Austria is a land of many exquisite traditions. Just like every family has their own defining traditions, the Austrian tradition of Christmas is special for many reasons. For Christmas, it is customary to make a toast with mulled wine or glühwein. These traditional Christmas dishes can be found throughout the country and they are often served during the holidays at ski resorts, where a roaring fire sets the ambiance for Christmas dinner. In this post we’ll share some insider’s guide on what to bake, sip and savour this Christmas season. All the classic favourites, along with some new surprises!
#1 Kalbsbraten: Vorarlberg’s Christmas Dishes
The Christmas menu in Vorarlberg often consists of veal (German: Kalbsbraten) or the usual sausages with sauerkraut or Italian salad (German: Italienischer salat). It is usually served with a rich gravy and potatoes on the side. It’s not only tasty, but easy to make at home. Christmas is a time for celebration and family. And what better way to celebrate the holiday than with a delicious meal that’s sure to bring everyone together? Looking for where to shop, check christmas markets in Vienna.
#2 Tiroler helle Nudelsuppe
Tiroler helle Nudelsuppe is the traditional Christmas specialty in Tirol, followed by blood sausage (German: Blutwurst) and roast pork (German: Schweinsbraten). One of the most popular courses in Austria is the pork roast or Schweinsbraten. It is worth a try for every tourist.
#3 Bachlkoch: Salzburg’s Christmmas Delight
A Christmas classic in Salzburg is the sausage soup with Frankfurter sausages (German Salzburger Würstelsuppe). Also very popular in this region is the dessert called Bachlkoch, which is usually served on December 24th, especially in the towns of Pongau, Pinzgau and Lungau. The peculiarity of serving this dish, which consists of flour, milk, butter and poppy seeds, is that it is usually eaten straight from the pan, each with its own spoon.
#4 Schnittlsuppe: Upper Austria
In Upper Austria, baked carp or sausages with potato salad and sauerkraut are often served for the holiday table. But there is one very specialty in Upper Austria: Schnittlsuppe, which is not really soup. It is mostly sliced stale bread with pieces of roast pork, onions, broth, herbs, and a spoonful of sour cream with garlic. The main dessert in Upper Austria is mostly baked apples.
#5 Carinthia’s Kärntner Reindling
People of Carinthia traditionally eat smoked sausages (German: Geselchte Würstel) with sauerkraut and black bread for Christmas. A popular dessert is Kärntner Reindling with raisins and poppy seeds, which is very similar to our cupcakes.
#6 Wiener Karpfen – Vienna and Lower Austria Christmas Dishes
There are many different recipes in the Austrian capital of Vienna, but one of them has been popular in this city for centuries. Here there is a long tradition of cooking carp (German: Wiener Karpfen). It is not only popular in Vienna to bake carp, but also to make soup out of it.
#7 Burgenland: Tafelspitz mit Apfelkren
A popular dish in Burgenland is called Tafelspitz mit Apfelkren (Tafelspitz with apple horseradish), which is based on boiled beef. Also popular is the goose with red cabbage (German: Martinigansl mit Rotkraut) with potato dumplings.
There are many more dishes and different desserts in Austrian cuisine that would be difficult to describe in one article. Have you been to Austria for Christmas? If so, how did you like it?
Bon appetit!
Fab Team
