Food & Drink

Dumplings are a core part of the Tirolean diet. While centuries ago there were just a few different varieties, these days you will find all manner of weird and wonderful creations. Here are our top five dumplings you have to try next time you are in Tirol.

When it comes to food, Tirol has two big players: Ischgl and Kitzbühel. But which of these two culinary giants is better? We travelled to the east and west of Tirol to compare and contrast. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Few dishes conjur up such strong emotions in Tirol as dumplings. We asked four chefs to let us in on their recipes for this classic Tirolean dish. They were all kind enough to oblige – and also told us a bit about what makes "Knödel" so special to them.

In the late 1950s, Claus Riedel made a discovery which would change the world of wine forever. The Tirolean native was the first to realise that the size and shape of a glass affect the taste of the wine inside. Armed with this knowledge, he went on to develop specific glasses used today to showcase the world's finest wines.

The lush meadows and craggy peaks of the Mittelgebirge mountains near Innsbruck are the perfect place to combine hiking with eating. Our intrepid reporters set out on a trail for foodies taking them from one hut to the next, each offering not only delicious cuisine but also a bed for the night.

Berlin has one. So does Amsterdam, Prague and pretty much every other city in Europe. We’re talking, of course, about food tours, and now Innsbruck has joined the club. We spent a day with Kurt Reindl from Innsbruck Food Tours to get a taste of Tirol’s unique food culture.

As a girl, Monika Hirschhuber (80) dreamt of becoming a midwife. In the end she trained as a chef – a job she loves until this day.

"Tirol tastes of Swiss pine, earthy, of cranberries, of fresh, crystal-clear mountain water. It tastes honest," is Andi Thöni's reponse when asked to describe the taste of his home region. He is one of two chefs at the Berghof in Pfunds. Standing alongside him in the kitchen is his father, Toni Thöni, who has a different take on the taste of Tirol. "For me Tirol is smoky, intense. It tastes like tangy alpine cheese and young, fresh lamb from the alpine pasture, served with porcini mushrooms straight from the forest."

Georg Hauser grew up at the inn that is now his restaurant – the Gasthaus Nester. As a child he was fascinated above all by evenings at the inn: the hustle and bustle, the smells, the thick fog of smoke, the women's cologne. The worst moment for Georg was when he was sent to bed at eight o'clock and silence fell on his room. He would have so preferred to stay downstairs and immerse himself in the laughter, merriment and dancing, if only as a silent observer. "Even as a child I was often afraid of missing out on something."