Vienna: The Sachertorte

Tonight, I end my series on Vienna.  There are many things I have yet to write about but if I were to write about everything, then you'll be reading about Vienna for a couple more years.  Entire books can be written about this remarkable city.  This city of art, history, love, culinary delight and wars.  So with much heardache but a growling stomach I leave you tonight with a Viennese favorite since 1832: the Sachertorte.

As you probably know, I have a particular fondness for all things chocolate. Dark chocolate. The Sachertorte is a chocolate cake unlike chocolate elsewhere.  First of all, its not spongey, soft or fluffy.  It's a rich dark heavy chocolatey cake that is best served with a dollop of freshly beaten fresh cream.   Best suited for those who like things with a bite.  I do.   I wish I had one right now but helas no one I know is returning from Vienna.   I'm tempted to order online but there is a high risk that by the time it arrives, it'd have melted in Thailand's blazing hot sun.  I'd have to wait.



Sachertorte remains in my mind not only because of how good it is, but because of the good times I've had eating it.   Sitting at the Sacher Hotel's coffee shop not far from the Opera house, you can relax in an ambiance that brings you back hundreds of years.   Red is a colour that I see often in Vienna for it gives us a sense of warmth from the cold wintry air, and thus red are the carpets and seatings at the Sacher Hotel coffee shop.  The marble tables and wooden chairs give it an original kaffeehaus atmosphere.  (Old Thai coffee shops too had marble tables.  I wonder where they got their influence.)  Crystal chandeliers, paintings and pictures line the walls.  This must have been where many of the upper class Viennese had coffee before or after seeing the opera.  I suppose it'd make a great date place for those who want something a little more luxurious than the usual kaffeehaus.  Here, you'd feel weird going in shorts and a t-shirt.

I remember being there when the piano was being played.  It was wonderfully relaxing and especially so amidst good friends.  In summer there is an outdoor area that is more relaxing and service here is nothing less than 5 stars. After all it is the Hotel Sacher.  If you want the most beautifully decorated period rooms, stay here.  I am told that their restaurant also serves the most exquisite Tafelspitz.  Something I've not been fortunate enough to have tried.



Anyhow, if you want to buy some back as gifts, on the corner that is Karntnerstrasse (if I remember correctly) they have opened up a shop specifically selling these Sachertortes.  They come in various sizes and all in wooden boxes.  They make wonderful gifts.  Other shops too have tried to have their own 'sachertorte' but believe me, nothing quite beats the original one.  Those in charge of making it are sworn to secrecy and to this day, the recipe remains in the hands of a chosen few.

Here's their website: http://www.sacher.com/en-index.htm

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eggs for Easter

Happy Easter! Its Easter Monday today and eggs are in fashion. Okay, in Thailand we don't have the whole big Easter vacation with easter eggs and egg hunting, but its something I always liked as a child growing up in europe. We get to eat chocolate easter eggs and get our hands dirty painting them...ahh, those good old days. What about eating eggs then? Are they good for you given that they are high in saturated fat and cholesterol (211mg versus daily recommendation of 300mg) ? According to nutrition data, a large egg has only 70 calories and are filled with lots of nutrients. Eggs are a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein and Selenium. These nutrients are especially beneficial for you as they a good source of energy, help build up your immune system and also help your mental health. According to Harvard Health, "Eggs are also a good source of choline, which has been linked with preserving memory, and lutein and zea...
Read more

It's all in your Mind

For everything we want to achieve in life, I think the most important factor to its successful achievement depends on our ability to control how we think and keep ourself motivated. When I first started out running, I was so unfit I could hardly run for 1 minute.  I gasped for breath and my face would turn completely red.  My stomach and chest would feel a pain and a little voice inside my head would start telling me to stop running and just walk!   The little voice would get louder and LOUDER the longer I ran.  It would tell me all sorts of things, such as "You've done enough running, you've done a great job, just stop and walk."    Sometimes it would say "Your chest hurts and your stomach is having stitches, something must be wrong.. therefore STOP!"   On other occasions it would tell me the time and say "You are running late today, cut your workout short.  You have a long day ahead, save your energy." At times, it would tell me, "I hate thi...
Read more

One for All and All for One

The other day I got this fascinating Forward from a friend about decision making. It tells the story of a group of children playing on railroad tracks. One child is playing alone on the unused railroad track, while five children are playing on the active rail. Suddenly, a rain is spotted on the tracks heading straight towards the five children. You have to decide what to do. 1) Do you divert the train onto the unused track to save five children while sacrificing the lone child on the other track? or 2) Would you let the train continue on its path towards the group of five children? What would you do? Most people would in an instant answer that they would sacrifice the lone child to save the group of five children. Sacrifice one in the name of saving many. It's the rational and logical solution. It's for the better "good" of society. One death is better than five. However, there is more. There is a dilemma. The great critic Leo Velski Julian (do you know ...
Read more