Graz Food & Drink Culture

Graz calls itself Austria's Capital of Culinary Delights, and it earns the name through what grows around it. Styria is a region of orchards, vineyards, pumpkin fields and small farms, and the city's cooks have the farmers on their doorstep. The result is a cuisine that is lighter and greener than the Viennese classics, with a few ingredients you will meet at almost every meal.

Pumpkin Seed Oil: The Green Gold

Styrian pumpkin seed oil is the region's signature. It is pressed from the roasted seeds of a local pumpkin variety, is dark green, almost black, and has a deep nutty taste. It carries a protected geographical indication, so the real thing comes only from this area. You will find it on green salads, on potato salad, in soups, on scrambled eggs and even over vanilla ice cream, which sounds odd and works well. It is never used for frying. A small bottle from a market stall is the classic thing to take home.

Styrian Specialities to Try

• •Backhendl: chicken pieces in a crisp breadcrumb coating, served with potato or green salad
• •Käferbohnensalat: large purple-speckled runner beans with onion and pumpkin seed oil
• •Brettljause: a wooden board of cured ham, sausage, cheese, spreads and horseradish with dark bread
• •Verhackert: a spread of finely chopped smoked bacon, eaten on bread
• •Sterz: a rustic dish of buckwheat or maize, traditionally served with soup or coffee
• •Steirisches Wurzelfleisch: pork simmered with root vegetables and topped with fresh horseradish
• •Kürbiscremesuppe: pumpkin soup finished with a swirl of seed oil
• •Apple strudel and other pastries made with Styrian apples

The Farmers' Markets

The best introduction to local food is a morning at one of the two big farmers' markets, held from Monday to Saturday: Kaiser-Josef-Platz, behind the opera, and Lendplatz, across the river. Farmers from the surrounding countryside sell vegetables, fruit, bread, cheese, cured meats, honey, flowers and seed oil directly, and stalls around the edge serve coffee, wine and snacks. Saturday is the busiest and best day. Go before 11am.

Styrian Wine and the Buschenschank

Styria is white wine country. Sauvignon Blanc from South Styria has an international reputation, and Welschriesling, Weissburgunder and Gelber Muskateller are the easy-drinking local favourites. West Styria has a wine of its own, Schilcher, a sharp, onion-skin-coloured rosé made from the Blauer Wildbacher grape. The traditional place to drink them is a Buschenschank, a tavern run by a winemaker that may serve only its own wine and cold food. Most are out in the wine country, under an hour from Graz. In autumn they pour Sturm, the cloudy, sweet, still-fermenting new wine, with roast chestnuts.

Coffee Houses and Bakeries

Graz shares Austria's coffee house tradition. Order a Melange, similar to a cappuccino, or a Verlängerter, a lengthened espresso, and stay as long as you like. Bakeries sell seeded rolls, dark rye breads and pumpkin seed pastries, and one Graz institution on Stempfergasse is known for its tiny open sandwiches, eaten standing with a small glass of beer or wine.

Eating Out: What to Know

• •Lunch is the main bargain: many restaurants offer a set menu on weekdays.
• •Styrian tapas, small portions of local classics, are a good way to try several dishes.
• •Vegetarians do well in Graz, which has had dedicated vegetarian restaurants for decades.
• •Reserve for dinner at weekends and during festivals.
• •For a full list of where to eat, see our guide to the best restaurants in Graz.