awww, this resonates sooo deeply within me. We played the ABC-Game on the old Forum for quite some times, I guess 4 people had chimed in, and it was such a blast! The fact that I LOVE food, and I LOVE traveling, I LOVE telling stories, and I LOVE exploring new things makes this idea a treasure trove, for me.spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 10:26 pm It is such a fun idea creating feasts from different countries to taste things you've never tasted before! At one time I dreamt of going through the alphabet, making a dish from every country, letter by letter. I started with Afghanistan but didn't get very far before some other project distracted me . I really like the idea still!
I will start with A, as in Austria!
Austria is one of the countries that are closest neighbors, to where we live. In 2 hrs drive, we can be there! So, it got intertwined with my life from childhood on, and I have so many dear, DEAR memories about it. I especially loved that Austria- while German-speaking, have some very unique own Austrian words -especially when it comes to food, peppered into the otherwise so "known" to me, German. Fascinating!
Our honeymoon was in Vienna, the capital of Austria, where today my brother lives.
My oldest son did 2+ years apprenticeship as Designer at "Porsche-Design", in Zell am See, Austria.
My husband completed his paragliding- license and a lot of training in the Austrian Alps, and we took our daughter with Grandsons several times to Austria for holidays. Oh, I LOVE Austria!!
The famous Austrian "Mehlspeisen" (sweet dishes made of dough) became BELOVED staples in my own kitchen:
Marillenknödel. Dumplings filled with a sugar-cube and Marille, which are apricots that get breed in Austria, especially in the Wachau along the Danube. It's a pretty warm area and has nothing to do with the more rough Alps. The dough is made sometimes from potatoes, but I prefer them made from Topfen aka Quark= curd. The incredibly yummy crumbs are made from breadcrumbs and ground nuts, roasted in sugar and butter.
"Palatschinken", the Austrian translation for the German word Pfannkuchen, has nothing to do with the American pancake. It's more a Crepe, baked without baking-powder, into flat deliciousness, and in Austria it comes rolled, filled with jams from Marille, plum, of course strawberry or whatever jam you would like as well, and especially with a sweet creme made from eggs, sugar and curd, then baked in the oven: "Topfenpalatschinken".
When you add baking-powder (in our kitchen we still leave it out, it gets better, imo), bake this dough and rip it apart while baking, add raisins and eat it dusted with confectioners sugar, and dip it into applesauce- thats "Kaiserschmarrn".
Germknödel, yeast-dumplings. It's a dough from wheatflower and (you guessed it) yeast, filled with plum-jam, then steamed, and served with molten butter and LOTS of a 50/50-mix of icing-sugar and ground poppy-seeds. OH MY. So good!! by the way, poppy seeds are an often used ingredient in many of Austrians cakes, too.
"Kafeehäuser", coffee-shops, are a very old and deeply beloved tradition in Austria, which dates back to Austria having been threatened and beleaguered by the Turks in the 17.century. Here we are in Vienna, at the "Demel, Kaiserlich und Königliche Hofzuckerbäckerei". I explain this fairytale-name: It means confectioner Demel was allowed to serve both the courts of the Austrian Emperors and the -Kings!
The famous "Sachertorte" was probably invented here by Demel, NOT by Sacher. But that has caused decades of court-battle between the 2 Viennese Kaffee-Häuser. I think, in both cases the Sachertorte and the Demeltorte (they lost the battle around the ownership of the name) are dry, boring, not-really-good-chocolate-cakes -no matter how crazy expensive, or beautifully decorated they are!
Try at least some of the other (delightfully good, but less famous) Torten and cakes, otherwise you might be very disappointed.
off to some of the savories:
"Beuscherl" is a very well known Austrian speciality, a hash made from lung and heart of veal or pork. Here it is served with "Gröstl", a sort of hashbrowns from potato and, sometimes, bread. I wanted to really try it when we was in Innsbruck, Austria- I have to admit, I didn't like it so much.
This one, to the contrary, was insanely good: Roasted liver, with crispy-fried onions and mashed potatoes.
and here we are in Neustift im Stubaital (Austrian Alps), enjoying "Wiener Schnitzel", breaded cuttings from veal- (I even more prefer them from pork-steaks). Served with Preiselbeeren (=Lingonberry-jam, which is pretty similar to cranberries but imo much more balanced, and served to many roasts or savory dishes), together with cold potato-salad. This dish is one of my absolute favourites!!!