Meet Susanne Zimmel; you can also call her Mrs Ziii. She’s an Austrian food photographer and stylist who dipped her toe into food blogging to share recipes with friends and co., and never looked back. She’s also one of the few local bloggers who celebrates traditional Austrian cookery and translates her insightful German-language posts into English, giving curious outsiders a peak into life and food in this oft-overlooked slice of Western Europe. Mrs Ziii calls Vienna home (she’s just published a cookbook, Wiener Kuche (Viennese Kitchen), on the subject) and recipes on the blog centre on the classic dishes of the capital, from her grandmother’s Hascheeknödel (potato and pork dumplings) to coffeehouse favourites Kaiserschmarrn (pancakes with stewed plums). While Austria has, on occasion, been overshadowed by some of its neighbours, a coup in last year’s Eurovision capitulated her homeland into the limelight. This year, as Austria hosts the hit song contest, Mrs Ziii will be commemorating the event with a hearty winter feast of old and new-age dishes, including caramelised cabbage pasta (Krautfleckerl) and red cabbage and almond butter soup.
Where do you come from?” I’m often asked abroad. My answer, Austria, elicits a typical response. “Aaah, Australia. Nice weather and so many kangaroos!
Few people knew our tiny part of the world. But ever since actor Christoph Waltz won Oscars for Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained, and Conchita Wurst took out the Eurovision Song Contest, people are now aware that I am actually living on the other side of the globe in the heart of Europe.
Hello Australia, this is Vienna calling! For me, almost everything I do comes back to cooking. I also have a close connection to Viennese culinary traditions, which is influenced by the old Hungarian and Bohemian kitchens. The ingredients used are usually simple, but dishes are often complex and require attention when cooking. Fortunately, my grandmother taught me to be patient and showed me all kind of tricks. Her dishes, in particular, are worth all the effort.
While the Viennese kitchen is known for old-fashioned fare, things are changing. And although regional and seasonal cooking is important to me, I am sometimes up for a challenge and play with new, uncommon ingredients.
Soups are my passion; they are just what you need to warm up your heart when winter is coming (and it’s pretty cold here!). I love hot desserts, too – like every Austrian does. We grow up with pancakes, such as Kaiserschmarrn, and in Austria it is common to serve a sweet dish as a main course at least once a week. Usually, it comes with a starter of soup, such as pumpkin or pea (or a mix of the two), or any thick, rich vegetable soup.
I started my blog to… Collect recipes for my family and friends. It was surprising to me that others were interested in them, too.
I can’t wait to go back to… My grandmother’s house to eat her wonderful chocolate Gugelhupf (German bundt cake). [Here's our orange syrup version]
My current food obsession is… Vietnamese pho. I love it in all variations.
Eating… Red currants takes me back to my childhood.
Nugget of cooking wisdom… Passion!
I learnt to cook from… My grandmother and later in a restaurant where I worked while studying at university.
When I go back to my home town… Linz, the first thing I eat is my mother’s meatloaf.
For a Eurovision dinner party, I would serve… A huge pot of hot beef soup with all kind of garnishes that we love here in Vienna and a big pan of Kaiserschmarrn.
Friends always ask me to cook my… Viennese goulash.
The one thing I can’t cook is… A proper soft-boiled egg with a runny, waxy yolk. This is mainly the task of Mr Ziii. He is the egg master in our house.
If I ever met… My great-grandmother again, I would ask her: ‘What the duck did you add to your gorgeous pumpkin mash?’
I always have… Salt flakes in my pantry, eggs in my fridge and bread in my freezer.
My most sauce-splattered cookbook is… The one hand-written by my grandmother. The splatters in it are from three generations.
The most difficult food to shoot/style and make look tasty is… Definitely risotto.
Beyond my own blog, some of my favourites reads are… One by my German colleagues, Krautkopf, David Lebovitz’s life in Paris and the young and stylish blog of Molly from My name is Yeh.
Source: Susanne Zimmel
Source: Susanne Zimmel
Source: Susanne Zimmel
Kaiserschmarrn is a large pancake made to slice up and share. Source: Susanne Zimmel
Blog Appétit Editor Yasmin Newman
Blog Appétit is our curated list of go-to food blogs we love, with a focus on high-quality photography, trusted recipes, strong editorial themes and a unique voice and personality. View previous Blog Appétit entries.
