Styria finds its place in the sun...
Ah, Vienna... Yes it’s amazing. But the real foodie find is Styria where Barbara Collins watched pampered pigs listen to Beethoven
Mention the word Styria to an Austrian and they’ll immediately picture orchards laden with fruit and endless fields of vegetables. This is nicknamed the ‘Green Heart’ of the country, where 61% of the land is covered with trees, grass and crops.
It’s an 80-minute drive from the capital Vienna (more on that later) and is home to a growing band of food producers who deserve to be much more widely known outside Austria.
First stop was the brilliantly bonkers Zotter Chocolate factory. It’s as close to a real-life Willy Wonka experience as you will get. Josef Zotter has created a chocolate utopia out of a few hectares belonging to his family. Hordes of schoolchildren were clamouring for his attention as he greeted us before taking us on a tour. We stood among dozens of wooden boxes containing cacao beans from across the world as he explained how each country’s produce has different flavour notes.
There were chocolate injection shots, hot drinks, hand-scooped CD shapes and traditional looking chocolate shapes that were completely off-field in terms of flavour combinations. Fish or worm anyone? Zotter is all about the challenge and any flavour which falls out of favour is relegated to the onsite Flavour Cemetery beside the Edible Zoo and fabulous Essbar organic restaurant. I cannot recommend this place highly enough – for kids and big kids masquerading as adults.
That afternoon was spent tasting some air-dried ham from the fattest, most-pampered pigs I have ever come across. They were listening to Beethoven and could have a shower whenever they wanted. That was at Vulcano where their hams and pork products rival prosciutto and Parma ham.
Then we discovered an ingredient which I have been addicted to ever since – pumpkin seed oil. This jade green oil is a speciality of Styria and while it doesn’t like being heated up, it adores being used in salads and poured over vanilla ice-cream. Yes, really!
A further stop at the Gölles Schnapps Distillery & Vinegar Factory provided an interesting insight into how schnapps and the region’s vinegars are made. I particularly liked the Pear Balsamic Vinegar and the Pear Schnapps. A visitor centre will open there soon.
Then it was on to a very cool hotel indeed. The Rogner Bad Blumau was designed by architect Friedrich Stowasser. He didn’t like straight lines so there are were lots of curved spaces and uneven floors as well as quite of bit of crazy paving. There is a natural hot spring on site so this is a very popular spa destination. The curtained four poster beds in the rooms are a nice touch.
Next morning, we headed back into Vienna for a tour of Staud’s Preserves, renowned internationally for its fruit and vegetable preserves. Mr Staud himself talked us through the business. My favourite products were the pickled mushrooms and the Chardonnay Wine Jelly. I bought some of both.
You can’t go to Vienna without visiting a coffee house. It’s like stepping back in time to sit among the always brown furniture and watch uniformed waitresses (never waiters) bring you Wiener Schnitzel and classic Sachertorte. Demel is the most famous of these and it truly is a must-do to have a coffee and cake there.
Personally I found the Sachertorte to be over-rated because it’s dry inside, but the cream cakes and gateaux had layers of interesting combinations. You can watch the staff working on more creations through a floorto-ceiling window. The Apple Strudel was a feat of engineering. This place is not cheap but the quality is outstanding and the packaging irresistible on the giftboxed chocolates.
It was time for some retail therapy and happily, the Golden U shopping area is right beside Demel. You can walk around Gucci, Chanel, Armani et al but
there are plenty of more affordable clothes shops especially kids’ clothing makers Peek.
That night we went to Steirereck which is listed as the 15th Best Restaurant in the World. For a special occasion, this would be a major treat. The service is impeccable and the food exciting. One of the many courses was fish cooked in beeswax in front of our eyes. The bread basket alone blew me away with the choice and I had never had lemon verbena tea with leaves clipped from a living plant and brewed for exactly seven minutes before, but that’s what you get in one of the world’s best restaurants.
Another dining option in Vienna which is cheaper but no less exciting is the traditional Heuriger. It’s basically a seasonal buffet in a traditional Austrian wine tavern. We went to the Mayer Am Pfarrplatz for asparagus but you may find that you’re there in mushroom or pumpkin season. This place had grapes growing on overhead vines. It was cool to drink the wine made from those very grapes.
While I knew Vienna would be fantastic, Styria was the real find on this trip. I suspect Unknown Austria is about to step into the spotlight.