Learn how to prepare an original Austrian Kaiserschmarren and get more information about it’s history and where it’s name came from.
There is barely any menu on a Tyrolean hut, no matter how small, that doesn’t offer the traditional Kaiserschmarren dish. Fluffy and light, sprinkled in powdered sugar – that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Although everyone does it a little bit differently and puts their own spin on it – with raisins or without, with apple sauce or lingonberry jam – that way, there is something to everyone’s taste! The only thing left to do is to fight about which one is the best.
Here I will show you the recipe for the original Kaiserschmarren from the well-known cook Maria Drewes.
Ingredients
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 500ml milk
- 3 big eggs
- Salt
- Butter
Preparation
Mix the flour, milk, salt, and yolk of the eggs together until the batter is smooth. Now beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter.
Batter 
How the name Kaiserschmarren came about
The Kaiserschmarren is basically the most famous sweet dish the Austrian cuisine has to offer. The name goes all the way back to the emperor Franz Josef I (emperor translated into German means Kaiser). In 1854 the Austrian empress Elisabeth was served the dish for the first time, and they called it a “Schmarren” because they messed up the plating of the dish by accident and the baked pastry fell apart into little pieces. (“Schmarren” can loosely be translated to nonsense or tomfoolery)
Some Legends around the Kaiserschmarren
The empress Elisabeth was always very considered of her weight and therefore had a pastry chef who created specifically light desserts for her. As he came to her with the composition that later on became the Kaiserschmarren, she was unimpressed. Therefore, the emperor Franz Josef I. agreed to have a taste of the dish by saying; “well then just give me that nonsense (Schmarren) the chef has put together.”
Another legend has said that for their wedding Elisabeth and Franz Josef got served the dish, that was first named Kaiserinschmarren. But since the emperor liked it better than the empress, they then renamed it Kaiserschmarren.
The Kaiserschmarren is not just popular in Austria but also in Hungary because of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy.
Find out more about Austrian cuisine right HERE!
