pastries such as croissants, pain au chocolat and pain au raisin.

But is a kipferl a croissant? The original recipe called for the roll to be made of bread, not pastry, and modern recipes call for a light yeast dough, often scented with vanilla.

Delicious, undoubtedly, but a croissaint . . .

It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the French baker Sylvain Claudius Goy created a recipe using puff pastry instead.

His instructions specified that the croissant be made of rolled puff pastry, laminated with butter to create layers – and this is how modern day croissants are made.

The pastry layers are what creates the distinctive crumb-scattering deliciousness that is a croissant.

So did the Austrians invent the croissant or did they just invent a curved bread roll? Or should France and Austria share the credit and chalk this one up to another great success from international cooperation?

One thing that is certainly French is the name – croissant in French simply means ‘crescent’ and refers to the shape of the breakfast pastry.

It’s used in other contexts too – for example Le Mouvement international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge – is how the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is referred to in French.

And Marie Antoinette?

This historical rumour is almost certainly rubbish.

Although Marie Antoinette was indeed Austrian, the first record of the croissant does not appear in Paris until at least 40 years after her death and the two Austrian bakers credited with introducing the croissant weren’t even born when she met her end on the guillotine in 1793.

Also, she never said ‘let them eat cake’.

SHOW COMMENTS