FOR THE SWEET TOOT
Description
We all have a clear picture in our minds of Austria’s national dessert: the scrumptious Sachertorte, a moist chocolate cake with a filling of apricot jam. But there is much more than just the famous Sacher to tempt visitors to the Strudel is another delicious local speciality, skilfully made with simple ingredients - apples, sultanas, cinnamon, walnuts and other nuts according to taste. The original Apfelstrudel recipe is made with a particular kind of wafer-thin pastry which is kneaded for a long time, although these days it is often replaced with a light puff pastry. And then there is Schmarrn, a sort of sweet omelette served with red fruits jam and icing sugar, which used to be eaten for breakfast with warm milk. The province of Belluno also offers a host of tasty sweets to enjoy. Common throughout the province, the focaccia di Pasqua is a simple, non-filled kind of sweet bread traditionally eaten at Easter, with a superb, delicate flavour. As with all good things, it takes a long time to prepare; it must be kneaded and left to rise three times in order to give it the characteristic moist, sweet taste. And of course another world-famous speciality of the province, in particular of the Val di Zoldo and Cadore areas, is ice-cream, which today is still craft-made, ideal for a pleasant, refreshing break. [R.D.N.]
by the way
If you enter a bar in the East Tyrol and ask for a traditional local snack, what you will probably get is a beer and a Brettljause, or wooden chopping-board, with a generous piece of speck, a würstel sausage (sometimes made of lamb) and some cheese, all served whole, because the cutting up of the food directly on the board also forms part of the tradition. The speck is cut into thin strips of about 2 mm, in such a way as to give off its splendid aroma to best effect; the typical local home-baked schwarzbrot, or black bread, brings out its splendid flavour to the full. Across the border in Belluno the most popular traditional mid-afternoon snack is a slice of bread with honey or jam. The most commonly-found jam is made with forest fruits, while the most popular varieties of the superb local honey are mixed flower, acacia and chestnut. Information
A number of local producers in the area within the Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park have decided to adhere to the project "The Flavours of the Park", in order to promote traditional local produce, such as for example sweets and honey.Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park
Piazzale Zancanaro 1 - Feltre
Tel. +39 0439 3328
www.dolomitipark.it/doc_pdf/Sapori_Parco.pdf
