Coffee Houses

I think my last post satisfied the quota for pretentiousness. After all, who can resist a short brag to make one's self feel sophisticated? I suppose I did leave out the detail that that café reminded me of a diner, so of course I felt right at home. ^_^

The Viennese love their Kaffeehäuser, and it is no exaggeration to say that you can find a café on every corner (some are just better than others).

A personal photo of one of my favorite haunts--the Café Sperl.

The History (oder "Die Geschichte des Wiener Cafés"):
Coffee was first brought to Vienna by the Turks--the invaders! The second time that they besieged the city, the Turks fled before the Habsburg army and left their bags of coffee beans behind (1684 AD). The Viennese were rather bewildered by what these strange bags were, but after some experimentation, they discovered the wonders of Kaffee. A Polish general is said to have opened the first coffee house in Vienna, and since then it's been tradition. [Wikipedia's more extensive version]

There's coffee houses of all shapes, sizes, and styles. There's the over-priced touristy ones in the first district, there's the artsy and literary houses in the 8th and 9th districts, there's the famous ones that have been around for centuries, and there's the relatively new ones that are off-the-beaten-path and just waiting to be discovered. At all though, you are expected to sit and savor your coffee; while in the US we might only take a few minutes to sit with a cup of coffee or tea (if we sit at all!), the Viennese take their time, engaging in intense conversations or reading the newspaper or writing summer internship essays... for hours on end.

The fin-de-siecle architecture of the more laid-back Café Rüdigerhof

The Menu:
Many will have house specialties, but there are certain things you will find at any good Viennese coffee house:

-Melange- my favorite (rivaled only by the Schokolade-Latte, but not many places seem to have that). This Viennese specialty is like a cappuccino, but much better in my opinion. Here's the link to Wikipedia's explanation; sadly short though. It's also terribly disappointing that the first google search results I got for "Melange" was A) a fictional drug from Dune, and B) a geological formation.

-Brauner (großer or kleiner)- I believe that this is just your standard cup of black coffee, either large or small.

-Einspänner- about 1/3 espresso or coffee and 2/3 foam and whipped cream on top; it's an experience.

-Sachertorte- a chocolate cake (with fudgey icing and a smidge of marmalade), but really good chocolate cake. Invented by the Café Sacher (though its rival, Café Demel, also claims credit), this torte is now famous throughout the city and can be found in almost every coffee house; and for the most part, can only be found in Vienna. A must-try for any visitor.

-Apfelstrudel- another dessert for which Viennese coffee houses are famous--and well-deservedly! This flaky apple pastry is perfect for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, or dessert. Some days nothing pleases me more than a perfectly warmed apple strudel, with a flaky crust and fresh apples, topped with powdered sugar... mmmm!

-Topfenstrudel- Topfen might be best explained by comparing it to American cream cheese. Topfen, or "Quark" cheese, is a crucial ingredient to many Austrian desserts (including Topfenecken). Like Apfelstrudel, Topfenstrudel has many flaky layers of pastry and is filled with this delicious creamy cheese. In addition, it is often drizzled with a tasty vanilla sauce.

A good coffee house will serve a glass of water and a sweet with your coffee. The water serves many purposes; it is refreshing, it cleanses the palate so that you will savor your next sip of coffee more, and it is healthier to accompany coffee with water. [Viennese water is especially delicious, because it comes directly from the Alps-- no chemicals added!] Many coffee houses will serve your cup of coffee and glass of water on a small tray, accompanied by a small chocolate or cookie as the final flourish of taste.

I think that about covers it for now for Kaffeehäuser. Next week: Heurigen!

My photo of a typical melange inside the Sperl