5 Mouthwatering Foods You Must Try in Austria

1. Wiener Schnitzel – need I say more?

Once you’re here, you cannot skip tasting the famous Wiener schnitzel (Viennese schnitzel). It’s basically a piece of veal tender meat (but nowadays, restaurants offer you the possibility of picking among many kinds of meat, such as chicken, turkey, or pork) dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. The most authentic recipes are taken from the 18^th century’s Viennese cookbooks.

Here’s an interesting fact about this awesome food: the Wiener schnitzel is an Austrian national dish, but the recipe was taken and adapted from the cuisines of many nations.

According to some legends, Marshal Joseph Radetzky brought the recipe with him as a souvenir from Milan, where he was banished from in 1848 by the Milanese people who rebelled against the Austrian domination. It is said that it’s based on a dish from northern Italy called Cotoletta alla Millanese.

Naotake Murayama

Pretty twisted story, right? The specialty has been extremely successful, perfected and enthusiastically adopted by the Austrian bohemia. In 1900 people were already referring to it as the Wiener schnitzel.

It has a crispy breadcrumb crust, it’s golden, thin, and it’s traditionally served with a potato salad. Nowadays, the schnitzel is known and appreciated as a typical Austrian specialty and it’s famous worldwide.

Austrian culinary specialties are very popular among tourists from all over the world because the Austrians know how to perfectly balance the meat — their favorite ingredient — with a broad range of soups and side dishes based on vegetables. To serve a Viennese schnitzel, I advise you to look for traditional restaurants.

Enjoy it while you’re in Austria – you’ll miss it afterwards!

Oliver Hallmann