Food & Drink

The Wiener Schnitzel is Austria's culinary sacred treasure — and there are clear rules: It must be made from veal (pork is correctly called "Schnitzel Wiener Art"), thinly pounded, breaded in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and fried in plenty of clarified butter (not oil!). The breading must "soufflé" — rise in waves away from the meat. Traditionally served with potato salad with pumpkin seed oil or lettuce, never French fries.

A good Wiener Schnitzel is recognized by its overhanging the plate, being golden brown and crispy, and remaining juicy when cut. Lingonberries and a lemon wedge are essential. Ketchup on a Wiener Schnitzel? In Austria, it's a crime that leads to social ostracism.

The origin of the Wiener Schnitzel is disputed. The popular legend that Field Marshal Radetzky brought it from Milan in 1857 (as "Cotoletta alla milanese") is not historically proven. What is certain is that breaded meat dishes have been documented in Viennese cuisine since the 18th century.

Tafelspitz — boiled beef (from the hind leg), served in soup with chive sauce, apple horseradish (horseradish with apple), and roasted potatoes. It was Emperor Franz Joseph's favorite dish, which he supposedly ate every day. The reference restaurant is Plachutta in Vienna, where 10 different beef cuts are on the menu.

Goulash — arrived in Vienna via Hungary and perfected there. The Viennese Saftgulasch differs from the Hungarian original: only beef (no pork), lots of onions (at least as much as meat!), paprika, caraway, tomato paste, and vinegar. Simmered for hours until the sauce is thick and dark red. Served with a roll or noodles. Available in every Viennese Beisl (tavern).

Other classics of Austrian cuisine:

• Onion roast — roast beef with crispy fried onion rings, served with fried potatoes
• Fried chicken — breaded fried chicken, crispy, the schnitzel counterpart for poultry
• Beuschel — calf lung and heart in a sour cream sauce, a classic offal dish
• Breaded liver — breaded in breadcrumbs, with potato salad
• Cheese noodles — Spätzle with melted cheese and fried onions, the comfort food of the Alps
• Carinthian Kasnudeln — filled dumplings with curd (quark), potatoes, and mint, artfully crimped

Without dumplings, Austrian cuisine is unthinkable. The round dough balls are far more than a side dish — they are a universe of their own:

• Bread dumplings — the classic made from stale rolls, egg, milk, and parsley. Served with roast pork, goulash, or solo with salad
• Bacon dumplings — infused with smoked bacon, hearty and robust. Served in clear soup ("Tyrolean dumpling soup") or with sauerkraut
• Liver dumplings — made with calf liver, a classic soup ingredient in Viennese cuisine
• Spinach dumplings — green, vegetarian, served with brown butter and Parmesan. Particularly popular in South Tyrol and Tyrol
• Quark dumplings — sweet dumplings made from quark, with buttered breadcrumbs, cinnamon, and sugar as dessert
• Apricot dumplings — the summer highlight: a fresh Wachau apricot, wrapped in quark or potato dough, rolled in buttered breadcrumbs. A delight
• Plum dumplings — like apricot dumplings, but with plums, more autumnal

In some inns, there is a "dumpling platter" — a selection of different dumplings with sauces. A great way to sample the variety.

Austria's pastry culture is world-famous — and the term "Mehlspeise" encompasses everything sweet, from cake to soufflé. It is not a dessert but a meal in itself: Many Austrians eat a pastry for lunch instead of a "normal" dish.

Apple Strudel

The apple strudel is the second national dish. The dough must be so thin that you can read a newspaper through it — that's the official rule of thumb. Filled with apples (tart varieties), raisins (which you may love or hate), cinnamon, sugar, and toasted breadcrumbs. Served warm with vanilla sauce or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In many Viennese coffee houses, you can watch the preparation.

