Tafelspitz is Austria’s national meal of boiled beef, bones, and vegetables, created in Vienna in the late 18th century. It is served in courses in Europe, including bone marrow, while in the US, bones are omitted, and broth is served over meat and vegetables.
Tafelspitz is Austria’s national meal of boiled beef, bones, and vegetables. In Europe, it is more common to eat the meal in courses, including bone marrow. In the United States, the bones are often omitted and the broth is usually served over the meat and vegetables.
Created in Vienna in the late 18th century, the tafelspitz is said to have originated because of Emperor Franz Joseph I. Because guests dining with the emperor were not served before him and could not eat after he had finished, they had little time to eat their meals. To solve this problem, chefs created a hearty meal that could be served quickly.
Tafelspitz is cooked in a large pot. The water, sometimes salted, is boiled once meat, bones and seasonings have been added. The meat is usually a lightly fatty rump roast. Seasonings include bay leaves and peppercorns and possibly juniper berries. The meat is boiled for two to three hours, depending on the quality of the meat, before adding the other ingredients. The fat is skimmed off the top of the water during cooking.
Onions and root vegetables, such as celery, carrots or beats, are then included in the dish. Usually the onion is sliced, fried or roasted, with the skin left open before being placed in the pot. The skin adds the correct coloring to the dish, although saffron can be a substitute for this purpose. After adding the onion, the vegetables are placed in the pot. Then the whole dish is boiled for another hour.
The resulting soup is sieved to create a broth. The meat is thinly sliced and, if the water is not salty, it is seasoned. Usually, a small amount of broth is poured over the top of the meat before the meat is garnished with chopped chives or parsley. The vegetables are served on the side and some of the broth can also be poured over.
In Austrian restaurants, tafelspitz is eaten in courses. Broth soup is eaten first. Then the bones are served. Diners will remove the marrow from the bones, sometimes placing it on bread, like jam. Finally, meat and vegetables will be served.
Both in the USA and in Europe, tafelspitz is served with apple horseradish. Simple horseradish is prepared from apples, horseradish, lemon juice and salt. Some American recipes also suggest using apple chutney paired with horseradish as a substitute.
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