Experience Culinary Delights in Styria
Savour cordiality!
From glaciers to vineyards
A journey through the Green Heart of Austria – a distinction Styria earned by having the highest proportion of forest in the country – leads from the Dachstein glacier to the pleasure capital Graz, to the healing springs of the thermal region and the rolling hills of the wine regions. Despite these different types of landscapes, the people are united by one characteristic: Styrian cordiality. It is characterised by uncomplicated curiosity, spiced with generosity and a portion of serenity.
One could say that pumpkin seed oil runs through the veins of the Styrians. The green gold lends this delicate, nutty flavour to dishes such as Grazer Krauthäuptel Salad, Fried Chicken Salad, the Runner Bean Salad and desserts. Visitors can taste crisp and sweet apple varieties from Arlet, Gala, Crown Prince Rudolf to Elstar on the Apple Road, which winds its way through eastern Styria. In the cold spring water in the Alps, char, trout and mountain prawn cavort. Southern flair and fruity wines can be enjoyed at wine festivals and in Buschenschanken (wine taverns) along the Styrian Wine Routes. A charming corner of the world with warm-hearted people. This is "genuinely Styrian."
Foodie favourites in Styria
Enjoy Kasnocken (Austrian Mac'n'Cheese) with Styrian cheese, Ennstaler lamb roast or Bauernkrapfen in a rustic alpine hut with a view of the peaks. Have breakfast on the lake on a wooden boat or dine on an Aussee char, a brown trout, or mountain prawns from fresh spring water on the lake terrace.
However, this is only a small excerpt from the Styrian menus in the Alps. This year, as part of the Styrian "Almkulinarik by Richard Rauch" in the Schladming-Dachstein region, top chef Richard Rauch is once again creating surprising dishes from regional products together with 14 mountain hut owners. And because Styrians have discovered their love of wine as well as beer, a fitting Styrian wine is recommended with each new dish.
Gourmet huts in Styria
In Eastern Styria, the Styrian Apple Road is a real apple extravaganza! Fruit farms show off their apples with flair, each variety boasting fun names like Topaz, Pinova, Gala, Golden Delicious, Idared, and Jonagold. These apples are turned into everything from juices and nectar to cider, spirits, and liqueurs. Don't miss out on Apple Road wine – a zesty, low-alcohol treat that's perfect for those hot summer days, made from the Dalinbel variety. You can taste homemade goodies at the Styrian Fruit Tree Museum 'House of Apples' or in charming farm shops.
Culinary tips along the Apple Road
The Culinary Capital Graz owes this recognition to the friendly and innovative restaurateurs who rely on local products and embrace creativity. At farmers' markets like the ones on Kaiser Josef Markt or Lendplatz, during culinary city tours or at the "Long Table" on the Hauptplatz, locals, visitors, chefs and farmers come together. Foodies are everywhere in the city: whether at the Graz clock tower overlooking the rooftops of Graz, having lunch in the inns of the old town, or at picnics in the castle park.
Culinary experiences in Graz
In the Styrian "Thermen- & Vulkanland Region," Route 66 leads to the culinary delights of southeastern Styria: to pumpkin seed oil pressed from the seeds of Styrian oil pumpkins, to the blue-violet speckled runner beans that are processed into runner bean salad, soups, strudels and spreads, or to crispy fried chicken and fine Vulcano ham. The southern flair of the region attracts creative cooks and farmers who look forward to your visit at their farm stores, taverns, inns and manufactories.
Culinary experiences in the Thermen- & Vulkanland
The eight wine roads in Styria are spread over three winegrowing regions:
The Thermen- und Vulkanland, where the vines are rooted in volcanic rock.
Southern Styria, where the landscape is characterised by steep vineyards, orchards, forests and modern wine-growing architecture.
Western Styria, a small but important rosé wine region, where Schilcher wine is made from the Blauer Wildbacher grape.
Everywhere, visitors encounter the Klapotetz, a wooden windmill of sorts that rattles in the vineyards to scare away the birds. It is the emblem of the Styrian wine country and the winemaking tradition. Visitors like to cycle or hike from Buschenschank to Buschenschank (wine tavern) and taste Styrian wines such as Welschriesling, Morillon/Chardonnay, Schilcher, Gelber Muskateller and Sauvignon blanc along the eight wine roads accompanied by Styrian delicacies.