Sachertorte

The Sachertorte — a chocolate cake with apricot jam and chocolate glaze — is Vienna's most famous export. Invented in 1832 by the 16-year-old apprentice Franz Sacher for Prince Metternich. The "cake war" between the Hotel Sacher and the confectionery Demel over who could sell the "Original Sachertorte" occupied the courts for decades. Sacher won — but both versions are delicious. A piece at Hotel Sacher with whipped cream costs around 9 €.

Other Pastry Classics

• Kaiserschmarrn — shredded pancake with raisins and powdered sugar, served with plum compote. Emperor Franz Joseph is said to have loved it
• Palatschinken — thin pancakes filled with jam, curd, or chocolate (from Czech)
• Salzburger Nockerln — a fluffy soufflé in three mounds, supposedly representing the Salzburg city mountains
• Germknödel — steaming yeast dumpling with Powidl (plum jam), poppy seeds, and butter. The perfect après-ski meal
• Buchteln — yeast pastries with Powidl filling, warm from the oven, served with vanilla sauce
• Mohnnudeln — potato dough noodles with poppy seeds and powdered sugar. Sounds strange, tastes fantastic

The Viennese coffee house has been a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2011 — and rightly so. It is far more than a place to drink coffee. It is a public living room, a social space, a workplace, a refuge. The tradition dates back to the 17th century: After the Second Turkish Siege in 1683, a certain Georg Franz Kolschitzky is said to have brewed the first captured coffee sacks.

The most important coffee specialties — never just order "a coffee", that marks you immediately as a beginner:

• Melange — the Viennese standard: espresso with frothed milk, similar to a cappuccino, but milder
• Small/Large Brown — espresso/extended with a dash of milk or cream
• Small/Large Black — espresso/extended without milk, pure
• Einspänner — double mocha in a glass with a generous dollop of whipped cream. The name comes from the one-horse carriage drivers who had to drink the coffee one-handed
• Fiaker — large mocha with a shot of rum or cherry brandy and whipped cream
• Maria Theresia — mocha with orange liqueur and whipped cream
• Capuchin — small mocha with a little milk and whipped cream (not to be confused with cappuccino!)
• Extended — an espresso extended with hot water, the Austrian equivalent of an Americano

A glass of water belongs with the coffee — it is served unprompted and always refilled. If the water is missing, something is wrong.

The most famous coffee houses in Vienna: Café Central (where Trotsky played chess), Café Hawelka (artist hangout, the Buchteln are legendary), Café Sperl (unchanged since 1880, billiard tables), Café Landtmann (next to the Burgtheater, political establishment) and Café Prückel (50s charm, window seats on the Ring).

Austria is a world-class wine country — a fact long overshadowed by the "wine scandal" of 1985 (when some winemakers added diethylene glycol). Paradoxically, the scandal led to the strictest wine laws in Europe and a quality revolution, making Austria one of the most exciting wine countries today.

The Most Important Grape Varieties

• Grüner Veltliner — Austria's flagship variety, peppery, mineral, versatile. From light Heurigen wine to complex Smaragd from the Wachau
• Riesling — at world-class level in the Wachau and Kamptal, comparable to the best German and Alsatian Rieslings
• Welschriesling — light, fresh, the classic wine served at the Heurigen
• Blaufränkisch — the most important red wine variety, especially in Burgenland. Dark, spicy, tannin-rich
• Zweigelt — Austria's most cultivated red wine variety, fruity and approachable
• St. Laurent — velvety, Burgundy-like, a hidden gem

Wine Regions

The Wachau (UNESCO World Heritage) along the Danube between Melk and Krems is the flagship: terraced vineyards on steep slopes, top wines in the categories Steinfeder, Federspiel, and Smaragd. The Kamptal and Kremstal follow. In Burgenland around Lake Neusiedl, powerful red wines and the famous Ruster Ausbruch (sweet wine) thrive. The South Styria — the "Styrian Tuscany" — produces excellent Sauvignon Blancs and Weißburgunder.

The Heurige

The Heurige is a uniquely Austrian institution: A winemaker serves his own young wine (the "Heurigen" of the current vintage) directly — recognizable by the Buschen (pine branch) above the door, signaling: "Ausgesteckt" (open). Accompanied by a cold Brettljause: cold cuts, cheese, Liptauer, pork lard, pickles, and fresh bread.

