Skiurlaub Tirol and the Traditional Cuisine of South Tirol

South Tirol is well known as a great vacation spot in Europe and around the world for a skiurlaub.  However, one of the less known but equally popular reasons to go to South Tirol is its delicious cuisine.

Some say that the best way to know a region is through its food.  If that is the case, South Tirol must rank as one of the best location in the world because of its great culinary achievements.

For pork and potato lovers, Tirol offers a traditional dish called Gröstl.  A delicious entrée which boast potatoes and pieces of cut lightly browned pork that is cooked together with chopped onion in a frying pan along with an array of spices.

This dish is often served with fried eggs and herbs along with beetroot.

For those who are more into ham then the South Tyrolean Speck is for you.  The South Tyrolean Speck is a type of cured and smoked ham that has hung for several weeks in a cellar to mature.  The spices used are what make this ham so sensational to your taste buds.  So eat up and enjoy!

Another dish proud traditional dish of Tirol are the Weißwurst and the Meranerwurst which are types of sausages that are eaten without bread and are rather dipped into a mixture of sweet mustard on wax paper.

South Tirol is by no mean a weak contender in the cheese area.  Try the Graukäse which is a form of aged Ricotta cheese. For a cheese it is has a low fat content and is flavorful and pleasant to the taste buds.  This cheese actually has to be eaten within a short period of time after maturing due to its tendency to acquire a sour aftertaste.

The wines are quite excellent and the area can be said to produce some of Italy’s best wines.  Red grapes are the dominant species producing a rich ruby red with a full body.  Make sure to try the fruit brandies,it is well worth a taste.

No meal is compete without a Tirtlen which is a pastry made of rye that is fried in hot oil and shaped like a circle and filled with seasoned sauerkraut, quark or spinach.

If you are looking for a sweeter dessert then try the Südtiroler Krapfen which is basically a fried pastry that is often filled with jam, chestnuts, poppy seed, fruits or curd.

These are but some of the delicious dishes available in South Tirol.  Whether you are in Tirol for a skiurlaub or not, to truly enjoy your vacation in Tirol, make sure that you take the time to taste its array of traditional food.  You won’t regret it.

Frank Jergen is a freelance travel and vacation writer that has seen visited over 75 countries and lived in 25 of them.  He currently resides in St. Johann, Austria where he enjoys a well earned skiurlaub and Winterurlaub every year.  You can contact Mr. Jergen at frank_jergen@hotmail.com.

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