Great news for fans of good food: Hochsteiermark boasts a multitude of outstanding restaurants and inns offering dishes made with lots of love and regional ingredients.
Fruit from the “Streuobst region” around Kindberg and Stanz, venison from the Hochschwab region, herbs from the Hochschwab region and Mürzer Oberland Nature Park: In Hochsteiermark, the next delicacy is always just around the corner. For instance, the Kulinarium Steiermark partners of Hochsteiermark offer fresh, regional dishes.
Whether it’s the elaborate creations of the region’s fine dining restaurants, the down-to-earth meals of the many mountain huts or the treats of the steirische Dorfwirte restaurants: The Hochsteiermark chefs prepare their dishes from a wealth of regional produce, including vegetables and fish. Fans of exquisite venison dishes – for instance, juicy deer steak – should visit one of the Wilde Wirte restaurants in the “Genussregion Hochschwabwild”.
To enjoy delicacies from Hochsteiermark, you don’t have to visit a restaurant. If you like, you can also shop for local goods and prepare a tasty meal yourself.
There are numerous farms where you can buy fish and meat on site, ranging from smoked trout to “Styriabeef” or venison products. In addition to many other local cheese specialities, you can also buy the “Wilde Kas” at all Wilde Wirte restaurants of the Hochschwab region.
Our tip: How about an open-air picnic? All across Hochsteiermark you can find innkeepers and retailers who are happy to prepare a picnic basket for you. What better opportunity to sample your way through the many local treats, for instance while sitting at the shores of a stunning lake or underneath a fruit tree in the picturesque Streuobst region?
Do you know the following situation? You have tried a local speciality while on holiday and would like to enjoy it back at home or gift it to a loved one.
They go well with almost every meal: liqueurs and schnapps. In Hochsteiermark, you can buy them in many different varieties. For instance, there’s the must-have for all visitors of the pilgrimage site of Mariazell: the original Mariazell herbal liqueur of Arzberger Likörmanufaktur. It is made from 33 different herbs and particularly beneficial after rich meals.
Alternatively, visit the distillery of Erlebniswelt Wernbacher, where high-quality ingredients are made into fine spirits that have received numerous awards.
The treats of Hochsteiermark are not just spicy and savoury – there is also a wealth of sweet delicacies. For instance, try Styrian bee honey on your breakfast toast or in your tea! You can get it at Bio-Imkerei Neber, where they also sell another local specialty: fruity honey wines such as the “Schilcher mead”.
Another regional delicacy: honey gingerbread – not just during Advent! There are varieties filled with nougat and currant jam, or with figs, dates or plums. Did you know that you can also drink gingerbread – as a liqueur? You can sample different varieties on site at Lebkuchen Pirker in Mariazell or mail-order them.
If you’re a fan of little chocolate figures, you should definitely visit Konditorei Moser-Fink in the climatic spa of Aflenz during Advent. It’s up to you whether you really want to eat the tiny delicacies – after all, they look almost too cute to devour.