Dispatches From an Austrian Grocery Store

Skiing was so much fun, it really was. But one afternoon, our energy levels pooped out entirely (the infamous third day!) and so a few friends and I decided to go souvenir shopping at the local grocery store in the next town over from our little village. Ooh! We found some serious gems. Here's what I bought:

Gelierzucker is what Germans and Austrians use to make jams and jellies. It's sugar mixed with powdered pectin. Have you ever seen more beautiful packaging? I don't believe I have. It is the only reason I bought this sugar and if I could have, I would have bought a case. Wiener Zucker seems to be Austria's Domino and they make all kinds of different sugars, including powdered sugar that comes in an equally enchantingly designed box. (Austrians call powdered sugar Staubzucker, which means "dust sugar". This, for some reason, pleases me to no end.)

Another purchase just for the package. This, my friends, is pickling salt. Enough for 50 kilos of meat once mixed with a couple kilos of table salt. Apparently, it's best used when "butchering at home". Why yes, of course I need this in my new kitchen! Who wouldn't? I plan on doing a lot of meat butchering and pickling this year. Seriously, I could not pass this by. Could you have? Look at that little pig! It was too much.

The Austrians have all sorts of adorable names for things. Like the aforementioned "dust sugar" or "ice box" for refrigerator or "powidl" for plum jam. They also call black currants schwarze Ribisel (pronounced REE-BEE-sel), which is so perfect, isn't it? Of course they're little Ribisel! That's exactly what they are. Anyway, d'Arbo is an Austrian jam maker that does a lot of business worldwide (you can find their jams in New York and Berlin anyway), but I'd never seen this delicate little jelly anywhere before.

While in the jam aisle, physically restraining myself from reaching out and putting everything I saw in the basket, I made an exception for Staud's apricot jam, made with pure fruit. Austrians call apricots Marillen, which always makes me think of Marilla Cuthbert, who was Anne of Green Gables's caretaker, in case you didn't read that book 14 times (uh, I didn't get out much in the 5th grade) and so I am powerless when it comes to them. Also, Dean & Deluca sell Staud marmalades for totally atrocious prices, which always rather appalled me, so part of why I bought this was because it was cheap. Chee-heap.

My shopping companions spent a lot more time than I did eyeing, discussing and marveling over all the cured meats available at the store. Let's just say, if you're into cured pig, especially but not exclusively, there is a lot to get excited about in Austria. I liked the look of this maroon slab of dry-cured bacon (which, literally translated, means "ham bacon", har) out of Carinthia. I'll let you know what I end up using it for. Right now I just like hefting it back and forth.

Cabanossi, I have recently learned, are one of Austria's greatest salami products. Thin and chewy and completely addictive, some people I know take them skiing to gnaw on during breaks (I can't seem to even handle chewing gum while on the slopes, but that's another story). They're not that easy to find outside of Austria and certainly impossible to find outside of Central Europe. I wasn't allowed to leave the store without buying a package.

Mozartkugel! Do you know about Mozartkugel? A ball of pistachio paste covered with a layer of nougat covered by a layer of marzipan, then covered in dark chocolate. Delicious little things. These are not authentic; no, the real, true, authentic Mozartkugel are only made at a confiserie in Salzburg, where Mozart was from. But unless you go to Salzburg or pay a lot of money to have them shipped, they're out of reach. These industrial ones from Mirabell are pretty and delicious and very easily squashed into a suitcase. Also, affordable. Mozartkugel for everyone!

I mentioned Austria's gorgeous pumpkinseed oil in my last grocery store post. But what Styria, the pumpkinseed capital of Austria, is also famous for is apple cider vinegar. This near-liter bottle cost a whopping €1.99, plus the packaging was so stylish I couldn't resist. I plan on splashing this liberally into potato, cabbage and beet salads.

And now we come to the mustards. Lovely people, the mustards. I could have spent an hour in the mustard aisle and I don't even love mustard as much as I love ketchup. It was insane. Insanely wonderful. All kinds of metal tubes and bottles and flavors and oh my goodness, you would have thought we'd never even seen mustard before the way we carried on in there. I managed to get out of that store with only five (5!) tubes and I tell you, I practiced some serious restraint.

