Recipe Apricot Gugelhupf with Nuts

Poppy seed cakes are considered a sign of opulence; hence Polish desserts cannot have enough of them. They are often further enriched with honey, dried fruit and nuts. This dish called Kutia in Polish is a traditional Christmas dessert.

Mussels and ‘frites’ is a classic dish, famous throughout the world, and there’s nowhere better to experience it than in one of the many fishing villages and towns along the Flemish coast, where the Belgica mussels are brought to land. The clear waters of the North Sea give these mussels their unique flavour; they are fleshy and their shells are lighter than other mussels. An absolute classic available at every Flemish restaurant in the mussel season (from July until Autumn).

Polenta e Osei is probably the most representative dish of Vicenza’s traditional cuisine. The recipe contains simple ingredients and its secret lies in a long and low heat cooking. The meat has to be moistened during the whole cooking process and the heat has to be uniformly distributed.

Anyone engaging in a serious search for the true origin of the Linzer Torte soon finds him or herself travelling between Egypt, Verona and Milwaukee in the American state of Wisconsin. The oldest recorded tart recipe in the world which was written down by a countess in Verona is to be found today in the monastery library in Admont and even became popular in America during the mid-19th century. A cake-maker who moved to Linz in 1822 used the recipe to create the “Linzer Masse”, which was the basis for the grandiose Linz tart. Today it is the culinary emblem of the capital city of Upper Austria.