Fish

Summer 2015

Food and drink

Carinthia presents the “joy of fish”

In Carinthia, the southernmost province of Austria, the lakes offer warm, drinking-quality water for bathing, and the cool mountain streams offer refreshment for walkers and hikers. And because the natural world is allowed to remain natural in Carinthia, the underwater world also teems with many different species. In 2015, therefore, this southern province of Austria focuses on the characteristic culinary diversity of Carinthia, with fish occupying the place of honour on regional menus.

A rich variety of fish: Carinthia’s lakes and rivers

In Carinthia, on the southern side of the Alps, our motto has always been to enjoy life and all it has to offer. Austria’s southernmost province is also seen as the land of turquoise lakes fed by numerous bubbling mountain streams from the nearby mountain region with its “blue gold”. In the purity of the nutrient-rich water, an extensive variety of fine edible fish and freshwater crabs have become established over the years. 8000 kilometres of rivers, over 1270 pools and lakes (over 200 of which are bathing lakes) form a clean, natural habitat.

The fish tradition in Carinthia stretches back hundreds of years: in 1485 the secretary of the Bishop of Caorle, Paolo Santonino, travelled through Carinthia and enthused about the delicious local dishes and the warm hospitality. Carinthia’s geographical position at the interface of three different linguistic and cultural areas forms the secret of the local cuisine. Italian and Slavic influences, combined with Austria’s own Alpine cuisine, provide a unique combination.

Top quality products, locally produced

With its highly committed fish farmers, Carinthia has one of the highest levels of home-produced freshwater fish in Austria. A particular speciality has always been the “Kärntner Lax’n”, a lake trout which was established in the region as early as the 14th century and which in recent years has once again been successfully farmed in Carinthia. Carefully prepared, and enhanced with regional products, these fish recipes have become an essential part of the local cuisine of the Alps-Adriatic region, in which fresh ingredients from local gardens and farms, seasonal highlights, traditional recipes and new interpretations are combined to form a distinctive style for food lovers to enjoy.

Delicious healthy fish from Carinthia’s lakes

Here on the southern side of the Alps the sun shines more than elsewhere, the climate is wonderfully mild, and in summer life is spent mostly outdoors. The sheer sensual pleasure of the taste of freshly caught fish is best enjoyed in the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurants of Carinthia’s Alps-Adriatic region: on a lakeside terrace by Lake Millstätter See or on Lake Wörthersee, on a pleasure raft on Lake Weissensee,or at a table set up right by the landing stage, where the pleasure promised by a genuine “Kärntner Lax’n” is enhanced by the unspoilt natural backdrop amid the shimmering lake scenery. Added to all that, fish is an extremely healthy food, with Carinthian freshwater fish containing just as much valuable Omega 3 and 6 as their near relatives in the Mediterranean.

Fine wines from Carinthian wine growers

The delicacy of the fish caught in the clear waters of Carinthia’s lakes and rivers is best combined with high quality products from the region’s agricultural economy, such as fragrant herbs, home-produced oils and fresh, tasty vegetables. As a delicious complement to these flavours, we recommend a glass of Carinthian wine. Viticulture in Carinthia has a tradition stretching back over a thousandyears. Following a long period in which these wines were almost forgotten, they are now enjoying a successful renaissance. The local wine growers make full use of the knowledge acquired by their forebears and produce a variety of wonderfully flavoursome red and white wines. Some of these vineyards have already won several awards, such as the Weingut Gartner and the Weinbau Janko in the gentle hills of the LavantValley, and the Weingut Vinum Virunum from central Carinthia.

A cordial welcome at regional fish festivals

Several times a year, Carinthian restaurateurs and fish chefs hold culinary festivals at which the public can sample freshly prepared dishes and watch chefs at their work. Highlights include the traditional fish festivalinFeld am See ( the “Küchenkult” festival in Villach ( and the “Tafeln” festival at Lake Millstätter and on the Alpe-Adria-Trail. Culinary events also take place in many regions of Carinthia in autumn. In addition, there are a wide variety of fishing holidays, fly fishing and fish specialities direct from the producer on offer.

New summer magazine: the joy of pleasures

In the new summer magazine, just out from Kärnten Werbung,you can also find plenty of tips and information on all matters relating to fish and restaurants where you can indulge yourself “with a good conscience”. The fourth issue of the successful guide to food and drink in Carinthia focuses on fish and is available from March onwards from info@kaernten.

“Lust auf Fisch” [the joy of fish] is produced by Kärnten Werbung in close collaboration with committed producers and restaurateurs, the Wirtshauskultur, Spargelwirte and Genussland Kärnten initiatives, and the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture and Chamber of Commerce. The up and coming wine producers of Carinthia have also been brought on board, further enriching the new world of food and drink to be found in Carinthia.

Press contact Kärnten Werbung GmbH

Mag. Ute Zaworka

Völkermarkter Ring 21 - 23, A-9020 Klagenfurt

Tel. 0043(0)463-3000-46, Fax. 0043(0)463-3000-60

,

You can find pictures for your Carinthia story in the media archive: