Faschingskrapfen or German Donuts are baked customarily at Fasching which is end of February. It’s the time of Carnival, and similar like Mardi Gras. The fist-sized pastries are not only found all year round in Franconia, but also in Southwest Germany, where they are called “Fastnachtsküchle”, and in Germany’s capital Berlin, the “Berliner”. The Krapfen […]
Read MoreSo I’m a little proud. I can’t stop looking at the pictures of my Pretzels. Aren’t they beautiful? And they taste almost like from the bakery. Who would have thought that? Years ago, I tried to bake Pretzels and I failed miserably. Baking Pretzels, or in German “Laugenbrezel” or in Bavaria “Brezn”, seemed so complicated […]
Read MoreCover photo above: Work of a Peony Rose painter anno 1784, a painted headboard in the Ackerhus Museum. The fillings show the two seasons of Spring and Summer in the form of two women. When King Max II (1811–1864) wanted to connect to the peasants, he began actively promoting the art and customs of the […]
Read MoreAt one of my visits to Salzburg a couple years ago I was longing for an Austrian sweet dish. We stopped at Cafe Mozart in the Getreidegasse to experience this local dessert. Salzburger Nockerl are light and fluffy, they are delicate vanilla-flavored dumplings, which reminds me of a soufflé. Like so many wonderful Austrian desserts […]
Read MoreGlühwein, or hot mulled wine you can make yourself, better than at any Christmas market! The alcoholic hot drink is part of the Christmas market, like the gifts under the Christmas tree. But let’s be honest, most of the time we get cheap booze for dear money at the Christmas market, and we only drink […]
Read MoreWhile strolling through the cobblestone streets of Vienna, Austria, we stopped for lunch at Café Central (est. 1876) for some original Austrian food. The waiter highly recommended this Austrian dish Kaiserschmarrn is an original Austrian sweet dish, made from Palatschinken (pancake) dough. It was created for Kaiser Franz Joseph and Elisabeth (Sissi) in 1854. He […]
Read MoreOn the way to Austria, we stopped for a couple days in the in the Salzburg area. Salzburg is located on the border with Germany at the foot of the Eastern Alps. A river name Salzach flows through the middle of the city. On the left bank is the old town, designated as a pedestrian […]
Read MoreWhile on vacation in Sankt Gilgen, Austria I had this typical Austrian dish called “Käsespatzen”. It consists of Spaetzle noodles and grated hard cheese that is alternately stacked and garnished with fried onions. The Cheese Spaetzle are pushed into the hot oven after they have been layered, so that the Spaetzle does not cool down and the […]
Read MoreA delicacy is the “Steckerlfisch” or Fish on a Stick is a Spanish Mackerel that is grilled over a dug out pit with a grey layer of amber. This type of fish is one of my favorites visiting German or Austrian folk festivals.
The Steckerlfisch originates from the “kitchen” of the former Danube fishermen, and has been written about in books of the early 1900’s.
One wonders if you have a genuine “Kaisergugelhupf” (Emperor bundt cake) on your plate at the Café. Only bakers and baking enthusiasts, who do a little research would be familiar with the true consistency of the dough. After all, we know there are many different variations on the internet, and there is very large collections […]
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