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The Potato - One Of Austria's Most Consumed Vegetables
By Bernhard Baumgartner, Fri Dec 9th
The Potato - One Of Austria's Most Consumed Vegetables
By Bernhard Baumgartner, Fri Dec 9th
My mother used to say, "I could do without bread, but notwithout potatoes." Austria´s domestic cooking was based on whatgrew in the ground and hence filled the stomach. When the potatocame to Europe in the 16th century, hunger haunted the land. Ittook almost half a century for European rulers to discover thatthey could feed their people by widespread cultivation ofpotatoes. Through experience and creativity, the potato became a mainingredient in many Austrian recipes, not only as a side-dish,but as the basis of doughs, croquets, mashes, cream soups, saladdressings, and the popular warm potato salad, or its extensionthe mayonnaise salad. Potatodough is ubiquitous in Austrian cuisine. It is used tomake potato dumplings, poppy seed noodles or wonderful apricotdumplings. Also, minced smoked sausage or leftover roast aremixed with sautéed onions, wrapped in potato dough and cooked asdumplings. Another very popular dumpling, made of potato dough,is called Grammel Knoedel. Grammeln(Grieben in Germany, crackling in England) are renderedfrom pork fat. The raw fatty coat of the pig is skinned and thencut into two-inch cubes. After hours of cooking on low heat,occasionally stirred, the crunchy remains of the lard cubes haveseparated from the liquid fat. The rendered crackling is cooled,chopped, seasoned with garlic, freshly-chopped parsley, salt andpepper, and formed into little balls. These in turn are coveredwith potato dough and cooked in
salted water. Served withsauerkraut and gravy, you have an incredibly delicious dishwhich I invite you to try out. (Article continued below)
The potato plant originates in South America. In the 16thcentury the Spanish King Philip was presented with a casket froma ship returning from South America. It contained an unknowntuberous plant. Before the potato landed in the cooking pots itwas a popular plant for the garden, valued for its beautifulblossom. Spanish seamen probably discovered the nutritional useof the potato tuber. There was, of course, no manual to make itknown to European farmers, and it is absolutely inedible raw orharvested before mature. But, with experience, the floodgatesopened and the triumph of the potato was assured to this day. Returning to the question asking what Austria would be withoutpotatoes, I can hardly imagine. Thank Mother Nature for thepotato; without it, cooking and eating would only be half ofwhat they are today.
About the author:Bernhard runs a website about Austrian cooking, featuringtraditional Austrian food, recipes with step-by-step guide andlots of pictures. More articles about Austrian food and unique recipes at www.bernhards.at | Sign In |
