An Involuntary Jause

The word “Jause” translates as “snack,” but that does not mean it is small. Most Brettljausen one finds in Austria range from a full-fledged meal to a test of a stomach’s endurance. For that reason, it is a very bad idea to order one unless you are hungry.

Unfortunately, today that happened to me, but in my defense, I did not really have a choice. Schönanger Alm is one of the main hiking destinations in Wildschönau, and takes just over an hour to reach by foot from the last stop of a bus (there is a special hiking bus that can take you right to the Alm, but that means cheating). Schönanger Alm is the name of both a hut and an Alpine pasture, so my original plan was to walk to the hut, then spend a couple of hours hiking in the pasture and finally eat a well-deserved Brettljause on my way back.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached the hut, which was around 11:30 am, the skies had turned all dark, the wind got stronger, and it became obvious that a very nasty thunderstorm was approaching. To add insult to injury, two buses arrived at the same time, and a long queue of elderly tourists (probably guests of nearby hotels) started moving towards the hut. I managed to insert myself among them and got a place at the last free table. For the rest of my stay, I had to share it with at least six strangers, but that certainly beat the prospect of getting soaked in the rain.

I ordered a Brettljause, secretly hoping that the presence of a large number of tourists would delay its arrival until I get hungrier. Unfortunately, it arrived quickly and looked intimidating.

At different circumstances, it would have looked good, actually. The ingredients were thickly cut and included Speck, lightly salted salami, Schweinsbraten, Hauswurst and two types of cheese. The cheeses were by far the best part, which is not surprising since Schönanger Alm has its own cheese dairy and unlike Holzalm-Kasalm does not hesitate offering its produce as part of the Brettljause. Unfortunately, cheeses are known to fill the stomach more than anything else, so having tried a bit of them (very tasty!), I switched to the other ingredients, starting with the Speck.

It was a good Speck, but very chewy and with a thick layer of fat, which I immediately decided to cut off. That proved to be an exhausting exercise, for the knife was much better suited for butter, and pretty blunt even for that. The salami was OK, but rather flavorless; the Schweinsbraten, on the other hand, was very piggy and too dry. The Hauswurst left the worst impression of all, having a weird texture and a slight aftertaste of liver. I left most of it untouched.

So yes, it was a struggle, and not even the complimentary schnapps made my fight with the Brettljause easier. In parallel, I was trying to fight flies, which for some reason are a real nuisance in Wildschönau. They were everywhere – both outdoors and indoors, in all the restaurants I visited and even in my hotel room. At the end, trying to ignore them is the only solution.

Would I recommend Schönanger Alm? Yes, without a doubt. But make sure to hike a lot beforehand, come hungry and find a table outside.