~ A weekly column by Lucinda Frye ~
In our quest for diverse, indigenous cuisine brought by the many ethnic people from all over the world that live on St. Maarten, we have covered ethnic groups from the Caribbean, namely the Arawaks/Caribs, and ethnic groups from surrounding Caribbean islands, Europe, the Middle East, Scandinavia, the UK, South America, Africa, India and Southern Hemisphere countries of New Zealand, Australia, China and Poland. This week we will head to Austria.
Austria
Culture has the power to shape any nation’s image in the world. Austrian literature covers nine centuries. Austrian music is world renowned from such greats as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert’s and more recently Anton Bruckner, Hugo Wolf and Johannes Brahms. Gustav Mahler can be regarded as one of the great symphonic composers at the onset of Modernism. And then there is the Vienna Operetta, the State Opera of Vienna, regarded as one of the best operas in the world!
After the Second World War, Austrian theatre quickly made its way back to international levels. The Wiener Burg Theater ranks among the most prominent stages in Europe. There were important 12th century artists, sculptors and architects – Yes! Austria and culture are synonymous. Of course, another part of culture is the Viennese café tradition which has become an important part of the city’s identity; and emulated cafes can be found in cities all around the world.
And then there is the Austrian cuisine.
Austria’s cuisine has emerged over hundreds of years. The traditional and well-known recipes attract millions of tourists each year. The rich cuisine is a result of its history as a multi-national empire where different cultures contribute their very own nuances.
The Habsburg Empire stretched from the borders of Imperial Russia to the Adriatic and consisted of more than a dozen nationalities with over 51 million people speaking 16 different languages. Cosmopolitan Habsburg rule extended over Switzerland, Alsace, Burgundy, Spain, Holland, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. All of the above have influenced Austria’s cuisine.
Many recipes and ingredients came to this melting pot of pan-European cooking by accident or war. For example, when Turkey invaded Europe, it introduced the coffee bean to Viennese cooks; result – the birth of Austria’s coffee culture. Another example is the Apfelstrudel, an Austrian version of a Turkish delicacy also introduced during the Turkish invasion. There are thoughts that the Wiener Schnitzel probably originated in northern Italy and the delicious Palatschinken – crêpes – and the Gulasch came from Hungary plains. Then the roasts and sausages most certainly originated in Southern German. The pastries are thought to have originated in Bohemia.
Austrian cuisine is most often associated with Viennese cuisine, but there are significant regional variations; popular local dishes like the Frittatensuppe – crêpe soup from Styria and the truly delicious Speckknödel – bacon dumplings from Tyrol. Salzburg, which is where Mozart lived, has a sweet soufflé made from egg whites called the Salzburger Nockerln.
Austria has an old hunting tradition; there are many woods across the country. During autumn, many restaurants in Austria traditionally offer game on their menu along with seasonal veggies like the pumpkins from Styria.
Austrian cakes and pastries are a well-known feature of its cuisine. Perhaps the most famous is the Sachertorte; chocolate cake with apricot jam filling eaten with whipped cream; and the Linzer Torte a torte with a lattice design on top in pastry, named after the city of Linz. Many other favourites include the Dobostorte, which is caramel-flavoured, and the layered Esterhazy Torte, both originating from Hungary during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Breakfast in Austria is “continental.” This often consists of bread rolls with jam or cold meats and cheese, along with coffee, tea or juice. The midday meal was traditionally the main meal of the day; but these days, this is no longer the case.
A mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack of a slice of bread topped with cheese or ham is referred to as a Jause, and then there is something they enjoy similar to the British “Ploughman’s Lunch” called Brettljause after the wooden board on which it is traditionally served.
The most popular meats in Austria are pork, beef and chicken. Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally made of veal.
RECIPES
Speckknödel
Ingredients:
6 strips finely diced bacon
2 cups ½-inch bread cubes made from day-old bread
2 tbl finely chopped onions
¼ cup milk
2 tbl finely chopped parsley
½ cup flour
Salt
Method:
Cook bacon until lightly browned, transfer it to a paper towel to drain.
Pour off fat and reserve.
Return 4 tablespoons to frying pan.
Toss them until they are brown on all sides, transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Add 2 more tablespoons of the bacon fat to the skillet and heat it again.
Add onions and cook 9 minutes until lightly coloured
Add to mixing bowl with the bread cubes.
Add the milk and parsley, and stir in flour.
Season
Allow to stand for 10 minutes, until the croutons are thoroughly moistened.
Mix in the reserved bacon gently.
Dampen hands and form into balls about 1½ inches in diameter.
Bring broth – beef/chicken/veg – or salted water to a boil, drop in dumplings gently, turn heat to medium, and cook uncovered for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Serve with either the broth or as a side for meat with gravy.
Makes about 16 dumplings
Gebackene Apfelspalten - Apple recipes are much loved as one sees in the Austrian Apfel strudel.
Here is a quick recipe for apple fritters.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
¾ cup milk
1 whole egg
1-2 tbl sugar
3 medium size apples
Sugar
Cinnamon
Method:
Blend flour and milk in a bowl.
Add egg and sugar.
Mix
Refrigerate batter for a few hours.
Stir to remove remaining lumps.
Core and peel apples.
Cut into round slices about ¼-inch thick, with hole of core in centres.
Drop apple slices into batter.
When well coated, fry into hot deep fat over low flame until lightly brown on both sides.
Remove with a slotted spoon or fork and drain on absorbent paper.
Keep warm on hot plate.
Sprinkle with very fine sugar combined with cinnamon.
(Makes about 24 pieces)
Wiener Schnitzel – Evocative recipe
Ingredients:
4 5-oz veal cutlets pounded to ¼-inch thickness (optional chicken or pork)
¼ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
Oil or lard for frying
Method:
To pound meat thin, place cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap.
Pound meat evenly to ¼-inch thickness.
Do not press the bread crumbs into the meat. The crust should not adhere completely, but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.
Make sure the breaded meat “swims” in fat. (Contrary to instinct, the breading will take on less oil than if the meat does not stick to pan.)
Set up 3 shallow dishes.
Place flour and ½ teaspoon salt in one; breadcrumbs in another.
Beat eggs well and place in the third dish.
Heat at least ¼-inch of oil in the pan to 350°F.
Working one at a time, dredge cutlets first in flour until the surface is completely dry.
Dip in egg to coat, allow excess to drip off and roll quickly in the breadcrumbs until coated.
Do not press breadcrumbs into the meat.
Place meat immediately in the pan with the hot oil.
Do not crowd the pan.
Cook the schnitzel in batches, if necessary.
Fry the schnitzel for 3-4 minutes on one side.
Turn them over once and fry until both sides are golden brown.
Remove from pan, allow the oil to drain off, place on a plate with lemon slices and potato salad or green salad and serve.
