Local dishes are mainly fish, chicken, pork, often served with potatoes. Because of the Hungarian influence, Burgenland food is often spicier than elsewhere in Austria.
On St. Martin’s Day on November 11, stuffed goose is traditionally served throughout Austria, and the Burgenland region is considered particularly tasty. There are many legends surrounding the origin of Martinigansl, but the most popular is the story of St. Martin in the goose pen.
Legend has it that Martin was born in 316 and served the Roman emperor as an officer. Because of his deep faith, he resigned his officership and was later appointed bishop. Martin was humbled, thinking he was not worthy of such a high position, and hid himself in a goose pen. However, he could not stand the noise of the geese, so he left and became a bishop. In feudal times, a goose was also a common gift given on St. Martin's Day. Whatever the truth, Martinigansl has been one of the most popular holiday dishes ever since and is at the top of the Viennese menu on St. Martin's Day.
Martinigansl has many variations, but the most popular is still goose stuffed with chestnuts and prunes, then roasted, then drizzled with sauce. Because it is a traditional dish on special occasions, the recipe for stuffed goose is quite elaborate. After being prepared, the goose will be marinated with a mixture of chopped onions, apples, oranges, salt, pepper, and then put in a slow oven. To complete this dish, the chef needs to make red cabbage to go with it. Red cabbage is cooked with many other ingredients such as caramelized sugar with cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, juniper berries, then combined with apple juice, red wine and orange juice... to create a side dish and sauce with a characteristic flavor. Martinigansl is traditionally eaten with red cabbage, potatoes or dumplings.
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