Above, in exhibit A, we have the classic Wiener Würstel mustard (semi-sweet, whatever that means). If you go to any butcher in Germany and ask for a Wiener Wurst, you will get what looks like a slightly elongated American hot dog (no bun, obvs). (Wien, in case you were wondering, is Vienna in German.) You can eat it on the spot, cold, or go home and heat it up in water. Either way it's iconic and delicious and apparently, this is what you should be dipping it in.

Austrians have a thing for fresh horseradish. They call it Kren and dudes, it is HOT. They like shredding it over an open-faced sandwich or grating it onto boiled beef and holy hotness, it should come with a warning. MAY BLOW YOUR FACE OFF or CAN PERMANENTLY RECONFIGURE SINUSES. I do believe it could be hotter than wasabi. This here, exhibit B, is horseradish mustard, labeled "hot". Um, YES. Don't let that goofy horseradish root cartoon drawing fool you.

Here, Exhibit C, we have the remaining three mustards I bought. Tarragon mustard (savory-hot), at the bottom, a traditional Austrian mustard from Krems in the middle (mild-sweet), and then something called "English Special Mustard" (sweet-hot) at the top. Aren't they darling? The metal tubes are cool and smooth to the touch. The terrible thing is this: I bought these as gifts and now can't bring myself to give them away. How can I live another day not knowing what English Special Mustard tastes like? Or the original sweet mustard from Krems? Or that spicy tarragon mustard?

Yes, there was that thing about there not being much room left in the suitcase, what with the apple cider vinegar and the sugar and the preserves and the cured meats and the freaking pickling salt, but really, I have learned my lesson: there must always be room for more mustard.

Comments

[Paige Orloff]

Sigh. I had no idea I needed to go to Austria to go grocery shopping; after your earlier post, I was just excited for what I'm going to find in Berlin. What's a girl to do? That sugar package alone is reason to book a trip. Thank you, I think, for the delicious temptation...

[Jessika]

You seem bubbly with happiness, it is really nice to see/read :)

[Dan]

Great post! I recognize much of the stuff I just have to buy every time we are in Austria. If you are so much into grocery shopping, next time you go there, you must visit Iulius Meinl am Graben in Vienna; this is the mother of all groceries stores in the world!

[the lacquer spoon]

I like grocery explorations too when travelling. And the suger is not only practical, but soo cute in design! I'll definitely, definitely have one for souvenir :)

[Maninas]

Yay mozartkugel! I know them, and love them! Haven't had them in ages.

That packet of sugar is incredibly beautiful!

[heather]

great haul! i remember trying Mozartkugeln in Austria and despising them. however i was 16 and wasn't too fond of marzipan or pistachios. now i've learned the error of my ways, and would probably gobble them up in one sitting. must go back to Austria!

cheers,

*heather*

[iga@thedelishdish]

i love learning about foreign grocery staples!! these look so fun...looks like you got a nice selection for yourself. the mustards in the tubes are such a smart idea!

[radish]

Man, i heart the black currant stuff. And in Russian, horseradish is called Chren -- and it is some powerful stuff. Especially right around Passover when maror is the one thing that clears out my sinuses. What great finds you have!!

[Heather]

dang - you stocked up! although i'm like you - i love buying grocery items in other countries! so fun :)

[beaglemania]

Pleez Pleez Pleez buy yourself a bag of styrian kaeferbohnen--beatle beans. the fresher the better, but you'll see them in supermarkets. they're marbled purple. and they're the best thing since black bread. Them, parsley dressed while warm with a LIBERAL vinagrette of.... pumpkin seed oil and that apple vinegar is a styrian specialty. serve it chilled. again and again!

[Luisa]

Beaglemania - you tell me NOW?? :) Those sound amazing. I'm making a mental note to remember them next time I'm in Austria! Thanks.

[jenevieve]

Yay, cabanossi! We can get them at Waitrose in Edinburgh, and do so all the time for snacking, cheese boards, and pizzas. Sooooooo addictive!

[Saffoula]

I'm the same way- I buy these types of things for "gifts" and end up keeping them all! What a great a haul. I love shopping in foreign markets too and Austria is new to me- thanks for sharing.

[Aline]

Wow, you make me so miss my home-country! And now, when I go back to Austria in May, I will have to buy all this stuff!

Funny thing about the Wiener Zucker - one of my Austrian friend who lives in the Netherlands imports sugar from Austria. Because Austrian sugar is made from beets and I don't think that's the case anywhere else.

