122 CultureShock! Austria
can add bacon (Speckknödel), meat (Fleischknödel), crackling
(Grammelknödel) or white cabbage (Krautknödel). A favourite
among the farmers are Mühlviertler Hackknödel, made with
leftover meat. Mostbraten, pork marinated in Most (semi-
fermented grape juice), is extremely popular. For something
sweet, they like Strauben, fried dough.
Lower Austrians prefer Buchteln, a sweet bun filled with
plum marmalade and served warm with vanilla sauce. The
Wachau valley is a major producer of apricots, also found in
a number of sweets. The Waldviertel region of Lower Austria
uses lots poppy seeds (Mohnsamen) in many dishes, both
savoury and sweet, such as noodles, dumplings, breads,
cakes and strudel.
The not particularly healthy Grammelpogatscherl—fried
pork fat baked in dough and served with sour cream—is a
favourite in Burgenland. Of course, Vienna is known for its
Schnitzeln and other meat dishes like Tafelspitz, Lungenbraten
and Rostbraten. Perhaps, it is most famous for its pastries
and coffee.ENTRÉES
If you find yourself living in Austria, you’d better be a fan
of pork, because it is eaten everywhere. It comes as cutlets,
ham, sausages, pork chops, etc., and tends to dominate
menus and the meat section at the supermarket.
Perhaps the dish most closely associated with Austria,
and Vienna in particular, is Wiener Schnitzel, a veal or pork
cutlet that is pounded paper thin, dipped in egg, flour and
breadcrumbs and fried. Schnitzel refers to the thinly pounded
piece of meat. It is often served with potato salad. The menu
will specify if the meat is veal, and if it doesn’t say Wiener
Schnitzel von Kalb (veal) it is most likely made with pork
(Schwein). If you are dining in an upscale restaurant, it should
be veal. After you’ve been in Austria a while, you should be
able to guess which it is just from the price.
Putenschnitzel (turkey Schnitzel) and Hühnerschnitzel
(chicken Schnitzel) are prepared in exactly the same
manner as Wiener Schnitzel. Pariserschnitzel is Wiener
Schnitzel minus the egg. Not all Schnitzeln are breaded: