Wiener Schnitzel, boiled beef and meatball soup
Austrian cuisine Photo: Sutterstock The very concept of "Viennese cuisine" first appeared in the XVIII century, and throughout its development, the cuisine of the main city of the Austrian Empire was influenced first by French and then by Hungarian, Jewish, Italian and Polish culinary traditions. It was in Vienna, not France, that a croissant was invented, but the laurels of the most famous Viennese dessert were soon transferred from it to apple strudel. What other dishes should you try in Vienna? What is Viennese cuisine famous for and in which restaurants it is better to get to know it? For lunch: Viennese schnitzel, beef and wineThe business card of the Austrian capital is the Viennese schnitzel. Traditional schnitzel is made from veal, not pork, breaded with eggs and bread crumbs and weighs at least 200 grams. If we consider that such a large piece of meat is always attached with potato or cabbage salad with vinegar and olive oil sauce, you need to go to lunch on an empty stomach. Perfectly quench your hunger after a long city walk and another hit of Viennese cuisine - boiled Tafelspitz beef the recipe of Emperor Franz Joseph I. The real tafelspitz is not so easy to prepare: the meat must be simmered for five hours on low heat to become soft and juicy, and served on the table in broth with the obligatory apple and sour cream sauce If you are looking for a light lunch, order Viennese soup with meatballs and herbs, potato cream soup with bacon or Bohemian cucumber salad with sour cream, reminiscent of the original Greek salad tzadziki. By dinner in Vienna, do not forget to order a bottle of local wine Riesling or Pinot Blanc. Or go exploring Viennese wine bars to try more rare wines - dessert fruit Blaue Zweigelt, fragrant Gemischte Satz or light table Grüne Veltliner. Imperial restaurant (Karntner Ring, 16) will be the best place to explore Viennese cuisine in a pompous atmosphere. Schnitzel should go to more homely restaurants Dom Beisl (Schulerstrasse, 4) or Figlmüller (Wollzeile, 5), and for a quick bite on the go you should definitely look at the local Naschmarkt market, where in five minutes make fresh meat sandwiches and pour mulled wine, which I want to cook at home.
