The question of whether Austrian is a real language or a German dialect is of little interest outside the universities, where Hochdeutsch prevails. In everyday life - on the street, in shops, restaurants and pubs - no one speaks "Austrian". Instead, everyone uses their regional dialect. Many of these dialects are related to Bavarian and are spoken in Lower and Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria and Carinthia. In Graz, the local Styrian dialect has strong Slavic influences, while in Vorarlberg the Alemannic dialect is very similar to Swiss German.
Viennese is a world unto itself—a patchwork of words woven from the four corners of what was once Europe's largest empire: Czech, Hungarian, Slovenian, Polish, Yiddish, Slovak, Italian, and Turkish.
Although not all German speakers warm to the Viennese cadence, so melodic (for some, too melodic), with its distinctive ups and downs in intonation, it quickly grows on you and becomes an essential part of the city's soundtrack, alongside the waltz and the clip-clop of horses on the cobbles of the historic centre.
I lived in Salzburg for years, studied in Vienna, and every year I return to the Austrian capital to spend time with my Austrian-Italian-Middle European family. I love the pure Hochdeutsch of northern Germany, but I've learnt that in Austria, as everywhere else, if you want to lead a decent life, it's better to abandon the subtleties and immerse yourself in the local language without shame: enter the dialect like an explorer, have fun imitating it, then learn it and make it your own, at least a little.
Every place has its own soul and deserves to have its own language, made up of dialect and nomenclature. And what place in Vienna has more soul than its cafés?
This is today's holiday mini-story: a tale of places and civilizations that first clash, then blend together through the universal language of coffee. It is not just a Viennese story—it is a European story.
The history of Viennese cafés is a mixture of historical fact and legend, born out of the complex relationship - confrontation, exchange and clash - between the Austrian and Ottoman Empires, culminating in the siege of Vienna in 1683.
1683 was the year of the siege and the end of the Ottoman Empire's further ambitions. But it also sealed the cultural exchange between the two empires: with coffee. When the Armenian Johannes Deodat (Diodato) received the first official licence to serve coffee to the public in 1685, he gave birth to a culture, a tradition and an institution - the Viennese coffee house.
This cultural phenomenon became so important that in 2011 UNESCO included the Viennese coffee house culture on its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Viennese cafés: the stage where this city's unique cultural identity unfolded.
To enter a Viennese café is to inhale literature, thought and poetry: from Sigmund Freud to Alfred Adler, from Hugo von Hofmannsthal to Karl Kraus, and then Arthur Schnitzler, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig, Franz Kafka, Elias Canetti, Thomas Bernhard... they all sat at the tables of historic cafés such as the Central, the Landtmann or the Griensteidl. In the air, without the need for laser holograms, you can still feel their presence.
If you want to return to the present, open the coffee menu: you can get lost in it, you must! It will always be difficult for an Italian to give up his ristretto espresso or his macchiato. But the almost infinite list of variations - I counted up to thirty - reveals a Borgesian world of incomprehensible and perhaps imaginary lists. Close your eyes, point randomly and make your choice: the surprise could be quite pleasant.
Wiener Melange is a pillar of the local tradition, so much so that it deserves its own monograph. Its ingredients are coffee and milk. Nothing strange so far. It's made with a lungo espresso or a moka. For a 250ml cup, you need about 125ml of lungo espresso and 125ml of milk. First pour everything into a glass or large cup. Then add the same amount of milk foam. At this point the cup is filled with milk foam and the Viennese Melange is ready. Kaisermelange is the premium version: coffee with egg yolk and cognac.
An "Einspänner" or "Kaffee Wiener Art" was the coachman's coffee: you had to hold the coffee glass in one hand and the reins in the other, drinking it little by little and hoping it would stay hot. The coffee was poured into a hand-held glass, covered with a generous (read: enormous) layer of whipped cream - the Schlagobers - and sprinkled with powdered sugar. By not stirring, the cream protected the coffee underneath from heat loss. To drink the coffee through the cream, without mixing it, is still an art that defies the laws of physics and leaves the mark of a fine moustache "like an old emperor".
First of all, if you are not a coachman, you can opt for an elegant Salon Einspänner - imagine a double espresso topped with a cloud of whipped cream. It's the Viennese version of a morning power-up!
