The whole world knows how good Viennese pastries are, but did you know what else is tops in the Austrian capital?

Cheese

(Pic: © Clemens Fabry, die Presse)

Cheesemaker Anton Sutterlüty matures his Gebsenkäse, a specialist variety from Vorarlberg, in a cellar in the old town. The large yellow wheels are stacked on wooden shelves for anywhere between four months and two years before they go on sale at markets and organic stores throughout the city. 

(Pic:© Christine Wurnig)

It is also available online under the Anton macht Ke:s brand. As an interesting aside, the building that houses Sutterlüty’s ripening cellar was once a bakery, which is rumored to be the place where the croissant was invented back in the 17th century.

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Bread

(Pic:© Gragger / Foto: Stephan Koja)

A wood-fired oven designed by master baker Helmut Gragger has pride of place at Gragger & Cie in the first district. The handmade sourdough loaves and rolls are freshly baked throughout the day at the organic bakery in Spiegelgasse. Customers can also enjoy their purchases in the store, which is finished in high-quality natural materials such as oiled wood and slate.

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Fresh dairy products

(Pic:© Marion Carniel)

Fresh dairy produce without any additional coloring, flavorings or preservatives has been available from Klara Fruchtsennerei in the first district since the end of 2015. Made according to a special recipe in the third district, the yogurts, creamy quark desserts and other milk-based treats use 100 percent organic milk from Lower Austria, and with 18-30 percent fruit content, they have considerably more pure fruit than regular dairy products. The store on Dorotheergasse looks a little like an ice cream parlor, the main difference being that the containers are filled with different flavored fresh yoghurts for customers to choose from. Nuts, muesli and various other toppings add an individual note.

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Mushrooms

(Pic: © Hut & Stiel, Foto: Elena Seitaridis)

Hut & Stiel is a young Viennese company that grows mushrooms for the capital’s dining tables in a cellar in the 20th district. But there’s more to it than that: the shiitakes, king trumpets and oyster mushrooms grow on coffee grounds that are collected from local restaurants, hotels and coffeehouses on a cargo bike. Produced in ideal conditions, it only takes around five weeks before the mushrooms are ready to harvest. Deliveries are made by bicycle. Hut & Stiel kills several birds with one stone: the amount of coffee going into landfill is reduced, production is local and sustainable and transportation times are short. The company is set to secure organic supplier status in 2016.  

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Soft cheeses

(Pic:© Johannes Lingenhel)

In spring 2016 Lingenhel will become the latest Viennese food producer to open its own store. Culinary wizard Johannes Lingenhel transformed a 200-year-old building complex on Landstrasser Hauptstrasse in the third district into a gourmet shop. The in-house cheesemakers will produce buffalo and goats milk specialties including camembert, brie and mozzarella.  The shop also carries selected products such as bread and olive oil.

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(Pic: © Lukas Ilgner für Falter / Best of Vienna)