The Food of Austria

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These notes were made during a short trip to this country. These are just our food experiences and you may have a totally different experience depending on your budget, where you travel and where you eat.

Notes from September 2005

Austrian food appears to be very fatty with many foods being fried and most meals being based on meat, most common being pork and veal. There are quality fruits and vegetables here and the food does have some noteworthy dishes.

Weinerschnitzel

This dish is usually made from a pork or veal cutlet, battered and fried. In fact any meat can be battered and fried and served with chips or salad/vegetables. One place is called Schnitzelhaus (Schnitzel House) - which appears like it is a chain store - even though I only saw one of them. The schnitzel's here were very fresh, cooked on the spot. It is like a fish and chip shop, only you get schnitzel instead, served with chips, creamy potato bake or a token salad.

Markets

At the markets, there were lots of gourmet foods on offer - including what looked like hors douvers of small but long yellow peppers, baby red peppers, capsicum, zucchini and other vegetables stuffed with `shaff' cheese (this is what I heard from the lady seller but it looks like cream cheese). I also saw sauerkraut in a large wine barrel, which is apparently good for your complexion! Also featured were pickled gherkins and a range of different coloured cider. There were lots of quality bread shops, with a large mix of different types from white to grain and seeded breads. Also lots of pastry options, including strudel with fruit filling.

Nordsee

A chain store of seafood - from fresh prawns in a roll and delicious cold seafood salads to hot fish and chips and baked salmon with salad. The food looks so fresh and very edible, as it is well presented in the shop front.

Supermarkets

One of the local delicacies that was found in the supermarket were rice cakes with yoghurt coating. I noticed that many cereals were of low fibre, except for the muesli which is very popular around these parts of Europe.

McDonalds in Austria

The unusual thing on the menu here was Fried Brie cheese

Mozart chocolate

This chocolate is sold everywhere, has a nougat centre or with marzipan, and is covered in dark chocolate.

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