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A Look at Apron Patterns - It is a refreshing and rewarding pastime for many people to sew their own aprons. Sewing your own aprons can give you the opportunity to add a creative and personalized flair to this accessory. Several sewing stores, both on and offline, now offer... Conquer Florence Italy Florence Italy accommodation as far as hotel and farmhouse are concerned, let your imagination go from richly furnished five star hotels either in the hub of the city or smaller town accommodations, hidden away in the green hued countryside.... Fresh Strawberries Spring has arrived, bringing with it the sweet start of strawberry season. Strawberries, the first fruit to ripen in spring, are enjoyed all over the world, with native forms growing on every continent except Africa and Australia. Families in 94% of... Grilling Hamburgers and Sittin' on an Old Ice Cream Freezer Copyright 2005 - Great-Salsa.com Hamburgers, one of my earliest backyard grilling memories. Our Family would get together, usually on the weekends, and have a hamburger and ice cream supper as we say here in Texas. I can fondly remember... Spain - Europe's new culinary hotbed There are exciting times ahead for Spanish cuisine. An extremely good crop of young, ground breaking chefs are placing Spain firmly on the culinary map, even eclipsing their old neighbours to the north in France. According to many Spain is taking...         The potato - one of Austria's most consumed vegetables My mother used to say, "I could do without bread, but not without potatoes." Austria´s domestic cooking was based on what grew in the ground and hence filled the stomach. When the potato came to Europe in the 16th century, hunger haunted the land. It took almost half a century for European rulers to discover that they could feed their people by widespread cultivation of potatoes. Through experience and creativity, the potato became a main ingredient in many Austrian recipes, not only as a side-dish, but as the basis of doughs, croquets, mashes, cream soups, salad dressings, and the popular warm potato salad, or its extension the mayonnaise salad. Potato dough is ubiquitous in Austrian cuisine. It is used to make potato dumplings, poppy seed noodles or wonderful apricot dumplings. Also, minced smoked sausage or leftover roast are mixed with sautéed onions, wrapped in potato dough and cooked as dumplings. Another very popular dumpling, made of potato dough, is called Grammel Knoedel. Grammeln (Grieben in Germany, crackling in England) are rendered from pork fat. The raw fatty coat of the pig is skinned and then cut into two-inch cubes. After hours of cooking on low heat, occasionally stirred, the crunchy remains of the lard cubes have separated from the liquid fat. The rendered crackling is cooled, chopped, seasoned with garlic, freshly-chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and formed into little balls. These in turn are covered with potato dough and cooked in salted water. Served with sauerkraut and gravy, you have an incredibly delicious dish which I invite you to try out. The potato plant originates in South America. In the 16th century the Spanish King Philip was presented with a casket from a ship returning from South America. It contained an unknown tuberous plant. Before the potato landed in the cooking pots it was a popular plant for the garden, valued for its beautiful blossom. Spanish seamen probably discovered the nutritional use of the potato tuber. There was, of course, no manual to make it known to European farmers, and it is absolutely inedible raw or harvested before mature. But, with experience, the floodgates opened and the triumph of the potato was assured to this day. Returning to the question asking what Austria would be without potatoes, I can hardly imagine. Thank Mother Nature for the potato; without it, cooking and eating would only be half of what they are today. About the author: Bernhard runs a website about Austrian cooking, featuring traditional Austrian food, recipes with step-by-step guide and lots of pictures. More articles about Austrian food and unique recipes at www.bernhards.at