The best Heurigen areas: Grinzing, Neustift, and Nussdorf in Vienna (partly touristy), Perchtoldsdorf and Gumpoldskirchen south of Vienna (more authentic), the Wachau and the South Styria along the wine roads.

Austria is not only a wine country but also a beer country. With a per capita consumption of over 100 liters annually, Austria ranks among the top in the world — even ahead of Germany. The beer culture is down-to-earth and regionally influenced.

The most important beer brands:

• Stiegl — Salzburg's pride, since 1492, the "beer of Salzburg". Stiegl-Goldbräu is Austria's most popular beer
• Gösser — from Leoben in Styria, the best-selling beer in Austria. The slogan "Good. Better. Gösser." is legendary
• Ottakringer — Vienna's brewery since 1837, located in the 16th district. The "16er Blech" (can of Ottakringer) is part of Vienna's cultural heritage
• Zipfer — from Upper Austria, hoppy and full-bodied
• Hirter — from Carinthia, one of the oldest breweries (since 1270)
• Trumer — from Obertrum near Salzburg, known for Pils
• Schwechater — historically significant, where Anton Dreher invented lager beer in 1841

Order a "Krügerl" (half a liter) or a "Seidel" (0.3 liters) in Austria. A "Pfiff" is a small beer (0.2 liters), perfect for tasting.

Other Drinks

• Almdudler — the Austrian herbal lemonade, the national counterpart to Coca-Cola. Sweet and tangy, with herbs like elderflower and lemon balm
• Spritzer — white wine with soda water, the quintessential summer drink. A "Gespritzter" at the Heurigen is a must
• Most — fermented apple or pear cider, the traditional drink of the Mostviertel in Lower Austria
• Schnaps — fruit brandies from apricot, plum, pear (Williams), or gentian. In the Alpine region, a "Stamperl" after a meal is traditional
• Punsch — available on every corner in winter. Viennese punch (with rum, sugar, orange juice, and spices) warms you up at the Christmas markets

Each federal state has its own culinary identity. The diversity is enormous — a legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which fused Bohemian, Hungarian, Italian, and Balkan influences:

Tyrol & Vorarlberg

Hearty mountain cuisine: Tyrolean Gröstl (fried potatoes with leftover meat and a fried egg), Kaspressknödel (cheese dumplings, fried or in soup), Schlutzkrapfen (Tyrolean ravioli with spinach-curd filling), Moosbeernocken (blueberry pancakes). In Vorarlberg, Alemannic cuisine dominates: Käsknöpfle (Spätzle with mountain cheese), Riebel (cornmeal, sweet or savory).

Salzburg & Upper Austria

Salzburger Nockerln, Bosna (the Salzburg sausage in white bread with curry and onions — a cult snack), Kasnocken. In Upper Austria: Linzer Torte (considered the oldest cake in the world, recipe from 1653), dumplings in every variation, Mühlviertler cream soup.

Styria

Pumpkin seed oil is Styria's green gold — dark green, nutty, thick, drizzled over salads, soups, and even vanilla ice cream. Styrian fried chicken salad (warm salad with breaded chicken), Sterz (cornmeal or buckwheat, fried), Verhackertes (chopped bacon as a bread spread).

Carinthia

Carinthian Kasnudeln are the emblem — artfully crimped dumplings with curd-potato-mint filling. Crimping is an art passed down from generation to generation. Also Reindling (yeast bundt cake with cinnamon, raisins, and brown sugar), Carinthian Laxn (lake trout from Lake Millstatt).

Vienna

The Viennese cuisine is a universe of its own: Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Goulash (from Hungary), Palatschinken (from Bohemia), Buchteln (from Bohemia), Powidltascherln (potato dough with plum jam), Beuschel (offal), the Würstelstand with Käsekrainer (sausage with melted cheese, a Viennese cult) and, of course, the entire pastry tradition.