Best of Austrian Cuisine [Paperback]

Elisabeth Mayer-Browne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

Austrian cuisine consists of rich, satisfying dishes: roasted meats in cream sauces, hearty soups and stews, tasty dumplings, warm and cold salads, and of course, the pastries and cakes that remain Vienna's trademark. This cookbook provides a comprehensive guide to Austrian desserts, including six recipes for strudel, twenty recipes for gateaux, and many other sweet-tooth favorites.

Elisabeth Mayer-Browne takes an engaging, conversational approach to her art, with common sense advice about preparing, serving, and even improvising. The Best of Austrian Cuisine, a classic title originally published in Austria, includes nearly 200 recipes for traditional family favorites and interesting variations, as well as menus for everyday meals and holidays. Now expanded to include a chapter on Austrian wines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books; 2 Expanded edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781808847
• ISBN-13: 978-0781808842
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > German
  • #65 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Scandinavian

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly edited, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Best of Austrian Cuisine (Paperback)

Although the list of recipes is varied, the actual recipes are poorly written, inaccurate in measurements, and confusing. Many sentences are cut-off and end abruptly. The book badly needs an editor who actually reads the contents of the work.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could be the best book of its kind, October 5, 2004

By 

doktorlehar "doktorlehar" (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of Austrian Cuisine (Paperback)

Hmmm... My copy of this book doesn't have the problems mentioned below, but then it's a 2001 reprinting and is perhaps corrected.

In the late 1990s I rented a room in Vienna from an 80-year woman who cooked for me every Saturday. Since then, I've longed to replicate the delicious, savory, and often quite filling meals that we ate together. I've read dozens of Austrian cookbooks, and this is the best by far. Most others are either hopelessly out of date, written for non-American audiences (like Gretel Beer's famous but useless volume), or concentrate on what I'd call "restaurant food"--special, elaborate, time-consuming dishes that don't exemplify what a typical home-cooked Austrian meal is like. This book takes Austrian "Hausmannskost"--everyday food, the sort of thing you'd eat for Tuesday dinner--and translates it to the American kitchen. The recipes are perhaps a little vague here and there and assume previous experience in the kitchen, but the author's point usually is clear. And is it ever authentic; the kohlrabi recipe on pg. 79 is *exactly* my landlady's, and it's delicious.

The book includes chapters on meat dishes, 'Mehlspeisen,' organ meats (beloved in Austria if not in the US), fish, poultry, sauces, starches, vegetables (more varied than one might expect), and then of course the full range of desserts and "Süßigkeiten." The range is encyclopedic and varied. Special sections include menu planning, a description of Austrian wines, and a chapter on munchies for that afternoon 'Jause.'

A gourmet book this is not; if you want splash and glam, it will disappoint. But if, like me, you long to recover how your old Austrian host made cabbage taste so yummy, this book is the answer. Through it, you can recreate an Austrian kitchen in your home, which is a very nice thought!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars But it's pretty good, January 18, 2005

By 

Olive (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of Austrian Cuisine (Paperback)

Some photos would have been nice, but then I'm sure the book would have cost much much more, and the price is one nice thing about it. I also didn't have any of the problems of the first reviewer- it was all clear in my edition. I found some Austrian wines to go with the dishes at www.winemonger.com and had a great party!