Austrian Recipes

Austrian cuisine is a Central European tradition that brings together the court traditions of the Habsburg Empire (1273 to 1918) and Hungarian, Bohemian, Italian, and Balkan influences, and that developed within the table discipline of the Viennese coffee houses (Wiener Kaffeehauskultur, UNESCO 2011 ICH). Tatonia features a variety of Austrian recipes, led by Wiener Schnitzel (a classic fried beef escalope, the national dish) and Sachertorte (a chocolate cake invented by Franz Sacher in 1832, a Viennese signature). Wiener Schnitzel is the Austrian national dish; in 2009 it was added to the European Union Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) list. The classic recipe requirement: veal back (Kalbsschnitzel) plus flour plus egg plus breadcrumbs (a three-layer coating) plus butter or pure fat frying. A version made with a meat other than veal cannot use the name 'Wiener Schnitzel'; it only gets the label Schnitzel Wiener Art (Viennese style). In the classic formula the pan is at 170°C, the meat is pounded to 4 mm thickness, and the frying is 1.5 to 2 minutes per side; the interior should be pure white, not pink, and the outer crust should be kept loose in a Wellen (wave) pattern (not pressed tight). Sachertorte is a classic chocolate cake invented in 1832 in a Viennese court café by the 16-year-old apprentice Franz Sacher; 'Original Sacher-Torte' is an Austrian patent, while 'Sachertorte' is the generic name. The classic formula: chocolate sponge cake plus a layer of apricot jam plus Sachertorten Glasur (a special chocolate coating, a plain chocolate and sugar blend). Traditional serving is alongside whipped cream. The Wiener Kaffeehauskultur, with coffee learned from the Turks in 1683, is one of the world's first coffee house cultures, a social space plus reading plus discussion. This page covers everything from the Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte classics to the repertoire of the Austrian coffee house tradition.