New survey:

What Austrians traditionally eat at Easter

(Bild: iglo Österreich)

After Christmas, Holy Week is the time with the most widespread traditions when it comes to food. Spinach on Maundy Thursday and fish on Good Friday can still be found in many households - more often in some regions than others. Food is therefore very important to almost every second Austrian.

In this respect, Christmas is the most traditional time in Austrian households, followed by Easter with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. According to a survey commissioned by iglo, spinach on Maundy Thursday is a compulsory meal for three out of ten Austrians. A further quarter do not always stick to it, but usually do.

Styrians are particularly fond of spinach
Styrians, Lower Austrians and Burgenlanders are particularly fond of spinach, followed by Carinthians. It is therefore not surprising that around half of the iglo spinach sold each year is sold before Easter and that a total of 3,650 tons of spinach were harvested for iglo in Marchfeld in 2021 alone, according to a press release.

Creamed spinach is the most popular. Together with fried eggs and potatoes, it is the most common dish on local plates on Maundy Thursday. This is despite the fact that the day has nothing to do with the color green. In fact, the name goes back to the Old High German term "grunen", which means "to mourn" or "to weep".

In Carinthia, fish is particularly popular on the table
The tradition of eating fish on Good Friday is also still widespread in some households. Just over a fifth (22 percent) strictly adhere to it, and a further 30 percent usually, but not always, according to the survey. Serving a fish dish is more common among older people, i.e. those aged between 60 and 69 (29%). Fish is also served with above-average frequency in Carinthia: one in three people in the south of Austria adhere to this tradition.

Fish is traditionally at the top of the menu on Good Friday.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Holger Hollemann)

According to the survey, traditional dishes are generally more popular with women than with men. For example, a third of Austrian women always eat spinach on Maundy Thursday, compared to only a quarter of men. Fish on Good Friday is a fixed starter for a quarter of women, but only for just under a fifth of men.

Note: For the iglo trend study, Integral Markt- und Meinungsforschung conducted an online survey for iglo Austria in March 2021 among 1,000 Austrians aged 18 to 69, representative of this target group.