These are dipped into a batter made from flour, milk, eggs, sugar and a little salt, then fried until the outside is golden and crispy while the apple inside softens. Some recipes add sparkling mineral water or even Austrian beer to make the batter especially light and fluffy. Finally, the fritters are dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and served warm, often with vanilla sauce or ice cream.
Interestingly, I didn't even have to visit a fancy restaurant to try this Austrian specialty! I bought mine at BILLA, a popular grocery store chain in Austria. Many BILLA locations have takeaway food counters or small restaurant areas where you can sit down and enjoy a freshly prepared meal. It was a lovely introduction to an everyday Austrian treat, and a reminder that sometimes the simplest foods are the most delicious!
A couple of weeks ago, when I was finally feeling better after being sick, I went to a wonderful classical music concert at the famous Musikverein concert hall in Vienna! I had the chance to hear the Vienna Symphony Orchestra perform with a very famous pianist named Yuja Wang, who comes from China and is known all over the world for her incredible piano playing.
The concert began with two piano concertos, one by Béla Bartók (a twentieth-century Hungarian composer) and another by the twentieth-century American composer Samuel Barber. A concerto is a piece of music where one musician plays a solo instrument (in this case, a piano) while a whole orchestra plays along with them. It is a little like having one musical superstar performing alongside an entire team.
