Europe is a small continent, if compared to the others, but it has a great gastronomic variety. Each country preserves centuries-old culinary traditions that tell uses, customs and stories of peoples.
Although today it is possible to eat anything anywhere, tasting ancient dishes and sweet delicacies in the place where they were born has a completely different flavor. Because the journey also begins with taste.
Typical European dishes
- Pastéis de nata – Lisbona, Portogallo
- Sachertorte – Vienna, Austria
- Tapas – Spain
- Onion soup – France
- Fondue – Switzerland
- Greek salad – Greece
- Waffles – Belgium
- Kaiserschmarren – Austria
- Goulash – Hungary
- Cod fish – Portugal
10 dishes of Europe to try
- Pastéis de nata – Lisbona, Portogallo
They are now also found in Paris and New York, but it is worth going to Portugal to taste the authentic pastéis de nata. They are puff pastry tartlets filled with a creamy filling made from cream and eggs, which is cooked at a high temperature until, caramelizing, it becomes mulled. They are an invention of the Portuguese monks who for centuries have kept the secret of the recipe. Then at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the liberal revolution closed the convents, so the monks became true pastry chefs and founded the Belém laboratory which is still in business today. Pastéis de Belém is the oldest pastry shop in Lisbon where you will find these exquisite cupcakes. In Portugal you will eat them everywhere, and they are often good. The important thing is that they are very fresh, crunchy and not greasy.
- Sachertorte – Vienna, Austria
Everyone knows the famous Sachertorte, but few know that it was invented by the pastry chef Franz Sacher in Vienna, in July 1832, to pay homage to Prince Klemens von Metternich, in the restaurant-pastry shop of what is now the Hotel Sacher, belonging to The Leading group Hotels of the World. There is no need to stay at the hotel, just sit at its café to treat yourself to a moment of pleasure. The Sacher is a cake made with a double chocolate sponge cake, interspersed with a layer of apricot jam. The outside is then glazed with dark chocolate. At the Café Sacher, between stuccoes and elegant chandeliers, it will be served with whipped cream next to it, as per tradition. But there are many historic cafes in Vienna where you can taste Sachertorte, among these it is worth making a stop at Café Landtmann,
- Tapas – Spain
Tapas are not just a dish but a lifestyle that expresses all the joie de vivre of the Spaniards. Tapas are tastings of different preparations, for example fried calamari, patatas bravas, Galician octopus (seasoned with olive oil, salt and paprika), tortilla, albondigas (meatballs), chopitos (floured and fried cuttlefish), croquettes of cod and pinchos (slices of bread with peppers, ham, olives and cheeses), among many others. But basically all Spanish dishes, served in small portions, can become tapas. There are several versions of the origins of this Spanish specialty, the most accredited is that tapas originated in Andalusia, in the nineteenth century, as snacks to accompany sherry. The name derives from the verb tapear, that is to cap the glass, so as not to let the flies in. Even today, all over Spain still applies to pairing a tapa with something to drink, perhaps a copa de vino tinto or a fresh cerveza. So from tapa to tapa at the end of dinner, even better if itinerant, between one bar and another.
- Onion soup – France
Even those who don’t particularly like onions should try the soupe à l’oignon in France. It is a soup of onions stewed over a low heat, blended with white wine, broth and pepper, and served in a cocotte with a good sprinkling of grated comté, after having baked it au gratin. It is a traditional French dish, the recipe of which dates back to the 17th century. Legend has it that it was invented by King Louis XV, who once returned to his hunting lodge, late at night, had a languor but found only onions, butter and champagne in the kitchen. So he put the three ingredients together and made the first French onion soup. Other stories attribute the creation of the soup to King Louis XIV. However, today you will find the soupe à l’oignon in all the bistros and brasseries of France.
- Fondue – Switzerland
Another dish that you cannot do without on cold winter evenings is fondue and the best place to eat it is Switzerland, although it is also found in Italy and France, especially in Savoy. It is prepared with a hard cheese that is usually melted in a special pot, called caquelon, which is brought to the table and in which each diner dips his piece of bread or potatoes. In every country and often in every region, fondue is prepared with different cheeses. In Switzerland, especially in the central areas, the fondue is made up of 1/3 of Gruyere, 1/3 of Emmental and 1/3 of Sbrinz, while for example the Savoyard fondue includes 1/3 of Emmental, 1/3 of Beaufort and 1/3 of Comté. The recipe may vary depending on the local cheeses. But after all, what matters is the conviviality of an evening at home with friends and family around a good table. For the sweet tooth then there are the chocolate fondues.
