Travel guides to Vienna often use the phrase 'everything here breathes history'. In the Austrian capital, you can taste history — every traditional Viennese pastry has a story of its origins.
Though the culinary masterpieces themselves are enchanting, it is comforting to know that such a cake was once only eaten by members of the Habsburg royal dynasty.
And if the noses of young travellers lead them to the café, don't deny them, or yourself, the pleasure of tasting a medal-winning cake or taking a bite from... a toy.
What is the famous dessert in Vienna?
In the windows of Viennese confectioners, there are no tiered of lavishly decorated cakes. The country's most crucial delicacy, its symbol, the Sacher cake, looks very modest: the discreet shimmer of the chocolate icing is accentuated only by the medallions bearing the cake's name.
But put a piece of this dessert in your mouth, and you will understand why kings loved it. The delicate sponge combined with the dark chocolate and aromatic apricot confit is unbelievably delicious.
It's hard to say today whether it was an accident or the talent of a young pastry chef that led to the creation of the Sacher cake. All we know is that in 1832 the chef of the Austrian foreign minister, Clemens Metternich, was asked to prepare an unusual dessert.
The 16-year-old Franz Sacher, learning the art of cooking then, was given the job because the head chef was ill. Sacher's cake, with a seemingly simple recipe — biscuits, chocolate and apricot jam — was a hit with the guests.
Franz continued to make the dessert. The confectioner's son inherited his father's profession and even improved the recipe a little: instead of spreading the confit on the cake, he sprinkled it on the layers.
This change led to a lawsuit between the two big cake shops, as they couldn't decide which recipe was right. However, after all these years, the delicacy has only grown in popularity.
At the Café Sacher, near the Vienna State Opera, they still bake cakes the way they did in the first half of the 19th century and decorate them with round chocolate medals bearing the Original Sacher-Torte inscription.
Demel Café sweets
Another café where the famous cake is made to an original recipe is Demel.
Its product carries the triangular Eduard Sacher-Torte medals. Other desserts to try here include candied violets (said to be a favourite of Elisabeth of Bavaria) and marzipan cakes.
And lest the mixture of almonds and powdered sugar seems too simple, do not miss the Marzipan Museum in the basement of the Demel.
People, trees, burgers, wedding dresses and Easter eggs are all made of marzipan. The almond figures on the shop counters look like toys, but you can buy and eat them.
Mozartkugel
Marzipan is also used as a filling in another traditional Viennese sweet — the Mozartkugel. The Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst first made these chocolate-covered marzipan balls in 1890.
Cafes, shops and tourist attractions in Vienna now sell the red-wrapped Mozartkugel, but they imitate the original recipe. If you want to try the real thing, made in the great composer's home town, look for the blue foil-wrapped Original Salzburger Mozartkugel.
Meanwhile, Vienna has its signature marzipan sweet, the Lipizzaner Kugeln. They are named after the Lipizzaner horses — the white horse symbolises the Austrian capital.
Vienna strudel
On the other hand, the famous strudel has always been available to everyone in Austria. It's not known how long Viennese housewives have been making it, but the oldest strudel recipe found dates back to 1696.
Not content with simply enjoying the exquisite pastry and filling, the Residenz Café at Schönbrunn Palace offers master classes in baking this delicacy. The Schottenring and the Diglas Café also offer similar courses.
If you're not up to the culinary challenge, you can at least admire the pastry chef, who doesn't just roll out the dough, but stretches it until it's translucent, even using his elbows to help.
The most common filling is apples with sugar and cinnamon, called apfelstrudel. Other fillings include cottage cheese, poppy seeds, berries, nuts, and even spinach or meat. The strudel can be topped with sauce or a scoop of ice cream for an original twist. At the end of the strudel show, all participants will receive a recipe for the delicacy.
Vienna waffles
Delicate pastries are hard to take home as souvenirs, but sweets and wafers are. Treat family and friends to a Mannerschnitten wafer; they'll share your admiration for Vienna.
The pink packet with a picture of St Stephen's Dom first appeared in 1898, and the crispy wafers with nut filling have long been a favourite of locals and visitors.
Manner's wafers are available today with lemon, chocolate, cereal and other fillings. You can buy wafers and many souvenirs in the company's shop near St Stephen's Cathedral.
Altmann & Kühne candies
Altmann & Kühne chocolates, on the other hand, are so small that they look as if they were made especially for children's hands. They have been handmade since 1928 and packed in special boxes. You won't find two identical chocolates in the same box.
You're sure to order a wiener coffee with one of the desserts. You can have a melange, a large cup of coffee with milk; kaizermelange (coffee with egg yolk); chalet gold (a delicate golden coffee); or ice coffee, chilled coffee and ice cream. Even children are offered coffee with milk, Milchkaffee.
Pastry shops and gelaterias in Vienna
Which Viennese pastry shop should you go to for sweets? The answer is simple: all of them. Of course, the respectable and long-established Sacher, Demel, Konditorei Heiner, Mozart and Landtmann stand out but are also costly.
The budget cafés will delight you with excellent cakes, pastries, tarts, bagels, pancakes and other traditional Viennese pastries for much less money.
But if you are in the mood for ice cream, visiting the historic Zanoni & Zanoni ice cream parlour is a must. The ice creams here are transformed into works of art, and there's nothing more satisfying than munching on such beauty.
In the run-up to Christmas, the freshest pastries can be found at any of the markets in Vienna's winter squares. The scents of vanilla and cinnamon are always in the air, and the stalls overflow with gingerbread, bagels, cakes and shaped pastries.
If you're holidaying in Vienna with children, it's well worth indulging your sweet tooth — a trip you'll remember for years.
A slice of the Viennese sweet life would also make an excellent gift for those who still need to visit the fantastic Austrian capital.
