The Art Of Tafelspitz

Because you are what you eat...

In October 2016, I found myself in Vienna attending a clinical trial symposium. Our host, University of Vienna, have organized a dinner at the renowned Plachutta [1] restaurant and the main dish was Emperor’s favourite – Tafelspitz [2]. 

It was my first time at this famous place, but it was not the first time I had Tafelspitz. My memory went back to my childhood and my grandmother cooking this beef soup dish almost every Sunday. When I think of family dinners, I fondly recall my childhood and Tafelspitz. Sitting there and staring at the food in front of me, I was both tearful and excited at the same time. I took photos of my dinner and I now call it my ‘ratatouille [3] moment’. 

 So what does the Tafelspitz have to do with happiness? 

Nothing and EVERYTHING at the same time. 

Tafelspitz represents a traditional dish going back to the Austrian Empire, which is as popular today as it was during Emperor Frantz Joseph’s reign. This simple dish is a testament to the ingenuity of local cuisine, and a lesson in how food can shape our wellbeing. We are literally, what we eat. 

Few months later, I came across a very special book by anthropologist Stephen Le and was taken on a culinary journey to discover what a “100 Million Years of Food” [4] can teach us about happiness. How different food affects different people and why we should stick to eating traditional cuisine enjoyed by our ancestors. The following arguments are especially convincing (emphasis added): “In studies, traditional diets typically do at least as well as nutritionist-approved low-fat, low-salt diets in maintaining health. In part, this is because the functions of dietary fat, cholesterol, and salt throughout the body are numerous, while nutritionists have necessarily devoted their limited time and resources to narrow views on the harmful effects of these substances.” Mother Nature always gets it right after all. 

Le explains further:

“Traditional eaters didn’t bother with scientific studies; they cooked and combined food in ways that maximized their health. The older the cuisine, the better: Five-hundred-year-old-cuisines are a good starting point, because at that point industrially processed foods had not yet made significant inroads into people’s diets”. “Traditional cuisines were moderate in fat, cholesterol, and/or salt and therefore tasted good; thus getting ourselves to stick with these diets in not difficult”.

And this is why the Tafelspitz that my great-grandparents enjoyed circa 1900, is the same Tafelspitz I enjoy today.

What about you? Your genes carry everything ever needed to process nutrients required to nourish your body. You must however, deliver the right elements, not foreign objects in the form of various junk food. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan, think what would your grandparents choose; a vegetable stew cooked from fresh produce you just picked up at a local market or a pre-packed gluey something advertised as ‘vegan’… 

Start eating whole foods and avoid the processed stuff. It can be your game changer!

[1] PLACHUTTA WOLLZEILE, Wollzeile 38, 1010 Vienna, Austria Phone: +43 1 512 15 77

[2] Authentic Tafelspitz Recipe 

[3] In Disney’s cartoon ‘Ratatouille’, food critic Anton Ego tastes stewed vegetable dish ratatouille and is taken back in time to his childhood and his mother’s delicious cooking. I refer to my Tafelspitz experience in 2016 as my ‘ratatouille’ moment. 

[4] ‘100 Million Years of Food. What Our Ancestors Ate And Why It Matters Today’ by Stephen Le 

The Art of Tafelspitz - Because You Are What You Eat is the second lesson of The Art Of Happiness: Because Happiness is a Skill