Our diverse landscape brings with it a huge variety of delicious culinary delicacies - and our pubs and restaurants are able to conjure up real culinary delights out of these regional specialities Here are a few examples: Potato sausage served on a bed of sauerkraut, mushroom soup with buckwheat mash, natural park snack with "Hirschbirne" pear schnapps, curd cheese strudel with dried pears,...

You don't have to go far in the Pöllauer Tal valley before you are able to enjoy one of the region's legendary pears! This special fruit derives from an old sort of Styrian pear tree named after the word "Herbst" in German (autumn). Large populations of these trees now only remain in Styria in the Pöllauer Tal valley - thanks to the foresight and awareness of the farmers. The oldest "Hirschbirne" pear trees, which are usually cultivated in rows or in so-called scattered orchards, are 200 years old! With all their talent and traditional knowledge our farmers are able to create delicious culinary delights from the pears including pear juice, fine fruit brandies, vinegar, jam or vitamin-packed dried pears known locally as "Kletzen".

Well this wild pear has now become even more famous: And the Pöllauer Tal natural park has actually been awarded the title "GENUSSREGION ÖSTERREICH" (Region of Culinary Delights in Austria) by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture because of the humble little hirschbirne. This award is on the one hand seen as a real confirmation of all the work that the park has done up to now and also of their decision to specialise in the "Hirschbirne" pear as their flagship product and it, on the other hand, offers great potential and many opportunities ranging from improved co-operations within the region right up to fantastic marketing platforms.

Pear juice from the hirschbirne was originally fermented into pear cider, distilled to make schnapps or otherwise the pear was dried and used as dried fruit. The rediscovery of the "Hirschbirne" pear resulted in it undergoing a change of image and an improvement in the range of products made available. Some farmers produce pure hirschbirne pear vinegar, which differs from other fruit vinegars due to its unique, full-bodied taste. Pure pear juice is also an extremely popular drink alongside fine brandies and pear cider. And jams and jellies round off the list of farm-produced "Hirschbirne" pear products.


The Ebner patisserie has been using the dried pears in its cakes and pastries for some time now: Gingerbread filled with dried pears and Pöllauer "Kraftkugel" (power snacks filled with dried pears) are a must on the menu at the well-established patisserie. The Buchberger butcher's in Pöllau also refines its ham with dried pears and have therefore combined two delicious Pöllau specialities. Hirschbirne pear liver pate and hirschbirne liver meat loaf are also among the specialities on offer at the butcher's. Culinary aficionados in pubs and restaurants in the Pöllauer Tal natural park have also rediscovered the hirschbirne using it to create old and new culinary masterpieces alike. Here are just a few examples on the menu: Pork stuffed with dried hirschbirne pears, semolina terrine served with dried pear purée, tipsy hirschbirne pears, pear crescents and a whole lot more.

The hirschbirne pear not only stands out on the culinary map of the Pöllauer Tal valley, but the knobbly trees with their magnificent crowns - planted in avenues or scattered orchards - are also responsible for creating the unique looking landscape of the valley floor.


Further delicacies and insider tips in the Pöllauer Tal valley are: oils, gingerbread, herbs, farmer's shops, pubs, restaurants and buschenschank restaurants (a traditional Austrian restaurant serving home-made food and wine or cider).