- Greek salad – Greece
A fresh Greek salad in a seaside tavern sheltered from the scorching Mediterranean sun, is the image of summer and the symbol of Greece. It’s a simple dish that you can easily make at home. Good tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta, olives (usually Kalamata), salt, oregano and olive oil are enough. And the salad is ready. Then there are different variations, sometimes capers are added, other times peppers. But there is nothing fresher and more summery than the Greek salad, which eaten in Greece has a completely different flavor. It is found all over the country, but the best are those prepared with fresh and genuine ingredients in traditional taverns. And when you are tired of Greek salads try all the other delights of the local cuisine, from moussaka to saganaki to souvlaki.
- Waffles – Belgium
The gaufres represent the most famous Belgian dessert in the world. They are wafer cakes with a spongy consistency, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, cooked on double hot plates, which give the characteristic grilled appearance. The gaufres are typical of Belgium but are also found in France, the Netherlands, Germany, the Scandinavian countries and the United States, where they were brought by the pilgrim fathers and called waffles. In Belgium the gaufres are of two types: those of Brussels have a rectangular shape and are usually sprinkled with icing sugar or served with whipped cream, fruit or ice cream; those from Liège, on the other hand, have a rounded, honeycomb-like outline and are smaller and sweeter, so they are usually eaten without accompaniment. The gaufres go well with sweet but also salty. You will find gaufres on the stalls in every corner of Brussels. Remember that the Belgian tradition has it that gaufres are given as gifts on the day of Sint Maartens Dag, San Martino (11 November).
- Kaiserschmarren – Austria
Kaiserschmarrn or Kaiserschmarren is a typical dessert of Austria but widespread throughout the area of ​​the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. It consists of a thick crepe cut into strips, sprinkled with powdered sugar and accompanied by raisins, currant jam, blueberries or applesauce. It is usually served hot in restaurants and cafes across the country. The Austrians and Germans do not consider Kaiserschmarren a dessert, rather a sweet meal that is often preceded by a soup as an appetizer. In small portions, Kaiserschmarren clearly becomes a dessert to be enjoyed at the end of a meal. There are also other versions of sweet or savory Schmarren, such as the one with cherries, with ricotta or with grated potatoes. Many legends are told about its origin, including the one according to which the cake was born at the time of Empress Sissi from a mistake by the court pastry chef. If you are afraid that the Kaiserschmarren is too caloric, eat it in the hut after a long ski, you will appreciate it without guilt.
- Goulash – Hungary
Goulash is one of the typical Hungarian dishes and consists of a soup based on meat, lard, sautéed onions and carrots, potatoes and paprika. Originally it was the poor dish of the herdsmen who cooked it in a large cauldron, placed over an open fire fueled by wood, when for example they transported the precious gray cattle of the Podolica breed from the plain of the puszta to the markets of Moravia, Vienna and Nuremberg . The recipe then spread throughout Central-Eastern and Central Europe, hence the German-style goulash spelling. The original goulash is a meat soup but there are several variations, especially outside Hungary and Slovakia. Elsewhere, in fact, goulash is cooked for a long time until, when it dries, it becomes a stew. Goulash can be served as a single dish, if accompanied by polenta or mashed potatoes.
- Cod fish – Portugal
Cod is the king of Portuguese cuisine. The northern cod, already known by the Vikings in the countries of northern Europe, spread in Portugal from the time of the great navigations and discoveries of the fifteenth-sixteenth century. In fact, the Lusitanians, the first Indo-European people to colonize this part of the Iberian Peninsula, discovered this protein and low fat fish. Over the centuries, countless cod-based recipes were invented, today you would have one to try for every day of the year. Among the many recipes, cod can be stewed, baked, fried, creamed, combined with potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes, pine nuts and raisins, mashed aubergines, capers, hazelnuts, flavored with coriander, nutmeg or chilli. All that remains is to travel around Portugal in search of the most original cod recipe.