Also - keep the mustard. Kremser, Estragon and Krensenf is found in every Austrians fridge at all times - at least it was when I grew up in Vienna.

I hope they won't stop me at the Chicago customs when I try to import Gelierzucker and Cabernossi .

[Aline]

Oh and next time you go - have a Kaeseleberkaessemmel! It's the first thing I buy (you can buy it at a grocery store like Billa) every time I go back home.

[magdalena]

Hello!
This is absolutely great post!
Lately, each time I come back to your blog, each time I realize how many connections and common, or similar food, we have in Central Europe. Thanks.
Cabanossi! I did not have any idea this exists in Austria, too.
In Poland, we called it "kabanos". It is absolutely addictive, a good "friend" for long trips in a car, for example.
Few explanations: Polish "kabanos" may be made from pork, chicken, venison and ... horse meat - the last one more and more difficult to find! They are smoked, some of them are spicy, and may be kept for quite a while.
Outside Central Europe, you will find them, for example, in food stores carrying Polish food (usually pork version), for example in Paris. They are a bit worse quality, than those available in my country.

[Emily]

Those Mozartkugel sound right up my alley. I LOVE pistachio and chocolate. Also it's good to know I wasn't the only Anne of Green Gables in 5th grade. I used the phrase "bosom buddies" on my boyfriend the other day and he looked at me like I had two heads.

[Victoria]

Oh, Luisa,

Please, may I have TWO of everything?

[Victoria]

P.S.

Luisa,

I am going to Amsterdam in April. I will go to all the usual suspects, including taking a train to The Hague so I can go to the Mauritshuis. Anything special I need to do that I won't think of on my own?

Victoria

[CJ]

You have made me so happy! I want a bag of pretty sugar, and mustard that looks like toothpaste.

[Tracy (Amuse-bouche for Two)]

The first photo reminds me of summer at my great grandparents house. They lived in a renovated train station with a wrap-around porch out in the country. The house was surrounded by raspberry bushes and wild flowers. The inside was piles of knitted things, tins filled with buttons, yards of quilting fabrics, and jar upon jar of homemade jellies and pickled vegetables. I remember sliced tomato on white bread with milk and mint candies. I was so young, but the memories are so vivid. I imagine my great grandmother pulling a bag of powdered sugar from the cupboard looking just like the one you've pictured.

[Kathryn]

Love these posts. Please keep them going.

[Victoria Cannizzo]

1. I am green with envy at all of your purchases - I want them desperately. I am trying to come up with a reason to fly to Austria right now...

2. I haven't laughed out loud so many times during a post in quite a while. Thank you. I'm still giggling while typing this, thinking of the horseradish... hee hee hee.

Thank you!!
~Victoria

[ann]

Never go to Norway. They sell cheese and fish roe in those tubes like the mustard comes in! I'm a mustard addict too, which reminds me, I'm running perilously low on cool mustards. Must go somewhere! I wonder if they have interesting mustards in Bermuda?

[The Rowdy Chowgirl]

How could anyone possibly resist an apricot jam that reminds them of good old Marilla Cuthbert? I'd be all over that.

[Laura]

Mozartkugel: chocolate : : Requiem : music. Lovely!

[Kimberley]

I LOVE Mozartkugel! They were my Mom's favorite growing up, only we called them Mozart Balls. Classy.

[Kelsey/TheNaptimeChef]

I've been loving your posts lately. I traveled through Austria during college and loved the country. Your stories from the grocery store are wonderful - what a wealth of yummy foods and great packaging to boot! Also, the Mozartkugel are so yummy!

[Vanessa]

Another reason then to go to Austria again soon! Thanks for all the wonderful tips. I remember being mesmerised by the supermarkets there and a friend of mine bought me some of that Kräuterlimonade which you can't seem to get here - delicious.

[Andrea]

Oh, how lucky you are to be discovering all these grocery store treasures! And really, you pretty much have to keep the mustards.

And yes, Marilla. That totally makes me teary...I used to love those books!

Such a nice post.

[Kristin]

I love how they (and the Germans) use tubes for so much--makes a ton more sense. I had a German/Austrian themed dinner last weekend and thought of you! I went to the German market in the UES and got meets and liverwurst to start (with fresh horseradish of course), I made fondue, and for dessert we had an assortment of German chocolates. So yummy!

[Ingrid]

Cabanossi is for sale at every supermarket deli counter in Australia! It is bog standard snack to serve at a party here.

