Like many European countries, this alpine country in central Europe is a melting pot of cultures and traditions, and its cuisine reflects it perfectly.

This federation of nine states, situated in the eastern Alps, has a very rich history that highly influenced its culture and cuisine. Especially in the capital Vienna, the trading center and the center of power, many nations and cultures met. Every nation brought with them new ingredients, recipes, spices and cooking combinations.
The area that is now Austria was populated in pre-Roman times by Celtic tribes before it was claimed by the Roman Empire and made a province. In the centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, Austria was under the influence of Huns, Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Avars, Slavs, Franks and Bavarians. All of them left their mark on the culture and cuisine of Austria, but the biggest influence came from the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled from the 13th century until World War I. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy encompassed an area larger than 600 000 km2, making it the second largest country in Europe after the Russian Empire, and over 52 million people and 16 languages. This multitude of people, cultures, languages and cuisines was represented by Vienna as a metropolis and imperial city. Because of its size and all the nations it encompassed, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy quickly embraced many distinct flavors from Italy, Hungary, Germany and the Balkans. The end of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy is marked by the beginning of World War I, when, after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia, which ultimately resulted in Word War I. A year before World War II, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany and proclaimed a sub-national division; it was liberated in 1945 and ten years later it regained its sovereignty.

All these events had a big impact on Austrian cuisine, making it one of the most diverse and multicultural in Europe. On the other hand, there are very few typical, classic recipes that originated on Austrian soil – most of the Austrian traditional dishes originated outside its borders, but then found its home in Austria. The most famous dish – the Wiener Schnitzel – most likely originated in northern Italy, the heart-warming Goulash originated in the Hungarian plains, and the famous Würstchen (sausage) was part of Southern German cuisine long before it reached Austrian dining tables. Dishes discovered abroad were adopted and integrated into the local cuisine or adapted to regional customs.

Austrian cuisine and dishes enjoy an excellent reputation for their tastiness. But it doesn’t come without a price – Austrian cuisine is not famous for its healthiness. Many dishes are full of meats, dairy products, especially cheeses, salt, and saturated fats.
For Austrians, food is very important and they are very proud of their diverse and varied dishes. Emperor Franz Josef himself was known to be a gourmet, who relished good food and wine. Some of the most famous Austrian dishes such as Tafelspitz (Emperor’s favorite dish, which means “End of the Table”) or Sachertorte owe their popularity to the monarchy. Some dishes such as Kaiserschöberl, Kaiserschmarrn, or Kaiserguglhupf were even given the “imperial” title (Keiser = Emperor), even though they had nothing to do with the imperial family.
Austrians are also very structured people, which extends to their eating habits, so they commonly eat regularly and at set times. The most important meal is Mittagsessen (lunch) which usually starts at noon. It is somewhat of an unwritten rule that no one should be disturbed during this time, even on the weekdays. And after a hard work day comes the time for Gemutlichkeit – a concept that is distinctive to Austrian and German culture. Austrians practice Gemutlichkeit – a word which has been adopted in the English language, meaning an environment or state of mind that produces a feeling of warmth, friendliness, coziness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well-being developed from social acceptance – in many tavernas, restaurants, bars, Heurigen (rural taverns selling home-grown wine) or one of the many Schanigärten (tables on the sidewalk in front of a bar or restaurants) along the tasty food, good drink and company.

In Austria there is no such thing as a single traditional cuisine or a dish, rather food and drink vary depending on the region. Every federal state of Austria has its regional cuisine with distinct dishes. There are for example Carinthian Kasnudeln, Voralberg Käsespätzle, Tiroler Gröstl or Viennas Schnitzel. What should also be mentioned (and tasted) are many sweet delicacies like Kaiserschmarrn, apple strudel and many cakes such as Sachertorte and Linzer Torte