Favourite Foods of Central Europe

Ah, the local food and wine! One of the great joys of travelling is the sampling of local dishes. Many treats and high quality foods await you in Central Europe. You'll find popular dishes with slight variations from country to country.

Leave your diet at home as the region isn't known for low fat cuisine. Potatoes are a staple, dairy products are rich, many dishes are fried and there is a wide variety of tempting sweets – all delicious.

Here are some of the many favourite local dishes you will find as you explore Central Europe:

Savoury Foods

• Deli foods - Delightful delis with a huge selection of meats, cheeses and fresh baked rolls make lunches easy as you travel around.
• Pretzels - In Germany, soft and chewy dinner plate sized pretzels accompany your brew at the many beer gardens.
• Wiener Schnitzel - Veal scallops, breaded, deep-fried in fresh oil.
• Wiener Backhendl – A delicious fried chicken.
• Sausages – of all kinds. Frankfurter sausages actually originated in Vienna not Germany.
• Sauerkraut – This fermented cabbage dish is used in many recipes and often served with sausages.
• Spaetzle - Tiny egg noodles or dumplings served as a side dish and added to soups.
• Potato pancakes – Called Bramboraky Pleasures in the Czech Republic and popular in Germany and Austria as well.
• Other potato dishes – Potato salads, dumplings, soups, sautéed with onions and Rösti, a dish from the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland - grated potato that is crisply fried and turned in one piece, like a pancake.

Sweet Treats

• Apple Strudel – This Austrian favourite must be made with paper thin filo pastry, apples and raisins.
• Chocolate Cakes – Often with a layer of fruit filling as in Germany's Black Forest cake (cherry) and Austria's Sachertorte (apricot).
• Gingerbread – It's the blend of spices and honey that give gingerbread a unique taste. It has a long history in Europe with gingerbread houses originating in Germany.
• Pastries – Viennese and others are a must with your coffee. You'll find bakeries with rows of delicious pastries, cookies and cakes that are beautiful and irresistible.

Enjoy Anytime

• Cheese and chocolate – These specialties of the region are also staple foods. You'll even find them on the breakfast smorgasbord.
• Marzipan – the connoisseur's choice is Lübeck marzipan, from the German town with a 1,000 year history.