Every time you take a vacation in a foreign country, you have to taste the local specialties. The recipes are sacredly observed and the taste is authentic. Here’s what you should not miss in your travels in Europe.
1. Tiramisu, Italy
Despite enjoying enormous popularity worldwide, the number one Italian dessert has a history too long. The ingredients are quite recent: Savoiardi wafers appeared in the 19th century to commemorate the visit made by a French king to the Duke of Savoy. Mascarpone cheese dates back to the 17th century, but there are no documents to confirm this. In any case, the success of tiramisu lies in the quality of these two ingredients.
2. Coq Au Vin, France
Some might be tempted to say that in the end this is a kind of stew with poultry meat. Well, no. Coq au vin (originally cooked with coconut meat, as the name says, now with chicken) is a dish typical of French elegance, finely flavored, prepared with love, the way of preparation making the difference.
3. Fettuccine Alfredo, Italy
Everyone loves pasta and any amateur chef has at least one recipes with pasta. Italians love them so much that they created any kind of pasta recipe. You must taste this simple and delicious dish that has a history going back nearly 100 years.
4. Goulash, Hungary
Being a traditional food in Hungary, goulash is a soup or stew that is based on beef, paprika, pepper and onion. There are numerous variations of goulash, some recipes including potatoes, tomatoes, cumin, garlic, the beef is replaced with pork etc.
5. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake), Germany
The German Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte is a delicious dessert that has become popular worldwide. It looks like the cake imitates women folk from the Black Forest. The three or four layers of chocolate dough symbolize the black dress, the white cream layers are a symbol for the white shirt with puffed sleeves, the cherries on top remind us of the straw hat (Bollenhut) with 14 red pompons – it is said that unmarried women wear a red hat until married, then they wear a black hat – and the chocolate curls refer to the black veil covering the eyes of the locals.
6. Wiener Schnitzel, Austria
Wiener Schnitzel is a national dish in Austria and the recipe was taken and adapted in the cuisines of many nations. Its origin is quite controversial. It is said to be based on a dish from northern Italy, Cotoletta alla Millanese, whose recipe had been brought by General Joseph Radetzky in the mid-nineteenth century to Austria. At the same time, there are some who argue that it was prepared in Vienna since the eighteenth century.
7. Pastel de nata, Portugal
They say that the beloved custard tarts appeared around the 18th century in the Hieronymite Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon. At that time, the monasteries possessed a large amount of eggs and used the egg whites to give rigidity to monastic clothes or to clarify wine, so that there were many yolks left over, which were usually used for making sweets.
8. Chakhokhbili, Georgia
Georgian cuisine abounds in simple and tasty recipes. It is said that resting after creating the world, God tripped on the Caucasus Mountains and dropped a plate of goodies that gave birth to Georgian cuisine. Chakhokhbili is a traditional dish that is missing from typical Georgian restaurant menus. Initially cooked with pheasant, Chakhokhbili is now prepared with any poultry, but the most common version is chicken. Chakhokhbili is a kind of stew with spices and tomato sauce and the secret lies in the freshness of the ingredients.
9. Bündner Nusstorte, Switzerland
Bündner Nusstorte is a very popular dessert, representing between 20-40 % of bakery and confectionery sales in Switzerland. It is said it was invented in 1926 by pastry chef Pult Fausto, then in 1934 would be presented at the Basel Fair Mustermesse, the walnut tart becoming famous. There is another version according to which the base would be the Fuatscha grassa tart, a cake the people from Engadin would prepare every Sunday, while they improved the recipe by adding caramel and nut filling, thus appearing the very delicious tart with walnuts.
10. Patatnik, Bulgaria
Patatnik is a typical dish in the Rhodope Mountains region, but is used in other parts of Bulgaria. In some locations being known as Kashnitsa. It is like a pie and contains mainly grated potatoes, onions, mint, cheese and sometimes meat.
Have you ever tried one of the dishes mentioned above?
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