Page 306 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

304  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

The Flavours of Austria: Cakes and Pastries

Few cities in the world can rival Vienna’s devotion to all things sweet.
The Viennese enjoy cakes mid-morning or afternoon, and set aside
time for between-meal snacks. The finest Torten (gâteaux), pastries
and cakes tend to be found in Konditoreien. Traditional Viennese
desserts can be found in all good rest aurants, and are typically rich.
From the classic Viennese Apfelstrudel to Gugelhupf from Tirol,
Austrian desserts carry a regional influence. In Vienna, pastries
take pride of place while, to the west, the Italian influence is
strong and cakes, ice creams and meringues are preferred. Poppy seeds

theirs is the best. The most the second. While the Viennese
famous Austrian cake is a rave about Sachertorte, over
Viennese creation, the in Linz the locals revere their
Sachertorte, a rich chocolate own Linzertorte – an almond-
cake invented by chef Franz based cake usually topped
Sacher for Chancellor with raspberries. The people
Metternich in 1832. The of Linz also say that the
signature dish of many an Linzertorte is older, dating
Austrian chef, it should be back – legend has it – to the
the first cake the visitor tries – 17th century. Around the
with so much choice on offer, Hungarian border, they are
it will be difficult to decide on proud of their Dobostorte,
Stollen Sachertorte Dobostorte Esterházytorte
Relaxing over coffee and cake in an Linzertorte
elegant Viennese café
Cakes
The Austrian tradition of cake-
baking goes back centuries,
with competition fierce
between towns and cities to
produce the finest. Even in
small villages, bakeries try
to outdo each other with
their sweet creations. Almost
every Austrian city now has
its trademark cake, with its
citizens quick to boast that Some of the many mouthwatering Austrian cakes available
Viennese Desserts
From Topfentascherl (curd cheese
envelopes) to Kastaniereis (chestnut
purée), Vienna’s dessert cuisine uses
rich and varied ingredients. Fruits such
as plums and apples fill featherlight
dumplings, pancakes, fritters and
strudels, and although Mehlspeisen
(puddings) translates literally as “dishes
with flour”, ground hazelnuts or
Hazelnuts almonds can be used in its place.
Nuts play a key role, especially hazels
and pine nuts, the latter often featuring in Apfelstrudel. More unusual
desserts include sweet “pasta” served with poppy seeds to create Mohr im Hemd, a hazelnut
Mohnnudeln, and Böhmische Omeletten (Bohemian omelettes) served and chocolate pudding, is
with whipped cream and prune sauce. Conversely, Palatschinken served with chocolate sauce
may also be a savoury snack. and whipped cream.

304-305_EW_Austria.indd 304 12/09/17 3:05 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Feature template “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1.3)
Date 7th January 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm