Cooking guide

From the market to the plate: what is in season, classics of Austrian cuisine, cooking methods and the most important terms.

What is in season tastes best and reaches the plate without long journeys. The calendar shows when fruit, vegetables, herbs and mushrooms from Austria come fresh from the field and when they are available from storage.

In season now · Oct

LettuceTomatoesPeppersPlumsPumpkinApplesPearsGrapesChestnutsCabbageBeetrootPotatoesCarrotsLeeksBrussels sproutsLamb's lettuceSalsify

fresh from the field from storage

Vegetables
Produce	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Asparagus				fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Rhubarb				fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Radishes				fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Lettuce					fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Tomatoes							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Cucumbers						fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Courgettes						fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Peppers							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Green beans							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Pumpkin	from storage	from storage							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage
Cabbage	from storage	from storage	from storage				fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage
Beetroot	from storage	from storage	from storage				fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage	from storage
Potatoes	from storage	from storage	from storage	from storage	from storage	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage	from storage
Carrots	from storage	from storage	from storage	from storage		fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage	from storage
Leeks	from storage	from storage						fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Brussels sprouts	fresh from the field	fresh from the field								fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Lamb's lettuce	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Salsify	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field

Fruit
Produce	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Strawberries					fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Cherries						fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Apricots							fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Plums								fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Apples	from storage	from storage	from storage	from storage	from storage			fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage
Pears	from storage							fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	from storage
Grapes									fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Chestnuts										fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field

Herbs and mushrooms
Produce	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Wild garlic			fresh from the field	fresh from the field
Chanterelles						fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field	fresh from the field

Guide values for open-field produce from Austria. Depending on weather, region and altitude the times shift by a few weeks.

Austrian cuisine is a cuisine of regions – with influences from Bohemia, Hungary, Italy and the Balkans that came together above all in Vienna as “Viennese cuisine”. A selection of the classics and where they come from.

Classics

Wiener Schnitzel

Thinly beaten veal, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried golden brown in plenty of fat. Only veal may be called “Wiener Schnitzel”; pork is “Schnitzel Wiener Art”.

potato salad, parsley potatoes, cranberries, lemon

Tafelspitz

Beef from the rump, slowly simmered in broth with root vegetables. The broth is often served first, then the meat.

apple horseradish, chive sauce, roast potatoes, creamed spinach

Backhendl

Breaded fried chicken – a sign of prosperity in the 18th century, today a beer-garden classic.

potato and lamb's lettuce salad, lemon

Beef goulash

Derived from Hungarian gulyás: beef braised for a long time with plenty of onions and paprika. It tastes even better the next day.

bread roll, dumplings, boiled potatoes

Kaiserschmarrn

Thick, fluffy pancake batter torn apart in the pan, caramelised and dusted with icing sugar.

plum compote, apple sauce

Germknödel

Yeast dumpling filled with plum jam, served with poppy seeds, sugar and melted butter or vanilla sauce.

poppy seed sugar, butter, vanilla sauce

Apple strudel

Paper-thin stretched strudel dough filled with apples, cinnamon, raisins and buttered breadcrumbs.

whipped cream, vanilla sauce, vanilla ice cream

Sachertorte

Chocolate cake with apricot jam and chocolate glaze, created by Franz Sacher in Vienna in 1832.

unsweetened whipped cream

Typical of the federal states

Vienna: Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, Beuschel, Kaiserschmarrn, Sachertorte, Heuriger buffet
Lower Austria: Wachau apricot dumplings, Waldviertel poppy seeds and carp, Mostviertel Mostbratl
Burgenland: Lake Neusiedl fish soup, St Martin’s goose, Grammelpogatscherl, cabbage strudel
Styria: Backhendl with pumpkin seed oil salad, Wurzelfleisch, runner beans, Sterz
Carinthia: Kärntner Kasnudeln, Reindling, char from the lakes
Upper Austria: Linzer Torte, Mühlviertel dumplings, roast pork, bacon dumplings
Salzburg: Salzburger Nockerl, Pinzgau cheese dumplings, Bierfleisch
Tyrol: Tiroler Gröstl, bacon dumplings, Schlutzkrapfen, Kiachl
Vorarlberg: Käsknöpfle, Riebel, Bregenzerwald mountain cheese

How food is cooked determines its flavour, juiciness and bite. The most important cooking methods of professional kitchens – briefly explained.

Boiling

100 °C

Cooking in plenty of bubbling liquid, e.g. pasta, potatoes or boiled beef.

Poaching

70–90 °C

Gentle cooking just below boiling point – for eggs, fish and dumplings.

Steaming

100 °C

Cooking in steam; vegetables and fish keep their colour, vitamins and shape.

Roasting / frying

160–220 °C

Cooking in fat in a pan or oven; this creates roast aromas and a crust.

Braising

120–160 °C

Sear first, then cook covered with a little liquid for a long time – for goulash, ragout and beef rolls.

Deep-frying

160–180 °C

Frying immersed in hot fat – this is how Schnitzel and Backhendl get crispy.

Grilling

above 200 °C

Cooking by radiant and contact heat, with typical grill marks and smoky aroma.

Sous-vide

50–85 °C

Vacuum-packed in a water bath at an exactly controlled temperature; meat and fish are cooked precisely and stay juicy.

Low-temperature cooking

70–120 °C

Slow cooking in the oven for hours – especially tender, with little loss of weight.

Steak doneness

Rare48–52 °C

Medium rare54–56 °C

Medium57–60 °C

Medium well61–65 °C

Well donefrom 68 °C

Core temperatures are guide values. Always cook poultry and minced meat through (at least 72 °C at the core).

What the menu says – from “à la minute” to “Zwischengericht”. Many terms come from French, some are typically Austrian.

À la minute: Freshly prepared to order.
Amuse-bouche: A small greeting from the kitchen before the menu, usually free.
Au jus: Served with its own roasting juices.
Beuschel: Viennese ragout of lung and heart in a tangy sauce.
Blanching: Briefly cooking in boiling water and plunging into ice water.
Carpaccio: Wafer-thin slices of raw meat or fish.
Confit: Slowly cooked in its own fat, e.g. duck leg.
Tasting menu: A menu of many small courses, often with matching wines.
Flambé: Doused with spirits and set alight.
Gratin: Browned under top heat in the oven until a golden crust forms.
Haube: Award of the Gault&Millau restaurant guide in Austria, from one to five toques.
Jause: Austrian for a small snack, often cold.
Mise en place: Everything prepared and set out before cooking starts.
Monter au beurre: Stirring cold butter into a sauce so it binds and shines.
Pairing: Matching drinks to the individual courses.
Reducing: Boiling down a liquid so it becomes stronger and thicker.
Carving: Cutting meat or poultry properly.
Zwischengericht: A small course between starter and main, such as a sorbet.

For a successful evening: tips on booking, ordering and paying – and what the letters next to the dishes mean.

Booking

At weekends and on public holidays a booking almost always makes sense. If you cannot come, cancel in good time – many restaurants include a cancellation link in the confirmation.

Table time

Many restaurants allocate tables in time slots, for example for two hours. The time is usually stated in the booking confirmation.

Tipping

In Austria around 5 to 10 percent is usual. You state the rounded-up amount when paying instead of leaving money on the table.

Allergies

Say what you need to watch out for when ordering. Restaurants must provide information on the 14 main allergens – often the letters are printed on the menu.

Allergen labelling (A–R)

In Austria the 14 main allergens are often marked on menus with letters:

A: cereals containing gluten
B: crustaceans
C: eggs
D: fish
E: peanuts
F: soy
G: milk and lactose
H: tree nuts
L: celery
M: mustard
N: sesame
O: sulphites
P: lupin
R: molluscs

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