Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dare to Try
»
Graukäse
The Zillertal's grey, mouldy, sour-milk cheese is tastier than it sounds, honest!
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Rindfleischsulz
Jellied beef brawn, often drizzled in pumpkin-seed-oil vinaigrette.
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Käsekrainer
A fat cheese-filled sausage, way off the calorie-counting Richter scale. It's a popular wee-hour, beer-
mopping snack at Vienna's sausage stands.
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Leberknödelsuppe
Dig into liver dumpling soup, the entrée that gets meals off to a hearty start all over Austria.
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Zillertaler Bauernschmaus
We dare you to try this farmer's feast of cold cuts, sauerkraut and dumplings. Not be-
cause of the ingredients, but because pronouncing it will surely get your tongue in a twist!
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Waldviertel Mohn
Poppy dumplings, desserts, strudels and noodles add a floral addition to menus in the Waldvier-
tel.
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Schnecken
Escargots to the French, snails to English-speakers, these gastropods are slithering onto many of the top
menus in the country.
AUSTRIAN WINE
Austrian wine is having something of a moment, with wine bars popping up all over the country and quality con-
tinuing to rise. Austrian wine hails from 16 winegrowing areas, mostly situated in Lower Austria and Burgen-
land (known as the Weinland Österreich region), Styria (Steierland) and the vine-strewn fringes of Vienna.
A wine that is typical of the region is labelled DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus), which is similar to the
French AOC and the Italian DOC or DOCG, and if it is labelled reserve then the wine has been made for cellar-
ing. Well-known varieties to look out for include crisp
Grüner Veltliner
and
Weissburgunder
(Pinot blanc)
whites, fruity
Blauburgunder
(Pinot noir) and full-bodied
Zweigelt
reds, and sweet
Eiswein
, made from grapes
that have frozen on the vines.
In winegrowing regions, many vintners open their doors for tasting and rustic
Heurigen
(wine taverns) pair
wine with hearty grub like roast pork, blood sausage and pickled vegetables. Often identified by a
Busch'n
(green wreath or branch) hanging over the door, these simple establishments date back to the Middle Ages and
have the right to sell their wine directly from their own premises in winegrowing regions.
Because they are seasonal and are open on a roster, the easiest thing to do when in a winegrowing region is to
pick up the local
Heurigenkalendar
(
Heurigen
calendar) from the tourist office. September to mid-October, fol-
lowing the harvest, is when the new wines are sold, and this is the time to indulge in
Sturm
(literally 'storm' for
its cloudy appearance and chaotic effects on drinkers).
Picnic Perfect
Fill your picnic baskets with fixings from these five favourites:
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Naschmarkt
(
Click here
) Global grazing for olives, cheese, wine, spices and more at Vienna's must-shop food mar-
ket.
»
No Solo Vino
(
Click here
) Deli delight in Linz for a picnic beside the Danube.
»
Kaslöchl
(
Click here
) Two at a time please at Salzburg's mouse-hole of a shop, stocked with 150 kinds of cheese.
