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What to eat in Austria? - 15 Austrian specialities

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What to eat in Austria? We list 15 Austrian specialities and share our experiences of Austrian food. From schnitzel and dumplings to kaiserschmarrn and apple strudel, Austria has it all. Join us for a taste of Austria!

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What do you eat in Austria?

What do you eat in Austria? We have visited Austria several times. Most recently we discovered the beautiful city of Innsbruck and in the past we have visited Salzburg, Zell am See, Vorarlberg and Alpbachtal.

The traditional food in Austria is fairly solid, with a strong focus on meat, potatoes, dumplings and various soups. Of course, some dishes are similar to those of neighbouring countries, such as Hungary and Germany, and you will also find regional influences from Italy, for example.

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat
Meat and root vegetables are common ingredients in Austrian cuisine

Austrian cuisine

As mentioned, Austrian cuisine offers hearty dishes, but also interesting flavours such as mustard and horseradish. Lingonberries, apples and other fruits and berries are also popular. Here are 15 dishes and desserts from Austrian cuisine.

smaksättning

1st Wienerschnitzel

Schnitzel is a typical dish on Austrian menus. A 'real wienerschnitzel' should be made from veal, while schnitzel can also be made from pork or chicken. In Austria, schnitzel is often served with French fries or with a kind of warm potato salad, and is almost always accompanied by lingonberry jam.

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

2. goulash

Goulash is a spicy and savoury meat soup or stew, often described as the national dish of Hungary. However, goulash is also popular in many other Central European countries, such as Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

gulasch

3. dumplings

Knödel isn't actually our favourite, but it's almost universally popular in Austria, and comes in many different varieties. Often served as a side dish to meat or sausages, or perhaps as a filling ingredient in a soup. In addition, there are variants that contain meat, and further variants that are eaten as a dessert.

  • Barley dumplings is a type of dessert dumpling filled with plum jam.
  • Cassia dumplings is a traditional Tyrolean dumpling, made with day-old bread and cheese.
  • Liver dumplings usually contains beef liver.
  • bread dumplings are made from bread, milk and eggs, among other things.
  • bacon dumplings are made from bread and pork, among other things.
  • Spinach dumplings contains spinach.

4. cheese spaetzle

Käsespätzle, or käsknöpfle as the dish may be called in Vorarlberg, is a traditional dish that you can find in Austria, but also in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and some German regions. It is simply a kind of pasta with cheese, usually topped with roasted onions. Delicious in all its simplicity!

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

5. boiled beef

Tafelspitz is a dish of boiled veal or beef in broth, which originated in Vienna. The dish is served with potatoes and other root vegetables, as well as a mixture of minced apples and horseradish.

kalvkött

6th Tyrolean Gröstl

Tiroler Gröstl can best be described as a Tyrolean version of pan-fried puddings. This dish can contain, for example, potatoes, bacon, beef and onions, and is often topped with a fried egg. We've only tried a vegetarian, slightly more modern version, and it was really good!

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat
A vegetarian version of Tiroler Gröstl, with camembert

7. soup

What do you eat in Austria? Well, it's very common to eat soup, and restaurants often serve soup as a starter. Common soups include potato soup, pumpkin soup, beef soup and various broth soups with dumplings.

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

8. pancake soup

One soup that we must mention separately is frittata soup. This soup is a bit special because it is served with a kind of shredded pancake in it. Not too shabby!

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

9. charcuterie products

If you like cold cuts, with ham and sausages, you can find a lot of goodies in Austria. Charktallrik is a popular concept, and very tasty!

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

10. Austrian cheese

Austrian cheese is not wrong either, especially if you find a cosy little cheese or delicatessen shop in a small Alpine village. You will find, for example, various cheeses with names like "bergkäse" or "almkäse".

Ost
Cheese at Alpbachtaler Heumilchkäserei in the Alpine village of Reith im Alpbachtal

11. apple strudel

When it comes to Austrian food, you can't miss the apple strudel. A truly classic pastry! Sometimes it happens that the apple strudel is served with ice cream, cream or custard. It may be less classic, but it's delicious!

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

12. curd cheese strudel

Another kind of strudel you can try in Austria is the one called topfenstrudel. Instead of apples, it is filled with cream cheese, and it is also very tasty.

topfenstrudel

13th Kaiserschmarrn

Kaiserschmarrn is a classic Austrian dish. It's actually a sweet dessert, but given that it's so filling, it can also work as a smaller and simpler dish. Kaiserschmarrn is a sweet thick pancake that is cut into pieces, fried in butter and served with jam or fruit compote.

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

14. Sacher cake

Another classic of Austrian cuisine is the Sacher cake. This is a chocolate cake with apricot marmalade, often served with whipped cream.

sachertårta

15. gingerbread

Lebkuchen are a type of slightly thicker gingerbread that is eaten in Germany and Austria, among other countries. In Austria, they are particularly associated with Christmas.

Austrian food in a restaurant

It's quite easy to find traditional Austrian food in restaurants in Austria, while there is of course everything from fine dining to fast food and food from other countries in the world. Read more about restaurants and dining experiences in Austria here:

Vad äter man i Österrike? - österrikisk mat

Beer, wine and other beverages in Austria

So, how do you combine Austrian food with drink? Both beer and wine are popular in Austria, as are various liqueurs and hot drinks.

Oil is a popular drink in Austria and there are many breweries around the country. Some beers that can be mentioned are Gösser, Stiegl, Augustiner Bräu and Edelweiss.

Öl Salzburg
Beer at Augustinerbräu in Salzburg

Wine are also produced in Austria, in 16 different wine regions. The country is best known for dry white wines made from the Grüner Veltliner grape. We like these wines a lot!

Vin i Innsbruck
Wine tasting at Weinhaus Tyrol in Innsbruck

Liqueurs and schnapps are available in many different flavours, for example made from different fruits and herbs.

Röd dryck
An exciting red drink in the sunshine in Alpbachtal

Coffee plays an important role in Austria, not least in connection with the café culture in Vienna. There are also some speciality coffees such as Wiener Melange.

Mulled wine and hunters' tea are two hot drinks that are popular during the cold season. Jägertee is simply a drink containing tea, sugar and rum, among other ingredients.

What do you eat in Austria? What are your experiences with Austrian cuisine?

What are your experiences with food in Austria? Please tell us!

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