Food in Austria
 

A couple of months ago, I posted a question about how to avoid high fat, fried foods in Austria. I got the impression that everything in fatty and fried. Is this true? How do I look for grilled or roasted meats , steamed veggies, and non-creamy sauces on pasta on the menus?

Yes. <BR>All the Austrians eat is fried chicken, fried steak, fried cereal, fried fish, fried cookies, and fried refried beans.

Obviously Ross is joking; his reply is totally inaccurate. The Austrians have a pretty diversified diet that is high in fresh vegetables in season, and usually the meats are pork and veal. But fresh fish from the many lakes in Austria can also be pretty common in almost any restaurant. It will not be difficult to find grilled or roasted meats. You might not find vegetables that have been steamed, but they will be fresh and cooked without a lot of fat. As for sauces, you are on your own. I can't believe, however, that one or two meals with some kind of creamy sauce will bring on a heart attack. Go and enjoy what they have; it's one heck of a lot more nourishing than the average American restaurant.

Let's put it this way. Austrian food by in large is better than what you find here in such places as Ryan's, O'Charley's, Outback, and similar places where quantity counts and quality takes a back seat. Some of those meals must have 3,000 calories!!<BR><BR>If anything, you don't see nearly as many tubby, blubbery Austrians as you do Americans. I don't recall seeing more than a handful of gigantic sway bellies in Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg, and I am not sure they were all Austrians. <BR><BR>I have been in Austria several times and never had a problem finding relatively decent food.

We had the most wonderful food in Austria in April: lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish. Just depends on the restaurant, like here. Find a small dictionary in a bookstore that has words for food - usually you can find one specifically for food.<BR>Have a great trip.<BR>

From my visit to Austria, I had the impression that fried foods are less popular there than in the USA. Of course, unless you know what you are ordering, there is always the possibility you could accidentally order fried foods.<BR><BR>Austrian menus are written in German. If you do not know German, and want to know what you are ordering, you should carry a German-English dictionary with you, preferably a foods dictionary. <BR>

This is pure silliness and I hope it's not a troll post. Sure, fried food is available in Austria--as it is almost everywhere in Europe. But Austria also offers some wonderful, tasty, delightfully healthy food with lots of fresh vegetables, salads with delicious and good for you pumpkin oil dressing, and so on. I travel to Austria about 3-4 times a year and we spend our summer vacation in Austria and have always eaten VERY well. In fact, some of the best meals I have ever had anywhere--including Paris--have been in Vienna and the small Austrian town of Seckau.

The one thing I wanted in Austria was some cheese fondue, and yet every time we asked for it we received the meat-in-oil type...is there a special way to order it???

Cheese fondue = K&auml;se Fondue<BR>

I travel a lot and enjoy food a lot. I couldn't stand the food in Austria and lived on croissants, chocolate and tomatos/mozzarella for a week. I actually got physically ill for the first time in my travels (after trying to eat normally for 3 days). Gave up after that. Everything is meat and cheese. You can barely find a salad on a menu. You have to ask! I tried to eat light and ordered a shrimp cocktail. I got a bed of iceburg lettuce with canned baby shrimp on top (not even rinsed!) and smothered in russian dressing. That was when I gave up. Oh, and by the way, we ate in moderate to expensive restaurants most of the time, no fast food. The good news? I lost 8 pounds.

My wife and I were in Austria in Nov. and found the food wonderful. I had a friend who was in Switzerland last year and said the food was very bland and ordinary...but that definitely was not the case in Austria. We often would ask the waitstaff what they recommended as a "traditional" Austrian lunch or dinner and had wonderful recommendations. I think the weiner schnitzel was the only fried food I had.<BR>

I just returned from Austria last week. Didn't touch a single schnitzel or wurst. The breakfast at the hotels I stayed at were were buffet-style with whole grain breads, fresh and stewed fruit, cheeses, sliced cold meats, etc. For lunch, many of the cafes in Vienna offer a prix fixe meal, almost always with a pasta or veggie casserole option. I'm not actually a vegetarian, just someone who has cut down on meat intake, and I ate very well for the entire 2 weeks I was in Austria. It is true that sauces tend to be on the creamier side, after all, this is a culture known for their dairy intake. But you can always ask for dressings on salads to brought separately, for instance. Vienna in particular has many good Italian restaurants, also quite a few places that mix heavier traditional cuisine with more internationally-influenced cooking.<BR>I shopped in the local farmers markets for fresh fruits and was very pleased at the quality. Oh, and it was "spargelzeit", that is, asparagus season - so I had a lot of both green and white types in risottos, side dishes, pastas.<BR>Whatever you do, don't deny yourself some extra calories for dessert and yummy coffee drinks once in a while - what's a visit to Vienna without a healthy dose of whipped cream?

Meat, Cheese and assorted sausages. I cannot wait! I am visiting Austria this summer and I am thrilled that I will be able to stick to my diet "Atkins". I agree that you see far less overweight individuals in Europe. I look forward to my trip and maitaining my size 4 figure. They obviously have it figured out.