[upbeat bowed string music] Welcome aboard for our great adventure along the Danube River.

This is Uniworld's S.S. Maria Theresa and she will be taking us on an unforgettable journey along the shimmering waters of this fabled waterway.

We are poised to explore the very heart of Europe, where centuries of artistic achievements and historical events have left an incredible mark on our world and provided us with many culinary delights.

You can't just stop with one piece of that, ya know?

[laughs] Our route charts a cours through four equally beautiful countries Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

From Passau's enchanting streets to the imperial grandeur of Vienna, Slovakia's scenic countryside and vibrant energy of Budapest.

Each stop promises a feast for the senses.

Sit back, relax and be prepared for this amazing journey down the Danube River.

As we set sail all for A Taste of History.

[Narrator] A Taste of History is made possible by [Three Little Birds b Bob Marley & The Wailers plays] ♪ Rise up this morning ♪ ♪ smiled with the rising sun ♪ ♪ three little birds ♪ [Narrator] The Caribbean all inclusive Sandals Resorts.

More information can be found at sandals.com.

Additional funding provided by Crow Vineyard and Winery on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Sip.

Stay.

Savor.

[German Folk Music] [Clock tower rings] [speaking German] I'm originally from Germany, and it feels so good to be back filming A Taste of History here in Germany.

I am in this unbelievable gorgeous city of Passau, known for their outstanding beers beautiful architecture, history and the three rivers that come together.

[Narrator] Nestled at the confluence of the Inn, Danube and Ilz rivers, the ancient city of Passau emerged as a pivotal trade and shipping cente for salt during medieval times, fueling the city's economy and shaping its identity.

Passau' skilled craftsmen were renowned for their expertise in the intricate art of blade making, producing fine knives and swords that were sought after far and wide.

[Dominik] Back in the days salt was exactly the same worth than gold, actually.

So it was really 1 to 1.

If someone wanted to trade salt north, they had to pass Passau, which was kind of independent during that time.

And that's how Passau got its piece of the cake back in the days.

[fire burning] [Narrator] The city endured devastating fires in 1662 and 1680, which ravaged its once thriving landscape.

The subsequent reconstruction efforts bore witnes to a remarkable transformation, bestowing upon Passau a distinctive Baroque character that still graces its streets to this day.

The iconic St. Stephen's Cathedral, with its awe-inspiring domes and towers, became a beacon of hope and resilience, symbolizing Passau's ongoing spirit in the face of adversity.

[Dominik] St. Stephen's Cathedral is actually a special case in our city.

It used to be a Gothic church built in 1407, but because of the fire it actually collapsed, but only half of it.

So we do have a Gothic part and the Baroque part.

And you actually can see the difference pretty well especially from top of the hill.

Similarly, the imposing Veste Oberhaus fortress built in 1219, stand as a testament to its fortitude and strength guarding agains external threats and preserving the city's rich heritage for generations to come.

Today, as visitors wander through Passau's charming streets and squares, they're transported back in time, enveloped in the timeles beauty of its baroque splendor.

[Dominik] Passau, it's also called Bavarian Venice because after the fire, we got the best architects and artists we could find.

And these have been Italians.

So, especially durin summertime, you have the feeling walking through an Italian city.

We have pretty colorful cities, especially here in this part of Bavaria.

And the reason for that is the people were not able to read back in the days.

That's why we used color-codings on the walls.

Yellow, for example, is the color for everything considering food.

And as you know, in Bavaria, beer is considered as food as well.

And that's why not only grocery stores are painted yellow, but also breweries.

You won't ever find the Bavarian person not asking you to come in for a beer.

And we do have a saying: [speaking Bavarian] So it's like: Sit down then we are more people and we can enjoy each other.

[Walter] I grew up in a family of restaurateurs.

I've been in and out the kitchen since I'm two years old.

I've tasted my shares of beer over my life.

So I'm really looking forwar to meeting a local restaurateur who basically follows the sam philosophy from farm to table, which has always been my philosophy all my life.

[clock tower rings] [Hubert] This restaurant is called Kranabith Farm to Table Arabisch-Bayerisch Arabic-Bavarian I'm born in the Bavarian Forest in Frauenberg and also I'm a farmer.

The main point for me was to bring vegetables and also meat from our farm to Passau.

I only want to produc what I need for the restaurant.

This is the main point I learned from my grandmother and my mother don't waste food.

This in my mind here.

Don't waste it.

Not to waste life.

Not to waste time.

This is my mentality.

Another thinking was to give refugees also work.

And this I want to bring together.

To bring food, what we have in the Bavarian forest, and also to give these refugees easier start in Germany.

This was the main point for me.

[German folk music] Welcome in Kranabith in Passau.

We are very delighted to have you here as guests.

-Chef, spectacular.

It's so great to meet you.

And your philosophy shares my philosophy I've had for a long time.

-I remember back to my grandmother.

She showed me how to cook these things.

Potatoes and flour was the mai ingredient for any kind of food.

The countryside around Passau was not so rich.

The people learned to cook with easy things, good things to cook, for example, Kartoffelreinolf you only need flour, potatoes, yogurt and a little bit milk and also spice.

