Salzjause

For some strange reason this Brettljause arrived at my table with two sharp knives sticking from it – particularly strange because all the meats and cheeses on the plate were thinly cut and did not require a knife at all, but rather a fork. It was also somehow more salty than usual; perhaps Salzburg’s salt needs to be present everywhere.

It was also surprisingly good, for a dish served in a heavily tourist area just outside of the central Mozartplatz. Three type of Speck were featured: a rather standard garlic Speck (with hardly any garlic taste), a dryer and saltier Schinkenspeck and a white Kübelspeck, which proved to be a winner. Consisting of basically nothing except fat, it’s very salty, very tender and, if you manage to overcome the disgust, has a taste of a very good Schmalz.

Some unexceptional ham (Wachholderschinken) was present, too, as well as two cheeses: a Tilsiter, with a salty taste and lots of tiny holes and a smoky Bergkäse. Though I am quite sure both cheeses could easily be bought from a supermarket, the very fact that two types of cheese that actually have taste were included is a highly positive one. Plus, there was enough butter to spread over the bread, which, sadly, turned out to be of a not-very-fresh variety.

At the end, it was a smallish but a very well balanced Brettljause, frankly beating my expectations, considering the location of the restaurant. Zwettler’s may not be the primary reason for going to Salzburg, but a damn good one nevertheless.