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Austrian cuisine incorporates a variety of components closely linked with the country’s history. Their origins, although self-evident in many cases, are often shrouded in the mists of time. Nowadays, too, steady exposure to a stream of new influences leads to a constantly shifting balance between tradition and innovation.

Regional cooking, one of the mainstays of Austrian cuisine in general, is a sector in which predominantly local ingredients are used. Here, innovations have been few and far between, and any change has been the outcome of a long and gradual process. The inclusion of potatoes in regional dishes and a shift from millet - once the traditional grain - to maize are two striking cases in point. Some of the maize used to be brought to Austria overland by way of the Balkans and some by sea via Venice, for centuries one of the main reloading points. Polenta, the name of the mash made from what is still a staple cereal, is a reflection of the Italian trading route, while "Turkish corn" (or quite simply "Turks"), another name for the grain, points to the Turkish connection.

Another factor responsible for the distinctive features of regional food were the sources of heat and cooking techniques used locally. Dishes prepared directly over an open fire were quite different in character from those cooked more slowly in a hot oven.

Age-old boundaries between the clear-cut "gastronomic regions" only began to disappear after the advent and widespread adoption of the economical cooking stove, a single device, which allowed both cooking techniques to be used. This newfangled invention first caught on in the big city, Vienna. Not until over a century later - after World War II, or even as late as the 1950s and 1960s - did it reach the most remote parts of the country as well, Consequently Vienna was the first place to enjoy the benefits of the new-style stove, and this gave it an advantage in mastering the techniques of cooking and baking. It was there, too, that a range of different types of flour, including the finely ground variety produced by the new high milling process, first appeared on the market. Beet sugar was also within everybody’s means, and under the expert tutelage of the "Bohemian cook" - her reputation is a byword even today - Vienna became a city famous for its exquisite cakes and pastries which, in addition to confectionery, included desserts and sweets served as main dishes as well. As a token of the high esteem in which they hold Viennese cakes and pastries, bakers and pastry cooks in other countries sometimes call their own special delicacies "Wiener Bäckerei" - Viennese confectionery.

Everyday fare used to be extremely simple and lacking in variety. By contrast, on high days and holidays, like wedding or Christmas celebrations for instance, the tables would groan under the burden of the rich spread of foods literally dripping with grease. On those occasions guests would eat until they were fit to burst, gobbling up as much as they possibly could at one sitting. They suffered no lasting ill-effects, though; a return to everyday fare, which rapidly compensated for any over-indulgence, followed on all to soon.

The Austrian bill of fare owes a lot to the specialities of other countries. While everyone knows about the great influence the French cuisine wields and the respect it commands as a model worthy of imitation, little or nothing at all is known about the decisive role other countries have played in the Austrian kitchen. Continental Europe - and that means Austria too - has the English to thank for Serviettenknödel (dumpling rolypoly) and roast beef, but then, for a long time, England was regarded as a stronghold of epicurean cooking. Nevertheless, most people in Austria are aware that the Schnitzel (or escalope) came from Italy, goulash from Hungary, and that the Kolatsche (yeast pastry with a sweet or curd cheese filling) and the Liwanze (a kind of yeast pancake), for example, originated in Bohemia. Serbian meat risotto, Serbian bean soup, shish kebab or "Balkan spit", as it is sometimes called, raznici (a variety of meats grilled on a skewer) and cevapcici (small highly- seasoned meat rissoles) - evidence of the Balkan influence - were all adopted as everyday fare apart from appearing regularly on restaurant and Gasthaus menus (there is no exact counterpart to the Austrian "Gasthaus"; it is usually a fairly simple restaurant which serves traditional food). Over the past few decades the popularity of these Balkan specialities has undergone a revival as a consequence of the influx of large numbers of migrant workers from the Balkan regions. In more recent years further ethnic culinary influences were ushered in from Turkey (a country with a large contingent of migrant workers in Austria) and Greece. Not only home cooking, but the catering trade, too, reflect these later influences, for over and above the numerous long-established Balkan restaurants, dozens of Greek and Turkish eating places have sprung up over the last few years. The choice of places to eat out has been even further extended by a phenomenal number of Chinese restaurants, most of which are taking over premises once occupied by traditional Viennese "Beisln" (cosy, inexpensive pubs or taverns which serve simple meals). All of these, plus the many establishments which specialize in food from yet other regions, make the gastronomic delights Vienna has to offer today very cosmopolitan. Anyone keen to get to know the native cuisine, however, will naturally pick out a Gasthaus or restaurant which serves typically Austrian food. Of late the Austrian catering trade has reverted to preparing simple, hearty meals and regional specialities. Consequently, visitors to Austria. even if they do not have the good fortune to receive invitations to private houses, can sample the entire range of products of the Austrian kitchen.

