Backhendl: The History of a Crispy Viennese Classic

There are sounds you recognise instantly, even with your eyes closed. The crackle of a freshly fried coating is one of them. Add the smell drifting through the kitchen – golden, crispy, a little nostalgic. Nobody in Vienna needs to have Backhendl explained to them. It has simply always been there, for generations, and it tastes just as good today as it ever did.

Backhendl is not a young dish. Its roots stretch back to the 17th century, when the first written accounts mention "bachene Hühner" – baked chickens. Back then they were fried almost plain, without the breadcrumbs we know today. It was not until the 18th century that the Backhendl as we love it developed into a true Viennese speciality.

In the beginning, the dish was anything but everyday. During the Biedermeier period, in the early 19th century, Backhendl was reserved for the aristocracy and the upper middle classes. It was only after the March Revolution of 1848 that it found its way into the kitchens of all Viennese. This era, in which Wirtshaus culture truly flourished, is still fondly referred to as the "Backhendlzeit" – the Backhendl age.

Just how popular the dish was at the time is shown by an almost unbelievable figure: on Whit Sunday 1852 alone, more than 12,000 fried chickens are said to have been consumed in Vienna's Prater. One day, one park, twelve thousand Backhendln. Very Vienna.

Viennese style or Styrian – the eternal debate

Anyone who orders a Backhendl in Vienna will classically receive boneless, breaded chicken pieces. In Styria, however, where the dish is particularly celebrated today, you get a Backhendl on the bone, cut into pieces with wings and drumsticks. Both camps are firmly convinced that only their version is the real one. We stay out of it – we simply make sure that both sides end up full and happy.

What remains is this: Backhendl is long since more than just a dish. It is a piece of Austrian identity that has no business being absent from any Wirtshaus menu – whether at a wedding, a Sunday lunch or simply an ordinary weekday when you feel like something crispy.

Backhendl Day at Mitzitant

And it is exactly this classic that we dedicate an entire day to. We celebrate with an all-you-can-eat Backhendl – crispy, golden and fresh from the kitchen, with all the right sides. As much as you like, for just €19.99 per person.