A 1.5 hour hike from the wonderful Ursprungalm, the Ignaz-Mattis-Hütte is located on a mountain slope over the Giglach lake (two lakes, to be exact) and boasts one of the best – if not the best – Brettljausen my teeth have ever had the pleasure of biting into.
It is however only thanks to my skill and plenty of luck that I have managed to experience this Brettljause as a whole, because the wind was constantly threatening to blow away the horseradish, the meats, and occasionally even the beer mug. (Those finding themselves in a similar situation are advised to sit in such a way that the wind blows into their backs. They might end up with a back pain, but at least the Brettljause will be safe.)
Here are the contents of this champion (at the time of writing) Brettljause: Grammelschmalz – thick, salty, with a distinctly smoky taste, proudly resting on a slice of onion; two types of cheese: two slices of a plain tasteless one and a slice of a smelly tasty one, probably a Dachsteiner; very well-smoked and meaty Speck; two slices of a Wiener-type sausage, but with no industrial taste; two pieces of a long very smoked sausage closest to salami but not quite it; and finally a slice of something looking like the end of an Extrawurst, but with a much tougher texture. Note that the “slices” in the previous sentence refer to thick slices – half a centimeter at least and much more in the case of Speck. Accompanying this goodness were two salty cucumbers (very good ones, not of a supermarket variety), some tomatoes, paprika, mustard, three slices of dark bread, butter and horseradish (always in danger of being blown away).
The wind aside (which does not count), the only criticisms I can think of are the rather small amount of butter and two big bones/cartilage present in the Speck. These are minor complaints though, and the Brettljause combined with the location are nothing short of amazing. Another experience like this, and I’ll give up looking for Brettljause anywhere except Styria.
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