Beef Stew

For many centuries, Austria was the heart of Habsburg Empire. This multi-ethnic empire covered, at various times, not only Austria itself, but also neighboring Hungary, parts of Germany and Italy, what is today the Czech Republic. and stretched into the Balkans. The empire finally collapsed in 1918, at the conclusion of World War I, but nevertheless German (especially Bavarian), Hungarian, Italian, eastern European, Jewish influences can all be still seen in modern Austrian cuisine.

When people from overseas think of Austrian cuisine, they perhaps most often think of the country's excellent pastries, cakes and desserts (many of which come from Austria's capital, Vienna), however the country has much else to offer too.

Some popular Austrian dishes include:

- Goulash - Goulash is a beef stew that has its origins in Hungarian cuisine, however Austria has adopted the dish too, and adapted it to local tastes. Goulash is made from beef, onions and red peppers, and flavored with paprika.

- Knödel - Traditional Austrian dumplings. These can be made in a number of different varieties: from dry bread (semmelknödel), from potato (kartoffelknödel), or with the addition of bacon (speckknödel). Knödel may be eaten as a side dish or used in soups.

- Tafelspitz - A boiled mixture of root vegetables and beef.

- Wiener schnitzel - Translated literally from the German, Wiener schnitzel means "Viennese cutlet". The dish is made by dipping thin slices of meat (veal is traditional, but other meats such as pork or even turkey are quite common nowadays) in a wheat flour, eggs and bread crumbs, and then deep-frying. The dish is traditional served with potato salad and a slice of lemon.

Additionally, as already mentioned, Austria is justifiably famous for its desserts. These include:

- Apfel strudel - In English "Apple studel". A dessert made from pastry filled with apples, sugar and raisins. Rum or cinnamon are sometimes added to the filling for extra flavor.

- Kaiserschmarrn - Shreed pancakes, toped with raisins and powdered sugar, and served with fruit compotes.

- Palatschinken - A thin pancake, traditionally filled with apricot jam and sprinked with sugar, although sometimes other fillings may be substituted.

- Sachertorte - A chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing and a apricot jam in the middle.

- Vanillekipferl - A Viennese biscuit. The biscuit is made from ground almonds or hazelnuts and flavored with vanilla. The biscuits are crescent-shaped, the origin of this, according to legend, being to celebrate one of the Habsburg's military victories against the Turks.

Originally published at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_austrian.php - visit this site for more information, photographs and cook books.

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