Cuisine Focus – Austrian – Sweeter This Time Around

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Primarily, Austrian cuisine is famous for their sweets and pastries. And like other known cuisines, this regional-based cookery brings in a mixture of various influences. We have the Italian, Czech, Jewish and Hungarian as prime contributors to this type of cooking. Aside from good, old recipes, the Hungarians have likewise learned methods and cooking techniques from said influences.

A great example of a borrowed dish is Goulash, which is often a recipe shared by various roots and countries. This is also a basic example of evolution in the world of cooking, where dishes are prepared with often slight differences. Moreover, Austrian cuisine is continuously developing amidst all social changes, thus adapting a style which is suited to determine the country’s particular culinary traits.

If there is one thing truly descriptive of Austria-that has to be its regional cooking, drinks and recipes. Beverages like coffee, beer and wine are made with variety. For instance, coffee variances include Austrian Mokka; a type of coffee very similar to espresso. Austrians likewise produce their own type of beer known as Mrzen, which is very popular together with wheat beer. Wine, on the other hand, is very much associated to East of Austria, particularly in Burgenland and Vienna, whose vineyards are famous for producing the most notable wines.

Aside from sweets and pastries, sausages and sandwiches form an integral part of this cuisine. Sausages and open sandwiches are consumed in between meals and are served with condiments like ketchup and mustard. Traditionally, a local or resident is usually seen enjoying a Wurstsemmel; a bread roll filled with either bacon or ham and is eaten with pickles and cheese.

Many have spoken of Austrian cuisine as Viennese, due to the prevalence of Vienna-related dishes. This list includes famous regional recipes such as Apfelstrudel, which is a kind of apple-based dessert. There is also the Sachertorte, which is another term for chocolate cake and the Topfenstrudel, which is primarily made of cream cheese. The Danish pastry is another popular food that originated from Denmark and Vienna; a type of pastry also known as Viennese Bread.

Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Salzburg and Tyrol are just some of the regions, enriching Austrian cuisine. With their respective line of delicacies and specialties, these regions are all sharing a part of their freshest harvests and local produce to come up with delicious regional treats. Lower Austria is known for its linseed oil, apricots and Marchfeld asparagus. Burgenland brings in Hungarian influence through its varied dishes consisting mainly of poultry and fish. In other words, these regions are valuable fragments, complementing Austria in numerous and diverse ways.

Ingredients Utilized in Austrian Cuisine

Meat:

Chicken, Beef, Pork, Game meats (Duck, Deer, Partridge)

Seafood:

Carp, Trout

Vegetables:

Potatoes, Asparagus, Pumpkins, Onions, Spinach

Berries and Fruits:

Apricots, Apples, Rowanberries, Grapes, Plums, Cranberries

Nuts and Oils:

Linseed oil, Pumpkin seed oil, Hazelnuts

Dairy:

Cheese, Milk, Eggs

In general, Austrian cuisine has simply made lives sweeter and tastier. From its long line of desserts to its list of regional dishes, it is best to compare Austrian cuisine with that of a chocolate cake. For just like the Sachertorte, this cuisine is delicately layered, and often features a sweet surprise, to the delight of the sweet-toothed and pastry lovers.

Authentic Austrian Recipes

Beefsteak with Onions / Zwiebelrostbraten

Ingredients:

oil
1 white onion, peeled and cut crosswise into thin round slices
flour
2/3 cup clarified butter for sautéing
6 (7-ounce) slices of sirloin
1/3 cup cognac
¼ cup tarragon vinegar
1 cup brown beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Procedures:

Heat oil deep frying. Meanwhile, dip the onion slices in some flour and pat to remove the excess. When oil is hot, fry onions until they are golden. Remove the onions from the oil, drain on paper towels, and keep warm on the stove top – Heat 2/3 cup clarified butter in a skillet and sauté the sirloin slowly over medium-high heat until brown outside and medium-rare inside. Keep the sirloin warm on a covered plate.

Degrease the skillet by wiping it out with a paper towel and add the cognac and vinegar. Reduce almost all of the liquid. Add the beef stock and reduce by half. Lower the heat. Whisk in the butter and mustard at the same time. Be sure to whisk well to avoid having clumps of mustard. Add any meat juices from the sirloin on the covered plate and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the meat on warm plates. Pour the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with fried onions.

Roast beef with bacon / Girardi-Rostbraten

Ingredients:

About ½ cup clarified butter for sautéing
6 (7-ounce) slices of sirloin (beef)
6 tablespoons finely diced smoked ham (bacon)
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup finely diced mushrooms
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup brown beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
sour cream (optional, for a garnish)

Procedures:

Heat 1/3 cup clarified butter in a skillet and sauté the sirloin over medium-high heat until brown outside and medium-rare-inside. Remove and set aside on a covered plate. Degrease the skillet by wiping it out with a paper towel, add 2 tablespoons clarified butter, and sauté the smoked ham 2 to 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden. Add the mushrooms and sauté 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the white wine and reduce almost all of the liquid. Add the bay leaf, cream, and stock, and reduce to a sauce consistency. Swirl in the butter and whisk in the mustard- Do not allow the sauce to boil again or the mustard will have a bitter taste. Stir in the parsley, any meat juice from the covered plate, the capers, and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf. Place the meat on 6 warm plates, topped with the sauce. The dish may be garnished with sour cream piped through a pastry bag.

Image Credits: www.austrianrecipes.net/

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