[Sarah (Braise and Butter)]

squealed when i came across your mention of Marilla. I still read the books over and over. Have you seen the movies? they are SO wonderful, and perfect when one is sick and too tired even to pick up a book.

[Sprout]

Luisa, you outdid yourself with the mustards. LOVE the mustards.

And the visual concerning the horseradish .... I will definitely proceed with caution.

Thanks for sharing!

[kim]

Mozartkugeln rule! I love those things, I was gushing about them so much my colleague caved in and brought a box back from Vienna for the office - I probably ate half of them :)

@aline: sugar is made from beets everywhere in Europe, US & Russia, so that's probably not why the Austrian one is imported by your friend.

[Catherine]

I love all your wee purchases, I'm so jealous! Happy pickling (and butchering...)! :)

[Katie @ Cozydelicious]

Oh Luisa! I had no idea that I needed to go to Austria until you got to mustard. There is nothing - and I mean nothing - that I love more than finding a new fantastic mustard. And in a tube? Amazing! And add to that the jams, especially the apricot (I swoon for apricot jam) and I am actually looking at Expedia right now. No joke.

[Jennifer S]

Great stuff. I'm glad I'm not the only one who things unusual products from grocery stores are fun to bring home as souvenirs. In Italy, I like to buy little boxes of breath mints that are labeled MENTAL (which means Menthol in Italian, I believe) because they're easy to pack and funny!

[Luisa]

Victoria - ooh, I don't know. I haven't been to Holland since high school! Have a lovely trip.

Tracy - GORGEOUS memory...

Victoria - Thank YOU! :)

Kristin - how cool! Sounds delicious.

Ingrid - thanks for letting me know! And here I thought it was a little regional sausage snack...

Sarah - I haven't seen the movies. I was so obsessed with Anne at that point that I refused to acknowledge other people's interpretations of her! :)

[Tami]

I NEED some of that sugar! OMG, that packaging makes me swoon...what is it about European packaging. Love it! And also am totally enchanted by all the tubes of mustard. I'm a mustard freak as well. Along with honey its my favourite souvenir. Keep sharing your groceries with us.

[my spatula]

my husband is a mustard fanatic and we ALWAYS make room in our suitcase during our travels for it!

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[zuza]

Ah I miss skiing. And shopping in European supermarkets! I had no idea that another country had it's own version of kabanosy, a snack I was weaned on in Poland.

http://cheesy-mash.blogspot.com

[janet]

who'd a thunk you could move to germany and become a spice girl? ;) thanks for sharing your treasures and joy too!

[Dawn (KitchenTravels)]

Yes, yes, and YES, PLEASE! I need to take a trip soon... somewhere. Anywhere. Just to go grocery shopping someplace new.

I've tried freshly grated wasabi before, from an American farm in Washington State. It was delicious, but surprisingly mild. Nothing like the sinus-clearing paste we've all tasted at sushi bars, which is usually made from powdered wasabi, regular horseradish, and food coloring. Maybe its the horseradish that gives "wasabi" its heat, and not the wasabi?

[Laura]

Your posts are soooooo lovely. Many thanks from New Hampshire!

[Mariko]

Oooohhhhh these are SO cool! Hitting up grocery stores when we travel is my favorite; it's cheaper and more fun than going to a souvenir shop. It's most intense when we go back to Japan (my mom is Japanese.) I usually fill half a suitcase with food, but last summer I filled my whole suitcase. One. Whole. Suitcase. Just with food. Luckily my Mom had extra room in hers for some of my clothes, plus we had to bust out the extra duffel. I had a blast reading this post. We're heading to Europe (whirlwind musical tour with high schoolers that I'm chaperoning)this summer so I'll keep my eyes out for some of the things you've been posting. Looking forward to more supermarket updates :).

[Annie Browne]

More cool foreign grocery beauties!!! You would have found me on the floor in the mustard aisle, with packages of assorted cured pork and 27 kinds of mustard opened all around me. I LOVE how the mustard comes in a toothpaste tube! Genious! Thanks so much for sharing! Forge on...great adventures ahead!!!

[Lindy]

Ha, Kimberly- we called them "Mozart Balls" too. Were your family members perhaps also musicians? The Austrian cellist in the orchestra used to bring them back for my father, and we got that name from him.

[Lisa-Marie]

I would like to come and live in you kitchen with all of this lovely packaging!