Thursday 10 January 2008

Some Viennese Dishes

Wiener Schnitzel this doesn't require a translation but you can get it as
"vom Schwein" - a pork Schnitzel (cheaper) or
"vom Kalb" - a veal Schnitzel (more expensive)

Cordon Bleu - Like the thing that goes under the same name over here (made with pork plus layers of cheese and ham fried in breadcrumbs), but, made in the land of Wiener Schnitzel, much better.

Schweinsbraten - Austrian roast pork often served with
Semelknödel - bread dumpling or
Serviettenknödel - same dumpling, different shape or
Erdäpfelknödel - potato dumpling

Kummelbraten - similar to Schweinsbraten, with caraway seed

Fogosch (Serbischer Art or any other way) - Pike-perch, a freshwater fish indigenous to central Europe (cannot be found in Britiain or France). Delicious. Also known in the German (as against Austrian) terminology as "Zander"

Erdäpfelsalat - Potato salad made properly. The Germans call it Kartoffelsalat.

Gulasch - Well, if you get a good one there's not much more you can ask for really

Frittatensuppe - Bouillon with strips of pancake. Sounds curious but is very nice. Traditional fare. (The Viennese very commonly start their meals with soup, much more so than over here - this is the most common soup.)

Leberknödelsuppe - Bouillon with a liver dumpling. More traditional fare.

Kalbsbeuschel - The Viennese like their offal (or at least a lot of them do) and this is probably the best known Viennese offal dish. It consists of finely sliced veal, cooked in a delicious rich creamy sauce and served with a Semmelknödel. Yummy, you'd never know it was made from lung and heart.

Hirn (geröstet) - Brains (fried, tho you can get them done other ways). I don't know what animal they come from, calves probably, and I know offal is not for everybody, but if you're into offal at all, I would really recommend brains. Difficult to describe the texture and flavour. Unlike anything else really, smooth, soft, creamy. I think they're delicious.

Kalbskopf - Calf's head. Not for the unitiated or the faint-hearted. Basically this is the bits of gristle and fat you get out of a calf's head once the brain has been removed, usually mixed up together and deep fried. Well it's an experience. (I like it!)

Topfen - This is a type of curd cheese very common in central Europe but curiously not usually to be found in Britain. It is used in sweet things, most obviously:
Topfentorte (Topfencake, which is totally wondrous when made well),
Topfenkolatschen (Topfen in pastry, like a Danish pastry, also fantastic),
Topfenstrudel and
Topfenpalatschinken (Topfen pancakes, large pancakes served hot, oozing with this delicious sweet mixture, gorgeous). I like Topfen.

Germknödel - This is a huge yeast dumpling, filled with the slightly bitter Czech-style plum jam called "Powidl", then covered with icing sugar and poppy seed, with melted butter poured over the top. A meal in itself!

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