Germknodel and Austrian mountains
I must admit I do have a sweet tooth, and thanks to my Cheap Eat London blog, I have the opportuntity to share my thoughts and experiences, and oh what an experience Germknodel is!
I love snowboarding. To break that down to the sum of it’s parts, what I mean is I love jumping on a tray and gliding down the mountain; The stunning mountain vistas against a deep blue sky backdrop; The sound of powder as I’m floating atop the snow; The euphoria of that one day out of six, where everything makes sense, and that every jump I make doesn’t end up on my bottom, where every turn is the perfect carve. And of course, I love Germknodel.
It’s got it’s place in German cuisine but out in the Austrian alps, Germknodel is King.
So what is it? Well it’s a pudding dessert that’s also a main meal. Yep you got it. It’s a suet based sponge, shaped like a bowl and it’s hollow filled with sticky plum jam. It’s then topped with vanilla sauce (not butter as some recipes state) and a powdery mixture of toasted poppy seeds and sugar. The locals call it Fag Ash pudding due to it’s resemblance to an overused ashtray. But of course, describing the sum of it’s parts doesn’t begin to do justice to this delicious treat. The sponge is heavy enough to provide sustenance for another afternoon downhill session whilst the darkly sweet plum jam is counterbalanced by the light thin custard that is vanilla sauce, whilst the poppy seed and sugar combo always manages to envoke a distant memory in my childhood. I sigh and wipe a tear from my eye.
Another reason to visit Austria
Call me greedy BUT I can only afford to go skiing once a year, Germknodel being one of those rare things that is unavailable in London, and being highly suspicious of the recipes on the Web to be suspiciously crap, I’m not having much joy in my quest of this boob shaped delight so can anybody help me find:
- A) An Austrian restaurant that sells it
- B) A proper recipe from a local source
- C) An seller / importer
Drop me a line if you’re feeling helpful!
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Well, I’m actually from Vienna and going to visit London for a few days. Your blog really helped me a lot finding reasonable priced restaurants, not having to burst my budget!! I’ll ask my grandmother to give me her Germknödel Recipe, she makes the best!!!
Geetings from Vienna!!