WienerWürze (Petite)

I am the eighth generation of a family of farmers and as a result I grew up knowing that the art of brewing is something very special. I studied food science at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna but after that I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in.

By chance I came across a newspaper article about a spicy lupin sauce. The product that was described and the natural brewing process aroused my interest and so I started to experiment myself. The results pleased me to such an extent that I decided to found the “Genusskoarl” company.

“Genusskoarl” produces foods exclusively from organic Austrian ingredients. Our slogan is “Honest food for your delight”.

Wiener Würze is an organic, vegan and traditionally brewed seasoning sauce that is matured for several months. It is made from Austrian lupins, oats, salt and water. It contains no additives. Its taste can be described as hearty, salty and flavoursome.

Lupins
Most people have come across lupins as a delightful flowering garden plant. They are native to Central Europe and are also known as wolf beans. We use sweet lupins grown on farms in Austria. A fascinating property of lupins is that they are self-fertilising: they can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil and so need particularly little fertiliser. As a pulse, lupins are noted for their high protein content and for being low in fat and carbohydrate and high in fibre. The protein in lupins has another distinctive feature: it contains all eight essential amino acids.

The lupins come from near Hartberg in Styria. They are grown there in accordance with the strict rules of BIO AUSTRIA to ensure that we process only the best raw materials.

Oats
The oats that we use are organic oats from Mittergrabern in the Hollabrunn district of Lower Austria. Like the salt from the Salzkammergut that is also needed for production, oats have been used by mankind since the Bronze Age and have had their fixed place in European agriculture ever since. Oats are noted for their tolerance of different climatic conditions and locations, which means that they can be grown even in poor soil and in cold regions.

Because of their many positive characteristics, oats were voted “medicinal plant of the year 2017”. Among other things, oats contain lots of unsaturated fatty acids, soluble beta glucan fibre, vitamins, a balanced range of amino acids, and minerals.

The first step in the production process is the preparation of the raw materials. The lupins are soaked in water overnight; the next day they are boiled in a pressure cooker. The oats are roasted and crushed. A brine of salt and water is prepared.

The first fermentation of the lupin and ground oat mixture now takes place; this lasts three days. A special mould grows on the mixture while it is in the fermentation chamber. This works in the same way as the mould used in the production of camembert, brie and similar cheeses. It produces natural enzymes that start to break down the lupins and oats into their constituent parts.

The first fermentation is followed by the second fermentation and then by the maturing process, which involves combining the mixture with the brine and storing it at room temperature for several months, during which it is repeatedly stirred. The unique taste of the Wiener Würze develops slowly.

When the mixture has finished maturing, the mash is gently pressed using a hydraulic press. The Wiener Würze is now ready and just needs to be pasteurised and bottled.

Wiener Würze is Austria’s answer to Asia’s soya sauce. The taste of the liquid seasoning can be described as “umami”: hearty, savoury, palatable and pleasant. This is how the Japanese describe the “fifth basic taste”.
The slightly spicy taste of the vegan, organic Wiener Würze adds a certain kick to many dishes. For example, the balanced seasoning sauce rounds off things such as soups, pasta, salads, stews, sauces and marinades. Even the Sunday roast is even more tasty with Wiener Würze!
Wiener Würze is easy to use, it goes a long way and keeps for a long time.

Cool & dry.