Kaiserschmarrn

Austria — Emperor Franz Joseph I (ruled 1848–1916) is credited as the inspiration; the name 'Schmarrn' (from Bavarian dialect meaning 'mess' or 'rubbish') suggests it was originally considered peasant food; the dish is documented in Austrian cookbooks from the mid-19th century; it is the signature dessert of Alpine huts (Almhütten) and Viennese cafés alike

Austria's most theatrical dessert — a thick, sweet egg batter cooked in a pan until puffed and golden, then torn apart (or chopped) while still in the pan into irregular, caramelised, eggy pieces, dusted with icing sugar, and served with warm plum compote (Zwetschkenröster) — takes its name from Emperor Franz Joseph I (Kaiser) whose favourite dessert it allegedly was. The cooking sequence is specific: the batter cooks on the base in butter until set, the pan is transferred to the oven to set the top, then the mass is returned to the hob and torn into pieces which caramelise in the residual butter. The raisins are optional but traditional — they are plumped in rum before adding to the batter. The final tossing and caramelising step, which produces the brown, slightly crunchy edges on the torn pieces, is the technique that transforms a thick pancake into something unique.

Served in Alpine ski huts (Skihütten) after skiing — the only correct dessert after Gulasch on a cold mountain day; at Viennese cafés at any hour; with Zwetschkenröster (plum compote) always; with a glass of Glühwein in winter or cold Apfelmost (apple cider) in summer; the combination of hot, eggy, caramelised sweetness and cold, tart plum compote is genuinely one of the great flavour combinations in Austrian cooking