Jewish cookery has also left its mark on the repertoire of our cooks. We have our close contact with the Jewish sector of the population to thank for cholent. for example, a dish traditionally served on the Sabbath. It is prepared on Friday, before sundown, and left to cook slowly in a cool oven until the following day. thus providing the family with a hot meal on the Sabbath. There are many different versions of cholent, but meat, dried beans and other types of vegetable are usually the basic ingredients. "Barches", bread made of sweetened dough, plaited and sprinkled with poppy seeds, can still be bought in Vienna today, but few people are aware of its origin. Kosher Jewish restaurants are open to all and sundry and the meals they serve are yet another addition to the list of traditional cuisines represented in present-day Vienna.  

Folk customs are an important source of information about the everyday life of ordinary people. They are no longer considered as pagan relics of prehistoric times, but as "ethological" codes of social groups closely connected with the society and economy. A certain length of time is still regarded as an essential requirement, but the former concept of uninterrupted continuity through centuries without change has already been abandoned.

Folk customs can aim at intimacy - family customs - or at a public audience - public customs. This document understandably presents public customs because as a rule only these are accessible to visitors. The latter should keep in mind that Austrian culture has been predominantly formed by Catholicism, which also left its traces on non-religious customs.

The City of Vienna is trying to trace the rightful owners of artworks and cultural artifacts currently in its possession that were stolen during the Nazi era.

In a ruling by Vienna City Council on 29 April 1999, Vienna municipal council was authorized to return certain items on display in the city's museums, libraries, archives and collections to their rightful owners (or their legal heirs). These items had been classified as questionable acquisitions (through robbery, confiscation, expropriation etc.) but passed into the possession of the City of Vienna after 1945 when an export ban prevented them from being returned to their former owners. Where the rightful owner cannot be traced, the items are being handed over to the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism and used to benefit victims of the Nazi regime.

The City of Vienna wishes to ensure the restitution of the original artwork or cultural artifact in as many cases as possible and will only allow the use of the item to benefit victims of the Nazi regime where the rightful owner cannot be traced. To this end, the website of the Museen der Stadt Wien (please click on link below) has featured 148 objects acquired from the headquarters of Vugesta (Gestapo Office for the Disposal of the Property of Jewish Emigrants) with photos and a detailed description of each item since 27 September 2001. It has also featured 1545 objects acquired during the Nazi era by the Dorotheum auction house since 27 August 2002, as well as a list of 550 objects acquired from art and antique dealers, 12 public donations and 212 purchases and donations by Julius Fargel since September 2003. The owners of these items at the time the Nazis came to power in Austria in March 1938 have not yet been identified beyond doubt. These lists were last updated on 1 July 2005.

www.wienmuseum.at

From the time Vugesta was set up in early autumn 1940 until the end of the war, it “disposed” of the property of 5,000 to 6,000 Jewish families who emigrated or were deported, and the furniture of at least 10,000. There are clear indications that acquisitions by "Städtische Sammlungen" from Vugesta were stolen from Jewish owners. These items are therefore now to be returned. The same is true of acquisitions from Julius Fargel, who simultaneously worked as an evaluator of paintings for Vugesta and a restorer of paintings for "Städtische Sammlungen". With regard to acquisitions from the Dorotheum auction house, art and antique dealers, as well as donations by public authorities, it is likely that some of these objects were auctioned or sold as a result of Nazi persecution activities. These objects are therefore likewise to be returned to their rightful owners or their legal heirs.

Museen der Stadt Wien requests that information about the origin of objects acquired from Vugesta, the Dorotheum, other art and antique dealers, public authorities and Julius Fargel, with details on their former owners or present-day claimants, be addressed to those responsible for restitution at Museen der Stadt Wien, namely:

Dr. Peter Eppel
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
A-1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Phone: +43 - 1-505 87 47-84034
Fax: +43 - 1-505 87 47 - 7201
E-mail: peter.eppel(at)wienmuseum.at

or

MMag. Dr. Michael Wladika
Wien Museum Karlsplatz
A-1040 Wien, Karlsplatz
Phone: +43 - 0664 213 0481
Fax: +43 - 1 505 8747 - 7201
E-mail: michael.wladika(at)wienmuseum.at

In German, Spurensuche refers to the discovery of something found in a particular place. It involves the search for things, ideas, products, works of art or cultural goods, which were left by those who came before us and continue to make their presence felt in our time.

Now, for the first time, Austrians, Swiss and Germans are exploring common themes that relate to the ethnic presence of their respective groups in the American Midwest.

For further information, please visit:

http://www.spurensuchemidwest.org/