The Austrian cuisine boasts one of the world’s finest culinary traditions which strongly reflects the country’s imperial past of the multi-ethnic Habsburg Monarchy. Internationally primarily known as the Viennese Cuisine, it is characterized by its delectable variety, with every region having its own specialties. In fact today, the Austrian cuisine is a tasty blend of culinary influences from Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary and Italy. Particularly the sweet treats such as cakes and desserts have made the Austrian cuisine so very popular.
World-famous and not to be missed on your break from skiing in one of the numerous mountain inns is the 'Kaiserschmarrn'. This national favorite is a dessert made of flour, eggs, milk and rum-soaked raisins. The 'Kaiserschmarrn' is traditionally served with a delicious side of plum compote; alternatively, it may be refined with cherries, yellow plums, nuts or sour cream.
If we have already made your mouth water, don’t worry. Further below you will find an easy-to-do recipe, just in case you don’t want to wait until your next vacation in Austria!
The story behind the Kaiserschmarrn…
There are many legends about the origin and the name of this undoubtedly most famous Austrian dish. Some say the dessert was invented for the Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830 – 1916) in the course of one of his hunting excursions when he got astray and eventually found shelter in a farmhouse. Of course the farmer’s wife was not prepared for such a distinguished visitor. However, being an inventive woman, she served the emperor a 'Holzfällerschmarrn', a usually humble meal, which she had refined with eggs, milk and fruit. That way the ordinary 'Holzfällerschmarrn' was transformed into the noble 'Kaiserschmarrn', hence the name Emperor’s Pancake.
Another theory suggests that a pancake, made by the court cook and indented for the emperor, did not turn out the way it should have. To remedy this mishap, the cook added raisins and cherries to the torn pancake, served it with heaps of powdered sugar and made the emperor believe that it was a whole new culinary creation - which, of course, was total nonsense or 'Schmarrn' as Austrians put it. Thereafter, the dish was called 'Kaiserschmarrn' everywhere in the empire.
So, whatever the origin and the name of the 'Kaiserschmarrn': no vacation in Austria is complete without tasting this tempting famous Austrian.
KAISERSCHMARRN (serves 1 person)
Ingredients:
1/8 l milk
pinch of salt
50 g flour
3 eggs
10-20 g butter
raisins soaked in rum for 30 min
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
powdered sugar
Method:
Mix the milk, salt and flour to a smooth batter.
Gently fold in the eggs; do not completely mix the egg white and the yolk with the batter.
Melt butter in a large pan and add rum-soaked raisins, stir them around a bit.
Add the batter, fry on one side for 3-4 minutes until the batter thickens on the surface. Turn over and fry until golden brown.
Tear the pancake into bite-size pieces using two forks (do not cut). Sprinkle with granulated sugar and keep frying until the sugar turns into glaze.
Arrange the Kaiserschmarrn on a plate, dust with plenty of powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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