Tafelspitz
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Tafelspitz (German Tafelspitz, literally meaning tip (of meat) for the table) is boiled beef in broth, served with horseradish. It is considered to be the "national dish" of Austria[1] and is equally popular in the neighboring German state of Bavaria.
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, was a great lover of Tafelspitz. According to the 1912 official cookery textbook used in domestic science schools of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, "His Majesty's private table is never without a fine piece of boiled beef, which is one of his favorite dishes."
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The dish [edit]
Tafelspitz is simmered along with root vegetables and spices in the broth. It is usually served with roasted slices of potato and a mix of minced apples and horseradish or sour cream mixed with horseradish.
The cut [edit]
Tafelspitz is the name of the meat cut which is used, usually from a young ox. The meat for Tafelspitz is well-aged pieces of beef, a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin primal cut. This cut is typically known in the United States as the tri-tip. Austrian butchers gave almost every muscle of beef a separate name. The hind leg alone is parted into 16 cuts: there is for example the Hüferscherzl, Hüferschwanzl, Nuss, Wadlstutzen, Gschnatter, Schwarzes Scherzl, Weißes Scherzl, Dünnes Kügerl, Schalblattel also called Fledermaus Alternatively, a similar cut of beef from a young ox, properly hung, with firm white fat (not yellow). The fat can be left on to prevent the meat from becoming dry.
