Sampling Authentic Austrian Cuisine
What do you picture when you think of Austrian cuisine? I’ve asked a few friends and family, and they mainly described traditional German foods like sauerkraut, sausages, and fried foods. While Austria, Switzerland, and Germany share many overlapping culinary habits, Austrian food is on another level. I find it to be more vegetable-forward, and like other Alpine countries, they had various gluten-free options everywhere we went. Here’s an intro to sampling authentic Austrian cuisine.
Meat and vegetables dominate authentic Austrian cuisine alongside fresh fish, cheese, and fried foods. Most meals include alcohol, usually beer, and desserts, but when Austrians indulge, they tend not to be nearly as sweet or overwhelming as American desserts.
Like anywhere, Austrian cuisine reflects the surroundings. Cities and villages near lakes will have much more fish on their menu. Bigger cities have more diversity, so travelers may find Austrian takes on international fare, like the Thai schnitzel we saw in an Asian restaurant. There are certainly many foods unique to Austria, and while most don’t think of Austria when they think of fine dining or flavorful foods, that should change because Austrian food is fantastic!
Unlike American and British food, Austrian cuisine emphasizes unprocessed whole foods, and the portions are more reasonable. While there are fried dumplings, meat, and even fried cheese at many restaurants, you’ll see just as many vegetarian or whole foods dishes. Raw foods are becoming more popular, too, meaning it’s easier than ever to eat healthily in Austria.
Sampling Authentic Austrian Cuisine
During our time in Salzburg, we had the opportunity to sample authentic Austrian cuisine, which was even better than we’d hoped. Baked fish, gluten-free vegetable dumplings, roasted vegetable soups, and fresh salads with yogurt-based dressings made dining an energetic and enjoyable event. We never felt too full, and nothing we ate left us feeling heavy.
Here are some must-try Austrian dishes!
Austrian Dumplings
Practically every culture has dumplings in some form, but these gluten-free Austrian dumplings filled with potato, cheese, and fresh mushrooms were so delectable they made me gasp! Austrians don’t play around with herbs and spices- they know what they’re doing to make everything taste amazing!
Spätzel
Delicious, pillowy potato and egg noodles are typically served with meat, fish, or another dish, but they can be eaten alone or with cheese. These were topped with fried onions and made gluten-free! Imagine these a bit like rice in Chinese cuisine. It adds girth to the meal and helps balance the flavor.
Broth & Soups
Despite it being 90ºF every day we were in Salzburg, we had soup nearly every day. Every soup we tried was incredible and filled with delicious roasted vegetables, gluten-free noodles, or fish. We ate the one below, served with a massive root vegetable dumpling and tender vegetables, up in the Alps during our day trip to Grödig!
Radler
Technically invented in Germany in the 1920s, radlers were far more prevalent in Salzburg than any of the fourteen towns we’ve been to in Germany. Practically every restaurant had this beer mixed 50/50 with citrus. The one above is a radler mixed with lemonade. Blending these sounds weird, but they’re incredible and a great way to reduce the alcohol level of whatever you’re drinking. They’re especially popular in summertime.
Salads with Yogurt & Herb Dressing
Again, not exclusive to Austria, but very common and so delicious. I’ve never cared for American salad dressings, which are usually very sweet and oily, but these yogurt-based dressings were delightful. I started to ask for the dressing on the side because they add a lot to their salads. Still, every salad I had was so fresh and yummy.
Coffee with Ice Cream
Maybe I’ve missed it, but I haven’t seen these anywhere else, and two different waitresses at two different cafés told me that adding ice cream to coffee to make it “iced” is an Austrian tradition. Whenever my husband ordered an iced coffee, it came with ice cream and a tiny waffle, sweet pretzel, sliver of cake, or something similar. The one in the photo below with a waffle was enormous and only €2,90! Did I mention it was organic as well?
Austrian Beer
Austrians take their beer very seriously, and they’re great at it! I don’t drink beer as it’s not gluten-free, but Robin occasionally does, and he enthused that even their pale beers (which he doesn’t normally like) were excellent. Salzburg has eleven local breweries that are very popular, and all over the city, you’ll find beer that’s only available here in Salzburg.
Explore more of my adventures in Salzburg, Austria, and Europe.
The food looks really good!