Carinthian cuisine

Kärntner Nudeln:

Kärntner Nudeln (Carinthian pasta pockets) are the peak of Carinthian cuisine. A filling of crumbly curd cheese, potatoes, mint and chervil is encased in a thin pasta dough. So that nothing leaks out during cooking, the edge is elaborately pinched together (called “krendeln” in German). The pasta pockets are served with browned butter or crispy crackling.

Fish from Carinthia:

Be it char, trout, lake trout, Danube salmon, whitefish, carp, crayfish – Carinthian fish live a good life. They dart about in the lakes, streams and rivers with drinking water quality. Freshly caught, they land in the hands of creative chefs. Expertly filleted or fried whole, they become light Carinthian delicacies, which, as a bonus, are also very healthy.

Potiza:

As the name suggests, you can taste the influences of Slovenia on Carinthian cuisine. One special delicacy is the Potiza, a yeast cake with a sweet filling of poppy seeds or nuts. It’s not just excellent together with a cup of coffee, but also as an accompaniment to “yellow soup”.

Reindling:

Reindling or Pohaca is a typical Carinthian cake and is not only enjoyed at Easter or on religious festival days. The yeast dough is filled with sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and carob flour. It is then rolled up like a sausage and placed in a cast iron cake tin or in a Bundt cake tin. It is topped with melted butter and sugar, which melt during baking to form the tasty, sweet glaze.

Kärntner Speck (air-dried bacon):

Carinthian air-dried bacon is heavenly. It is not dried in a smokehouse like the famous Gailtaler Speck, but by the aromatic air of the Gurktal valley. The Seiser butcher’s in Straßburg seasons and dries the sides of bacon, which are a real speciality.

Kirchtagssuppe (church festival soup):

Whenever a church festival or a wedding takes place in Carinthia (and there are many), you will find the Carinthian church festival or yellow soup. This filling, shimmering yellow soup is prepared with different kinds of meat, cream, eggs, spices and saffron. Depending on the region it is accompanied either by Reindling, Pohaca or Potiza.

Hadntorte (buckwheat cake):

When the buckwheat (Hadn) plant flowers, southern Carinthia is covered in pink. The healthy, gluten-free, somewhat earthy-tasting grain characterises the taste of the Jauntal valley. The Rupitz family from the Gasthaus Hafner inn turn the buckwheat into ravioli, “Kranznudeln” pasta wreaths and buckwheat semolina. The crowning glory is, however, the buckwheat cake, a delightfully delicate buckwheat sponge with cream and cranberries.

Polenta:

Polenta is evidence of the taste connection to the Alps-Adriatic region. Polenta is mainly native to the Gailtal valley. You can find many recipes there, such as polenta with mushrooms or baked in the oven with cheese, polenta pasta, or the famous polenta dish called “Sterz” served with coffee or sour milk. A very special type of polenta grows in the Gailtal valley: white Gailtal Landmais.

Gailtaler Käse:

Gailtal alpine cheese can only be labelled such if it has been produced on one of the 13 alpine meadows in the Gailtal valley. Around 500 cows, which graze on the alpine meadows, provide the rich milk for the cheese, which is then cut for the first time at the end of June at a large festival on one of the alpine meadows. The brand name “Gailtaler Käse” is protected by the EU.