Many ice cream parlors open

The start of the sweet ice cream season: lucky gourmets

These two are also big ice cream fans. And the range on offer in the ice cream parlors from the Großglockner to Lavamünd is quite impressive.(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Thanks to the unusually warm summer weather in April, many ice cream parlors in Carinthia are already open for business. Even though only 18 operators still make their own ice cream, the choice for those with a sweet tooth is once again hard to keep track of.

The ice cream season in Carinthia is in full swing, and many of those who have been eagerly awaiting it are queuing up in front of the well-stocked display cases. People are also waiting patiently for their ice cream cones outside the traditional Morle ice cream parlor in Klagenfurt. 

People with a sweet tooth queue up at Morle in Klagenfurt.(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Thomas Truppe Sr. proudly presents his 40 varieties with the famous chocolate icing: "We even produced an incense ice cream for the Pope, and there are also mustard, truffle and tomato juice ice creams to choose from. But the traditional flavors such as vanilla, lemon, strawberry, chocolate and hazelnut are still the most popular."

Elderberry ice cream is also becoming increasingly popular. This year, the parlor has a special range of almond, crunch and redcurrant. "We still make our own ice cream. Only 18 companies in Carinthia still do that," says Truppe. Many other ice cream parlors are supplied by large producers from Vienna and Graz or by global corporations.

100 scoops of ice cream

are consumed by every Carinthian every year, according to a large consumer survey. Ice cream is most popular in Belgium, where every inhabitant eats 140 scoops.

Gelato specialists from Italy
Italian Debora Carlet is in charge of the "Tutti Frutti" parlor in Klagenfurt. There, ice cream fans are immersed in a melting pot of Italian ice cream delights. "In un mondo di gelato e piacere" is the restaurant's motto - enjoyment lives on. "Arcobaleno" has several branches in Klagenfurt and the selection is huge. The tifosi also rule in Wolfsberg. "The cafeteria-gelateria Marco Polo opened in January," says Rosario Pepa. 50 guests can be seated in the garden. Many ice cream creations are also available to pick up. Coffee varieties are always in demand. "The whole family from Treviso helps out."

Portuguese Luis Marques runs an ice cream parlor on Italienerstraße in Villach. Customers appreciate what he has to offer and are happy to put up with waiting times.(Bild: Eisdiele Luis)

Croatians also run popular ice cream parlors in Carinthia. Portuguese have pitched their tents in Villach. Luis Marquez from Coimbra offers a wide range of ice cream in his ice cream parlor in Italienerstraße. Prices in Carinthian ice cream parlors have risen only slightly despite inflation and high energy costs. For a cone, those with a sweet tooth have to put between 1.50 and two euros on the table.

Auch Kärntens Bauern liefern köstliches Gefrorenes

Carinthia's farmers not only supply the valuable raw material for the local ice cream parlors, some of them have also started to produce delicious frozen treats from their milk themselves. And with success. Farmhouse ice cream is now not only available in pubs, kiosks and farm stores. The farmhouse creations can also be found on the shelves of large retail chains.

Farmhouse ice cream: Petra and Bernd Pobaschnig produce 70 varieties.(Bild: Elias Jerusalem)

The first farmhouse ice cream in Carinthia was produced at the Bertlhof farm in Saureggen in the Nockberge mountains. In the meantime, the Pobaschnig family in Krappfeld has also established itself as a major supplier. "We process the milk from goats and cows," says Bernd Pobaschnig. "In the beginning it was just a family business, today we employ seven people. A third of the milk that our farm produces is used to make ice cream." Krappfeld ice cream is available in 70 varieties and 250 different mixes.

Ice cream as a second mainstay
The purchase price for the farm ice cream is relatively low. Pobaschnig: "Two scoops start at 2.33 euros. We make 1000 liters of ice cream a day. You can produce 10,000 scoops from that." A second mainstay has been created with the production of ice cream on a total of eight farms. Klammer's cow's milk ice cream from Greifenburg is also in demand. Lissi's "cool farmer's ice cream" from the Gailtal valley also delights young and old foodies alike.