On those scorching summer days, nothing beats an Eiskaffee. Picture this: cool coffee, vanilla ice cream, and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Heaven in a glass! Though between you and me, making it at home will save you a few euros. Kaffee Obermayer is a Melange with vanilla ice cream—the premium version of Eiskaffee. Not in love with vanilla but prefer chocolate? Then there is Othello for you: Mokka with chocolate flavoring. You'll love it.
Now, if you're visiting in winter, you absolutely must try the Fiaker. Named after Vienna's horse-drawn carriages, it's a warming blend of strong black coffee and rum, topped with whipped cream. Just maybe save it for after your January detox!
Franziskaner is a melange with whipped cream instead of frothed milk, for those who want to enjoy the full flavour. If we talk about Franziskaner, we cannot forget the Kapuziner: it is an espresso with a little milk and milk froth - no more and no less than a cappuccino, which is exactly what Kapuziner means.
Moving on to the more exotic, there's Kosakenkaffee, the Cossack coffee, - a fascinating blend of black coffee, honey and vodka. Fun fact: over the years, it's become more vodka than coffee, and you can now find it bottled in grocery stores!
The Sperbertürke is a legacy of Turkish traders: Turkish coffee brewed in a cezve (ibrik). Some people also like Turkish coffee, which is filtered Turkish coffee.
These three coffees are high in alcohol and sugar: the Marghiloman is mokka with cognac and orange liqueur. Mazagran is cold, strong coffee with rum or cognac. You'll often find the Maria Theresia in Viennese cafés: made with a shot of French orange liqueur, preferably poured in a Biedermeier glass, mixed with a little brown cane sugar covered with a double espresso and whipped cream on top, decorated with a little freshly grated orange peel. Bold, powerful and slightly overweight like its namesake.
Talking of alcohol: the Katerkaffee (Hangover Coffee) is a strong black coffee with a shot of alcohol - the official hangover coffee! Twenty years ago it was my weekly ritual.
What about the Überstürzter Neumann? A black coffee with milk added quickly ("overturned Neumann") - it's all in the barista's hand. If you want more milk, you can get a Weißer mit Haut, which is coffee with lots of milk and a thin layer of foam ("white with skin"). The Konsul, on the other hand, is a large black coffee with a small amount of cream, for those who like cream but not espresso.
For those loving sophisticated variations, here are some very elegant ways to drink coffee in Vienna: Kaffee Kirsch is coffee with cherry brandy. Never tried it, but it seems perfect for ladies chatting away their long afternoons at the café. Kaffee Landtmann is Mocha with honey and whipped cream. Not for everyone.
Of course, we have our everyday favorites too. The Großer Schwarzer (large black coffee) and Kleiner Schwarzer (small black coffee) are our reliable standards. They go together with the Verlängerter, an Espresso with hot water (similar to Americano).
What about Mokka? In Vienna, we say "Mokka" when we're actually talking about espresso. This drives our Italian friends crazy—but wait, it gets worse with the Mokka gespritzt: an espresso with a splash of hot water. In Italy, this would be considered sacrilege. For something closest to a true Italian espresso, order a Piccolo, our small Mokka. Other espresso variations include the Schale(rl) Gold: espresso with hot milk and milk foam, and the Intermezzo—small espresso with cocoa powder and whipped cream. Delicious.
Häferlkaffee is our version of a large filter coffee—the original big cup of coffee, predating Starbucks by generations. The Kaffee verkehrt flips the usual ratio, featuring mostly milk with just a splash of coffee. You'll find its cousin in Tel Aviv, the Cafe hafuch—literally "upside-down coffee": milk first, then coffee. The key difference? While Tel Aviv's youth have embraced vegan milk alternatives, Vienna remains steadfastly devoted to dairy.
For the grand finale: let me introduce you to the Zarenkaffee, or Tsar's Coffee. This luxurious drink consists of a very strong espresso topped with a delicate mixture of egg yolk and sugar. The topping is prepared just before serving by beating the egg yolk with sugar until it becomes frothy, then carefully layering it atop the hot espresso. A truly imperial creation!
An essential guide to Viennese coffees ↘︎
The top 6 traditional coffee houses in Vienna, Vienna.info
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