Viennese cuisine

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Apfelstrudel, a Viennese speciality Strudel.jpg
Apfelstrudel, a Viennese speciality

Viennese cuisine is the cuisine that is characteristic of Vienna, Austria, and a majority of its residents. Viennese cuisine is often treated as equivalent to Austrian cuisine, but while elements of Viennese cuisine have spread throughout Austria, other Austrian regions have their own unique variations.

Contents

Viennese cuisine is best known for its Wiener schnitzel and pastries, but it includes a wide range of other unique dishes. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Vienna has been the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural centre of the nation and developed its own regional cuisine; as such, Viennese cuisine has distinct cooking. [5]

The variety of ingredients sold on the Naschmarkt might lead to the thought of a broadly varied cooking culture. In fact, dishes heavily depending on meat make up typical Viennese cuisine: Wiener schnitzel (veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried), Tafelspitz (boiled beef), Beuschel (a ragout containing veal lungs and heart), and Selchfleisch (smoked meat) with sauerkraut and dumplings are typical of its cooking. Some sweet Viennese dishes include Apfelstrudel (strudel pastry filled with apples), Millirahmstrudel (milk-cream strudel), Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes served with fruit compotes), and Sachertorte (cake of two layers of chocolate cake with apricot jam in the middle). These and many other desserts will be on offer at one of the many Konditorei of Vienna, where they are generally eaten with coffee in the afternoon. Liptauer as a spread, or Powidl also as spread or base for dumplings are also quite popular.

History

The Viennese cooking tradition developed from many different sources: "Viennese cuisine is all about—an eclectic mix of cuisines from Europe and beyond, of all regions and lands that were once part of the monarchy." [6]

Italian influence has been strong since roughly the early 17th century, and can be seen in the names of ingredients and dishes that are still in use today such as ribisi (from the Venetian "risi e bisi"), melanzani, maroni and biscotti. In the 18th century, French cuisine became influential in Vienna and the term "bouillon" became common in middle-class circles for soup. [7] The term "Wiener Küche" (Viennese cuisine) first appeared in German language cookbooks around the end of the 18th century, and it was mistakenly treated as equivalent to Austrian cuisine.

The croissant is also thought to have originated in Vienna after the defeat of the Turks in the Siege of Vienna. [8]

In the second half of the 19th century, cookbooks started to include Bohemian, Hungarian, Jewish, [9] [10] Polish, and Balkan features in Viennese cuisine. [11] Viennese cooking reflected foods brought in from various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: "Viennese menus usually comprise the same group of dishes, sometimes Austrian in origin but often inherited from the various nationalities of the empire: Hungarian goulash ... wiener schnitzel ... south Slav ćevapčići... crêpe-like Palatschinken (claimed by the Romanians), and Powidltascherl ... from the Czechs, to name but a few." [11]

Modern Viennese cuisine

In modern Vienna, many chefs have begun to combine traditional Viennese dishes with the principles of nouvelle cuisine to create what is known as "Neue Wiener Küche" (New Viennese cuisine). [12] This includes vegetarian food. [6]

Also, Turkish, Jewish, [9] Middle Eastern, and Indian cuisine have influence on the city because of growing immigrant communities.

Coffee houses

The Viennese coffee house is such an important part of the cuisine and culture of Vienna, [4] that the concept is listed as "Intangible Cultural Heritage" in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage", a part of UNESCO. The Viennese coffee house is described in this inventory as a place, "where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill." [13]

Viennese dishes

Tafelspitz Tafelspitz.jpg
Tafelspitz

Typical Viennese dishes include:

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken-fried steak</span> American breaded cutlet dish

Chicken-fried steak, also known as country-fried steak, is an American breaded cutlet dish consisting of a piece of beefsteak coated with seasoned flour and either deep-fried or pan-fried. It is sometimes associated with the Southern cuisine of the United States. It is breaded and fried with a technique similar to the more common fried chicken, hence "chicken-fried". When deep-fried, it is usually referred to as "chicken-fried steak". Pan-fried versions are typically referred to as "country-fried steak".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Poland

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European cuisine comprises the cuisines originating from the various countries of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Austria

Austrian cuisine consists of many different local or regional cuisines. In addition to Viennese cuisine, which is predominantly based on the cooking traditions of the Habsburg Empire, there are independent regional traditions in all the states of Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schnitzel</span> Breaded, fried flat piece of meat

A schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel originated as wiener schnitzel and is very similar to other breaded meat dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apple strudel</span> Traditional Austrian pastry

Apple strudel is a traditional Viennese strudel, a popular pastry in Austria, Bavaria, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and other countries in Europe that once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Croatia

Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous and is known as a cuisine of the regions, since every region of Croatia has its own distinct culinary tradition. Its roots date back to ancient times. The differences in the selection of foodstuffs and forms of cooking are most notable between those in mainland and those in coastal regions. Mainland cuisine is more characterized by the earlier Slavic and the more recent contacts with Hungarian and Turkish cuisine, using lard for cooking, and spices such as black pepper, paprika, and garlic. The coastal region bears the influences of Greek and Roman cuisine, as well as of the later Mediterranean cuisine, in particular Italian. Coastal cuisines use olive oil, herbs and spices such as rosemary, sage, bay leaf, oregano, marjoram, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and lemon and orange rind. Peasant cooking traditions are based on imaginative variations of several basic ingredients and cooking procedures, while bourgeois cuisine involves more complicated procedures and use of selected herbs and spices. Charcuterie is part of the Croatian culinary tradition in all regions. Food and recipes from other former Yugoslav countries are also popular in Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strudel</span> Type of layered pastry

Strudel is a type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet, but savoury fillings are also common. It became popular in the 18th century throughout the Habsburg Empire. Strudel is part of Austrian cuisine and German cuisine but is also common in other Central European cuisines. In Italy it is recognized as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT) of South Tyrol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Austria</span>

Austrian culture is characterised by historical and modern influences, including a history of interaction primarily between Celtic, Roman, Slavic and Germanic peoples. Austria is particularly known for its classical music, folk music, baroque architecture, coffee culture, winter sports and Alpine traditions.

