European
Mountains Cuisine
Skiing for the whole day may be very tiring. Waiting in the queue for ski
lifts, changing slopes, skiing on a really long track - all that may make
us want to relax for a moment. We can just sit and enjoy the beautiful views
around us, but we can also go to one of the many chalets in the area. Those
existing in European ski resorts are not cosy huts any more. They were transformed
into huge complexes, with everything needed inside. One of their main function
now is not providing a place to sleep, but a place to eat.
Restaurants in ski resorts offer a wide range of dishes, to suit everyone's
needs. No matter whether you are a vegetarian, or you love eating meat - you
will always find something for you. The cuisine served there is often international,
so you can find pizza and hamburgers just one next to each other. But maybe,
while being in a different country, you would like to try something special?
A very good example for a traditional cuisine in a ski resort is Austria, with
its famous skiing area - Tirol. Menus include everything from traditional Tirolean
meals to international dishes and lean cuisine. Typical Tirolean specialities
include: Speckknödel, Gröstel and Tiroler
Leber. Speckknödels are dumpings
with cured ham, served in beef stock or with the Coleslaw salad. Gröstel is
a sliced pan fried onions and potatoes with meat, cured ham and eggs. Tiroler
Leber is veal or beef liver with onions, cured ham, lemon juice and wine. As
for a dessert you should choose famous Apfel Strudel, which is an excellent
apple strudel.
Tirol is also famous of its wines and other alcohols. You can choose from a
wide range of South Tirolean red wines or Lower Austrian white wines. If you
prefer beer, you should taste the Austrian one without any doubt or hesitation.
Austria produces several types of excellent schnapps made from apples, pears,
rowanberry, gentian or juniper.
Another great place to try out traditional national dishes is Italy. Can you
think of any better occasion of eating delicious Italian spaghetti, than after
few hours of active skiing? Or having a slice of a real Italian pizza after
finishing a really difficult Giant Slalom?
Each skiing region, apart from many dishes of international cuisine, will offer
you many dishes from its traditional kitchen.
You
shouldn't be afraid of that and use the opportunity to get known with the
different cooking culture. While
skiing in Poland you can nourish yourself with delicious Polish cheese -
oscypek. Slovakia offers you vyprazeny syr - magnificent fried cheese.
Instead of having
another hamburger - try something different.