Käsekrainer
Käsekrainer is a quintessential Austrian gourmet delicacy, a type of sausage filled with small chunks of cheese. It is usually prepared with pork or a mixture of pork, beef, and a variety of spices, while the cheese used for the filling is typically Swiss Emmental.
Once stuffed, the plump sausages are lightly smoked over applewood, giving this meat specialty a distinctive smoky aroma and flavor. The name of the sausage combines two words - käse and krainer - the first being the German word for cheese, while the latter refers to Krainer sausage.
Käsekrainer is actually considered to be a variation of the traditional Krainer sausage, which has been designated as a PGI-certified meat product of Slovenia under the name Kranjska klobasa (also known as Carniolan sausage). Read more
These cheese-filled sausages are most commonly grilled to crispy perfection, although they can also be fried, baked, or boiled. The heating process allows for the cheese to melt entirely, creating that warm gooey sensation of oozing cheese that has made Käsekrainer so popular with locals and tourists alike.
The locals have likened the way the cheese seeps out of the sausage to the rather unpleasant image of being filled with pus, which is how the sausage earned its other name, die Eitrige (lit. ulcerous or pus-filled).
A beloved street food snack, käsekrainer can be bought at almost any street food stand in the country. In Austria, these traditional sausages are usually enjoyed with bread rolls, slices of dark bread, or small baguette-like rolls, and condiments such as mustard, curry sauce, horseradish, ketchup, pickles, and hot peppers.
WHERE TO EAT The best Käsekrainer in the world (according to food experts)
