#37: Austrian Food

My background is sort of the ideal one for a food blogger, because it’s varied and random enough that I can pretend to have authority on a variety of cuisines. While my last name is German, my father is actually Peruvian. While my mother is German, the previous 5 or so generations actually resided in Hungary. And to confuse the mix, apparently our dialect and food on that side are much closer to Austrian… did I mention I grew up in Argentina?

Alright, the point being it was with some sense of authority that my family and I entered Wallse (pronounced valsay…See? See my authority?), feeling like we were eating the food of “our people”. And we definitely did…if our people were, like the emperors of Austria. The first thing I’ll say about Wallse is it’s pricey. But if you can look beyond that (see money in the sky theory), this was a really cool experience.

Every single wine (white and red), was Austrian. The spaetzle that came with my rabbit was as light and fluffy as dough can be… did I mention that was my first course? This was followed by a smoked trout over potatoes, and then a goulash that tasted deliciously traditional but looked anything but. The supremely exciting moment was the desserts. While the strudel was not of the same caliber as the one my Oma made growing up (which, by the way, she was happy to declare to the waitress many times), you must get the Salzburger Nockerl (pictured above). It’s like the baby of a meringue and a soufflé. And whether you love it or hate it, it’s truly authentic, unique and in my mind delicious (something difficult to find when it comes to desserts).

PS. I have been delighted over the past few days to find many of you are in fact still reading. Today at a 4^th of July BBQ with my fabulous extended family (a meal worth a blog in it’s own right) my cousin said he reads it...and then suggested I mention to my readers I am not in fact a million pounds overweight. Are whiskey and fried hamburgers not good for you?