Styrian cuisine

If you go in search of an "(original) Styrian dish", you will find different culinary traditions depending on the region you are currently in: In the south, fruit, chicken and sausages are more common, while in the north it's game, fish and fried foods. In any case, you can taste the influence of the landscapes. They shape the many flavours of Styrian cuisine.

Most guests are familiar with fried chicken, often served on a salad with pumpkin seed oil. But only a few know what the "aufg'setzte Henn" is all about: The wheat-coloured Sulmtaler chicken is a true Styrian cultural treasure and an almost extinct breed. It moves around a lot in fresh air and gets plenty of time to grow. People in southern Styria also take their time when it comes to preparing it. Typically and traditionally, it is made into roast chicken with a scrumptious bread filling.

If you take a closer look at Styrian cuisine, you will quickly notice that there's also a strong soup tradition. Pumpkin cream soup, herb soup or mushroom soup with Sterz are particularly popular.

Speaking of Sterz: Sterz is a dish made of buckwheat flour (Heidensterz), maize semolina (Türkensterz), rye flour (Brennsterz) or wheat semolina (Grießsterz). Formerly a simple and traditional food, it has gained in popularity in recent years and can be found in many kitchens and on the plates of Styria once again.