Wiener Wednesday

Well, I’m hungry….so this week’s edition of Wiener Wednesday is going to be all about my favorite Austrian foods!

Obviously, most of these will be desserts, so please bear with me.  I’m a woman of the sweets…a slave to the sugar…a frau in need of frosting??  Anyway, I like desserts.  Here are my most wanted!

 Mohr Im Hemd

Ok, this is my FAVORITE.  It has enough sugar and more importantly, chocolate, to keep you moving all day long.  It is a chocolate cake that is steamed and served with hot chocolate sauce.  It is usually served with homemade whipped cream and vanilla icecream.  Yummo!  It is also the oddest named dessert.  Can you imagine a dessert going over well in America that was literally called “black man in a shirt?” 

 Krapfen

I was searching for a picture when I came across this video instead!  I think it explains it all...and with cute kids to boot!  It’s basically a doughnut stuffed with something…I always go for chocolate.  Big surprise, huh?

 Apple Strudel

Did you know this was an Austrian native?  Just in case you don’t know what it is, Apple strudel is a pastry that is stuffed with apples, raisins, and bread crumbs (though Paula Deen uses crumbled sugar cookies).  It is dusted with icing sugar, and it can be served warm or cold.  Of course, ice cream always goes well with it!

 Sachertorte

Now, I actually don’t like Sachertorte, but it is one of the most famous Viennese desserts.  I feel like it deserves a spot on Wiener Wednesday anyway!  It is a dense chocolate cake that has a layer of apricot jam beneath a thick chocolate coating.  The only reason I don’t like it is because the cake is always too dry for me.  But it’s liked enough to have a hotel named after it!  (Or maybe it’s the other way around?)

Palatschinken

Palatschinken is thicker than a French crepe. It is an Austrian pancake filled with fruit, curd cheese, chocolate sauce, or jam.  Not really a dessert, but it’s a good breakfast!

Mohnstrudel

This is a sweet, moist, yeast-based dough that is spread with ground poppy seeds and raisins.  Then it’s folded over into a roulade.  Very, very good…especially with coffee or tea!

Now on to the savory!  I always wished I could eat dessert first, so they had to get first dibs.  These other guys are pretty good too!

 Wiener Schnitzel

I have to start with the meat named after Vienna first.  I really like Wiener schnitzel!  No, it’s not a hot dog…I’m not really sure where these guys got their name.  Wiener Schnitzel is a thin slice of veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried. In Austria the dish is traditionally served with a lemon slice, lingonberry jam and either potato salad or potatoes with parsley and butter.  Sometimes it is made with pork instead of veal.  I prefer that!

 Tafelspitz

This is a silverside of beef that is thickly sliced, boiled and served with fried grated potatoes and an apple and horseradish sauce.  It is a typical lunchtime dish and was allegedly eaten every day by the Emperor Franz Joseph!

 Bosna

We discovered Bosna in Salzburg.  I’m excited to eat it this summer now that I’m not pregnant.  It’s an Austrian fast food dish, though of Balkan origin, and it resembles a hot dog.  It consists of sausage, onions, and a blend of ketchup, mustard, and curry powder. 

Knödelsuppe

This is a clear beef broth soup that includes one large or a couple of small bread dumplings seasoned with parsley and marjoram.  This is not to be confused with leberknödelsuppe that has dumplings made from liver…which I HATE.

 Frittatensuppe

I lived off this soup when I was preggo.  Since, I wasn’t eating meat, this was basically the only food I could consistently get at restaurants!  It is a soup made with thins strips of lightly seasoned pancakes in a beef broth.  It’s still my favorite after 9 months of eating it!  :o)

Well, that’s my food edition of Wiener Wednesday!  I hope you are all as hungry as I am now!