Serbian cuisine is a Balkan cuisine that consists of the culinary methods and traditions of Serbia. Its roots lie in Serbian history, including centuries of cultural contact and influence with the Greeks and the Byzantine Empire, the Ottomans, and Serbia's Balkan neighbours, especially during the existence of Yugoslavia. Historically, Serbian food develops from pastoral customs that involved the keeping of sheep in mountain highlands, in a climate and regional context that favoured animal husbandry over vegetable farming; Serbian food is therefore traditionally richer in animal products and basic grains—corn, wheat and oats—than fresh vegetable dishes. Following the abandonment of widely practiced pastoral lifestyles, Serbian food emerged through the Middle Ages heavily dependent not on lamb or mutton, but on the keeping of pigs for the annual cull and the production of various cured meats, such as sausages, bacon and ham products.

Cutlet refers to:

  1. a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of mutton, veal, pork, or chicken
  2. a dish made of such slice, often breaded
  3. a croquette or cutlet-shaped patty made of ground meat
  4. a kind of fish cut where the fish is sliced perpendicular to the spine, rather than parallel ; often synonymous with steak
  5. a prawn or shrimp with its head and outer shell removed, leaving only the flesh and tail
  6. a mash of vegetables fried with bread
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czech cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of the Czech Republic

Czech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries and nations. Many of the cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated within the Czech lands. Contemporary Czech cuisine is more meat-based than in previous periods; the current abundance of farmable meat has enriched its presence in regional cuisine. Traditionally, meat has been reserved for once-weekly consumption, typically on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bavarian cuisine</span> Style of cooking from Bavaria, Germany

Bavarian cuisine is a style of cooking from Bavaria, Germany. Bavarian cuisine includes many meat and Knödel dishes, and often uses flour. Due to its rural conditions and Alpine climate, primarily crops such as wheat, barley, potatoes, beets, carrots, onion and cabbage do well in Bavaria, being a staple in the German diet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiener schnitzel</span> Viennese meat dish, breaded veal cutlet

Wiener schnitzel, sometimes spelled Wienerschnitzel, is a type of schnitzel made of a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet served without sauce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veal Milanese</span> Italian dish in Milanese Lombard cuisine

Veal Milanese, known in Italian as cotoletta alla milanese, is a popular variety of cotoletta found in the city of Milan. According to some sources it has a French origin and was brought to Milan during the Napoleonic Wars, where it was first known as cotoletta rivoluzione francese. It is traditionally prepared with a veal rib chop or sirloin bone-in and made into a breaded cutlet, fried in butter. Due to its shape, it is often called oreggia d'elefant in Milanese or orecchia d'elefante in Italian, meaning 'elephant's ear'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beuschel</span>

Beuschel is a dish that is typically a ragout made from lungs and other organs, such as heart, kidneys, spleen, and tongue, from calf, beef, pork, or game. It is often served with a sour cream sauce and bread dumplings. It is a dish of Viennese cuisine but is widespread in all of Austria, Bavaria, and Bohemia.

References

  1. Muckerman, Anna (6 August 2019). "Does this schnitzel define Vienna?". BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  2. Bacon, Susanne (9 August 2019). "Across the Fence: Schnitzel". Subrurban Times. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  3. King, Chula (3 October 2018). "Schnitzel and potatoes make for grand Oktoberfest celebration". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 Müller, Holly (10 February 2016). "Coffee in the anti-cafe: hipsters beware Vienna's Cafe Am Heumarkt". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  5. Archived column on Vienna
  6. 1 2 Fitzsimmons, Annie (15 August 2019). "A Short Guide to Dining in Vienna". AFAR . Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  7. Nicole (2021-05-29). "Wiener Küche - beliebt, begehrt & allseits bewährt!". Bezirks Alm (in German). Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  8. "The curious history of the croissant". www.puratos.com. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  9. 1 2 Heckel, Amby Jodi (9 September 2020). "Illinois archivist's prize-winning essay reveals Jewish origins of Viennese cuisine". University of Illinois . Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  10. Breuer, Rayna (11 November 2020). "How the Nazis Stole a Cookbook Alice Urbach's cookbook was a bestseller in the 1930s in German-speaking countries. A Jew, she fled her home under the Nazis, who republished the book under a different name without giving her credit". The Wire . Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  11. 1 2 Rushby, Kevin (16 December 2019). "A local's guide: Vienna holidays: A local's guide to Vienna: 10 top tips: With such a rich cultural and historical heritage, the Austrian capital is a wonder to wander but don't overlook its diverse neighbourhoods, cuisine and bars". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  12. Rail, Evan (27 January 2008). "Choice Tables: Vienna: Dining That's Not Set to Strauss Waltzes". New York Times . Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  13. Intangible Cultural Heritage in Austria: Viennese Coffee House Culture