Austrian Cuisine
Ahh, the pastries! You cannot fail to love them - strudel, sachertorte and Vanillekipferl (delicious little nut crescent cookies made with ground almonds) - even as you feel guilty about indulging!
The major international food chains, McDonald's et al, have not yet gained a foothold in Austria, where people prefer to linger as they please over great coffee and inexpensive food in Coffee Houses, where newspapers are provided free and nobody is in a hurry.
In the evening heurigers, or wine taverns, serve simple menus, again in a relaxed atmosphere and often with live musical accompaniment.
National Dishes
Pretzels (Brezen) in both sweet and savoury varieties are available everywhere - in restaurants, bars and from street stalls.
Vienna is home to Weiner Schnitzel, breaded veal cutlets, and other traditional dishes include Knodel (cheese dumplings), Girardi-Rostbraten (roast beef with bacon) and Zweibelrostbraten (essentially beef with onions).
It's all fairly hearty stuff, and while it might hit the spot after a day's skiing those in search of more refined food will be pleased to know that many restaurants have excellent interpretations of traditional food in a lighter more modern style.
Beer & Wine
Austria produces some of Europe's best wine, and while Austrian Riesling is well known for its quality, locals prefer wine made from the Veltliner grape, which is fruity and very dry, almost tart. White wine is the best choice, there are relatively few high quality Austrian reds.
Austrian beers are very good too and are an excellent accompaniment for traditional dishes like Schnitzel. Among the the best are Stiegl Bier from Salzburg, Gosser Bier from Graz and Sipger Bier which is very popular in the northern regions.