This is a very special Passau dish.

It prepares very fast, but it needs 1 hour to cook it.

[bubbling] Kartoffelreinolf must have a little bit burn from outside to inside.

This is very important.

-This aroma is unbelievable.

Oh!

Mm!

The flavor of that there is really beautiful.

How would I say it, almost 'homey.'

-Yes.

-But that's a forgotten dish And now you're bringing it back again.

-It belongs to Passau also because this was this area.

And of course, the shawarma will be maybe the future.

When I was a child, I will never do this.

But later I learned to brin also culture and food together.

To try it, to taste it.

And it works.

Arabic-Bavarian food.

Bring together in Kranabith Shawarma chicken.

-Mm!

Great flavor.

A surprise to find it next to your Bavarian dishes.

But it's beautiful.

-Eating brings people together.

And I talked about this.

Bavarian food and Arabi food can bring people together.

-I think if more people had your philosophy, maybe we'd have a bit more peace.

You know?

Now we have Kartoffel dumplings with pork meat and sauerkraut.

Meat is already prepared.

Pork meat.

This sauerkraut is made in autumn and you can eat it till April-May -Chef, you know I'm from the Schwarzer Wald You know -Yes, of course it's the same.

-So, if food looks like that I think I'm home [laughs] -Yes, it's nearly the same!

Yes.

-I really think I'm home I missing my- I'm missing my mother just now.

Chef, the history of Passau is absolutely amazing to begin with, and seeing all the stuff that you whipped together today, you make me really fee good of my heritage, you know?

-We have some beer here Passau beer we have.

of course, and Bavarian Ausgezogene Krapfen Donuts.

It's delicious, really.

You can believe me.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

-There is -is there sugar in the dough as well?

-No, nothing any sugar you can eat it also without this powdered sugar.

You can eat it with potato soup or you can eat it also with meat, this is possible.

But normall we eat it with powdered sugar.

And you can drink anything with this -Well chef, you know I could not come to Bavaria without partaking in your beer.

-You must try it, of course!

-It's what I call- it's mandatory.

It was not optional.

-Yes, it must be.

[laughs] -Oh, God.

That is really good though.

-It's good.

Yea, this is time it's after 12.

You can drink it.

[laughs] -I understan that beer can be drunk anytime.

[laughs] -But 12:00 is normal.

[laughs] -Fantastic great stop on this unbelievable journey to come.

-And I say thank you, also.

We are very delighted to have you here.

-You've got architecture, you've got history, you've got great beer, you've got three rivers running around here.

-Yes, we have everything here.

-You've got everything here.

-We have a good life here [laughs] [adventurous music] [river boat ropes rubbing] [Walter] What a great first stop.

But we don't want to leave without us, so it's time to get back on board where Chef Michal Furka is plannin some spectacular dishes for us.

[water lapping against boat] [Michal] Chef, I'm more than happy to welcome you at Uniworld, on the beautiful ship of S.S. Maria Theresa, which is sailing from Passau all the way to Budapest.

We just left Passau, city of Germany.

And how you can see in a few minutes we are already in Austria.

-Unbelievable.

And the countryside is just stunning.

I mean, it's so beautiful.

And the fact that you're going to give me an authentic taste of some Austrian food is even more spectacular.

-That's why I'm happy to show you all the nice, authentic and local dishes.

-The philosophy of your company is give people the flavors of the countries that you're sailing in.

-Exactly.

-Fresh food, good food, a five star food experience.

-From farm to the table.

We give the chance to our guests to always try the nice local and authentic food.

And one of the philosophies of our owner, Mrs. Bettridge, is To Travel is To Eat.

-Well, Michal, let me tell you something.

It's hard to believe I'm only from the Black Forest, not far from Munich.

-Okay -An hour and a half I have never, ever been to Austria.

So this is my first ever entry to Austria.

Honest to God -Welcome!

Welcome in Austria.

-When I was a young guy, I had no money.

And when I'm an old guy I still have no money.

-But you have time!

[laughs] So, chef, the first dish.

What we going to do together today is the most famous dish of Austria.

It's the tafelspitz What we are serving always with the horseradish gravy.

-So in other words, somebody goes to Austria the would find that most likely on almost any menu.

-Everywhere, everywhere, in any restaurant, every small bar.

-We have something similar that we do in Germany and in France as well.

But you exclusively serve it here with a horseradish sauce, which I find very interesting.

-This is the typical things and we have the nice piec of meat from the local farmers.

In this case we are using the brisket.

Or if you don't find the brisket, you can always replac with the top side of the beef.

We want to have a little bit fat when we are putting in the boiling water.

-Well, the fat also gives the flavor -Exactly -Well, the brisket would be nicer because it has also good marbling into it.

-Exactly, exactly.

It's the nice marbling.

The cooking time is about three hours minimum.

So the next step.

Burn the onion -You know chef the skin also assists in the colorization.

-Exactly.

-You actually can make Easter egg coloring with the skin of the onion.

You know.

-So now you see the nice smoke of the onion and you can smell it.

This is the beautiful thing -Oh I love it -So the carrots.

