Wurstsalat or: the Austrian way to do picnics

Austrians are not what you would call a nation of picnickers. Not sure why this is, but there are only three occasions that I can think of where you bring your food and consume it in full view of others: Firstly, although rapidly disappearing nowadays, you can still find certain "Heurigen" (establishments where local wine producers are licensed to sell only their own produce, sometimes restricted to just a couple of weeks every autumn) where you're allowed or expected to bring our own food while you consume the house wine on the premises, secondly, when you go hiking and bring dry-cured sausages, some cheese and bread (in the case of our family mostly in a battered tin box rather than tupperware) and thirdly, when you go to spend a day on the lake.
I guess there are two main reasons that prevent us Austrians to frolick and indulge on our picnic blankets... one is that, unlike London, you'd be hard-pressed to find a space in an urban park, as most green spaces are inaccessible to the public and apart from "don't step on the lawn" signs left, right and centre, you have park patrol keeping a vigilant eye on anyone attempting to break the rules. So you'd find yourself restricted to the few park benches scattered along the paths, which are usually occupied by the elderly taking a well-deserved break or some homeless wino sleeping his alcohol levels down to a reasonable level.
But apart from the difficulty of finding a suitable space, there is a common negative attitude towards eating in public. Despite there being many shops and kiosks where you can grab a quick bite, eating in public is frowned upon and you're really expected to either consume your purchase in the immediate perimeter of the locale or take it whereever the wind blows you next, be that your work place or your home. If you attempt to eat your hot dog in a tram or on a bus, you're most likely to lose your appetite altogether under the scornful eyes of some old ladies... and we all know such specimens, don't we?
So the rare occasions where we enjoyed our lunch al fresco was usually in summer, when we headed for some mountainous lake or even just a nature pond in the vicinity of my hometown to spend a day in the sun. On such days, my Mum would prepare a "Wurstsalat" (I will spare you the literal translation as it is bound to evoke the wrong pictures in your head and ruin your appetite). We use "Extrawurst" or "Knacker", a cold meat similar to some luncheon sausages you can get round here, the ingredients of which are not far from a Frankfurter or Wiener, a hard cheese (like Emmental or Gruyère), onions, tomatoes and sweet peppers, thinly slice all of it and dress it with a simple vinaigrette. Straight out of the coolbox and with a crusty baguette on the side, I cannot think of anything more refreshing on a hot summer's day...

Wurstsalat: summer salad with cold meat, peppers and tomatoes
(serves 6-8 as a light lunch)

800 g luncheon sausage (or thick Wiener sausages)*
2 green peppers (capsicum)
250 g hard cheese (Emmental, Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Comté, etc)
8 medium tomoatoes
1 medium onion or 8 spring onions
7 tbsp groundnut or corn oil
7 tbsp cider vinegar
chives (optional)
salt, pepper

Slice the cold meat very thinly. Dice or slice the capsicum and onions, cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Thinly slice the cheese and cut into bite size.
Transfer all ingredients into a large bowl or tupperware and season generously. Mix thoroughly, sprinkle with chopped chives, if using, and consume cold, with fresh and crusty bread.

* Unlike English sausages, ours are pre-cooked and thus can be consumed cold. You should find a similar cold meat in a German delicatessen or big supermarket.

Comments

[Tanna]

Wurstsalat, words are such fun. A rose by any other name...
Looks like the making of a lovely picnic.

[Jeanne]

Hmmm, I can vouch for the fact that this makes GREAT picnic food! The peppers and "wurst" are a great contrast in terms of texture and taste & the whole salad is not only colourful but also yummy. Long live the wurstsalat!

[Pamela]

I adore wurstsalat, yours looks delicious!

[Nicky]

Hi Johanna,
Visiting your site sometimes makes me feel like coming home, as Austrians and Germans share a lot of preferences when it comes to traditional food... ;)

[johanna]

Hi Nicky, I guess this is especially true for Bavarians and us Upper Austrians... not necessarily the North of Germany.
I am actually looking forward to a trip to Austria in a few weeks...

[Botha]

Can knacker wurst be cooked? I have no idea as I am African and received the meat from my neighbour and a bit embarressed to ask?

[johanna]

Yes, Botha, it can be cooked: it tastes delicious on the braai (bbq for non-SAfricans) or fried in a pan, for an added twist you can stuff some cheese in and wrap with bacon...

[Emily]

Im doing a class project on austria, and I thought it would be interesting to bring in some traditional austrian food. Do you think this recipe would be easy enough and not too messy?

[Piet Van Lier]

Thank goodness for the picnic! So many wonderful experiences and memories were created at picnics with good friends and family. In the U.S. many consider any outdoor meal a picnic, be it in a park or the backyard.

[Chef Keem]

Ah - Extra Wurst! Can't find it in Texas, except perhaps for a "ring bologna" made by Schaller & Weber in the North Country. I miss these wonderful "quick lunches". American lunch meat is definitely not the right meat. My grandmother use to brown slices of criss-crossed extra wurst, and serve it with mashed potatoes and green beans. This was 40-50 years ago, but I'll never forget the great taste of the seared "crosses" on the surface of the wurst. Johanna - you have a recipe post on Fleischsalat, somewhere...?

[johanna]

Hi Chef Keem,

I don't unfortunately, but that's a great reminder to put one up. Give me a few weeks to get organised, I have exams coming up, so my head's elsewhere at the moment, if I don't post it in the next few weeks, please do send me a gentle reminder!

[Burgette]

hi,
i am austrian, living in vienna and maybe public space in parks are more limited compared to others cities eg. stockholm, but i don't feel it that hard u described in your blog. and also eating in the public, everyone is running around, eat, drink like elsewhere ...well, wurstsalat, we have this, but i am not sure if it is really austrian? however ... its not that much on our menue ... a big smile from vienna :-)))

[johanna]

Hi Burgette,

ja, da hat sich sicher auch einiges geaendert, seit ich aus Wien weggezogen bin... als ich noch an der Hauptuni studierte, wollten wir uns immer im angrenzenden Park vor dem Rathaus niederlassen und wurden immer wieder verstampert ;-)

mit wurstsalat bin ich aber aufgewachsen... nachdems diese art wurst ja sonst kaum wo gibt, muss es wohl aus diesen breitengraden stammen... ausserdem hab ich ja auch nicht behauptet, dass er oesterreichisch ist, sondern dass wir das gerne als picknick an den see oder zum wandern mitnehmen usw.

anywho... danke fuer deinen kommentar!

liebe gruesse aus london

johanna