Put them inside.

Leek.

So how you see it.

I keep it in the nice big pieces.

-Big chunks, correct.

-Then the celery roots.

-The celeriac.

-Celeriac.

Yeah.

Then of the nice fresh parsley.

-The wind didn't blow it away, you're lucky.

-Yeah.

It's nice.

Bay leaves.

Then you put a nice juniper berries because they are very nice smelling.

Peppercorn.

Now we going to put the salt.

Here we go.

And then the trick to have the nice flavor of the stock and of the meat is when the onion is nice and black.

We stick cloves inside the onion.

Yeah.

Then you put just inside nicely.

And now the meat need time to boil gentle.

The most important thing is you need to check the meat is it's nice and tender.

-You don't want to overcook it or undercook it.

I think that's where it takes a little expertise.

-Exactly.

So we're going to start our sauce with the butter.

Nice creamy horseradish gravy.

-You know horseradish is one of the most unbelievabl antioxidants that you can find.

John Adams when he did the Boston boiled dinners, which we have is kind o like what you're making today, except it has ham and chicken along with it and then always horseradish sauce think about that, that's way back when.

-And the horseradish, especially in Austria, in Germany, is very popular.

-You know, the main reason that horseradish winters extremely well in the sandbox in th cellar, it stays all winter long -And then we put a little bit of flour.

-You want to make a white roux.

-Exactly.

[Director] Watch your head, chef!

[Walter] Watch my head!?

Oh, gosh!

Or you can go- -Even danger cooking!

-Lucky for me that I'm so short.

[Michael laughs] [Michal] So then we going to put a little bit of milk.

And a little bit of magic of the sauce also I put on the end little bit of the cream, heavy cream which is making the nice- -Everything is bette with heavy cream, you know that.

Except the calories.

[laughs] -A little bit of salt.

Then what is very important also white pepper.

-So you don't get any black spots in there.

-Exactly.

Yeah.

-And then my favorite thing right there -Yeah.

Exactly.

-Nutmeg -And nutmeg is also very popular everywhere in this part.

[whisking sounds] [Michael] And then we going to put a nice horseradish already inside.

-Perfect.

-Now the gravy have amazing consistency.

-Yeah.

-And one small secret.

What we are doing on the end.

We put nice apple sauce.

-That's a nice little touch.

-It's the nice touch.

Now you're going to leave it for a few more seconds to finish the sauce.

And in the meantime, nice chopped parsley.

[laughs] This is something- [laughs] -It's blowing me almost off the ship here!

-Captain not going to be too happy!

[laughs] -It just came a gust like crazy just a minute ago.

-Captain not going to be too happy with us.

Adventure!

-You have a beautiful view you got to pay the price.

-Yeah, exactly.

-Look at, man!

Oh, gosh.

Beautiful.

[classical music] [Michal] When you take out the meat, you slice the nice pieces and you strain the the stock and the meat stay always nice and juicy.

-Oh, look at that.

-Like this.

-Nice!

-And you just, nice serving with a lot of sauce.

The Austrian people and the local people, they're eating it with boiled potato, just with the bread.

-Yeah.

No, definitely.

-So let's cut a little bit.

You see, like, nice tender.

-Don't cut it two little for me.

[laughs] -This is for me!

[laughs] -Yeah, just kidding!

[laughs] Let's see.

Mmm!

Oh yeah.

You know what?

Great flavor combination.

The profile is good -The nice horseradish.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-And a little bi of sweetness of the apple sauce.

-Oh it's perfect.

You can't just stop with one piece of that you know?

-I have more than enough so please continue.

[laughs] Go ahead.

-Mmm!

Very well done.

[Walter] Just south of the Danube river is the city of Salzburg, a place you may be more familiar with than you think.

[waltz music] [Narrator] Tucked along the breathtaking beauty of the Austrian Alps, Salzbur finds itself at the intersection of timeless melodies and historical narratives.

While locals may scratch their heads at the global fervor for 'The Sound of Music,' tourists flock in droves to retrace the steps of the film's iconic character and the locations they were set.

[Peter] There's so many things you would associate with our city.

Even if there was no Sound of Music, Salzburg would definitely be worth a visit.

Just look at the scener behind me.

It's a very picturesque city.

It's a place where the fine arts and nature form a unit.

It's a wonderful synthesis of many pleasant things.

We are home to one of the most virtuoso composers ever, Wolfgan Amadeus Mozart, the birthplace where he was born back in 1756.

Salzburg really has good vibe in August, because the Salzburg Summer Festival is amongst the biggest worldwide, and it seems to be the center of the world for those who are into classical music.

[Narrator] The storied past of Salzburg unfolds through architectural wonders and scenic vistas, each landmark a chapter in its history from the domineering Hohensalzburg fortress to its many enchanting squares, every corner holds a tale waiting to be discovered.

[waltz music] [Walter] Our next stop takes u into the Austrian countryside.

As a kid, I spent endless summers roaming orchards with my grandfather, who had me up on the ladder picking pears until sundown.

It's where I learned from a very young age that farm to table is not just a trend, it's a way of life and a connection to the land.

Here, at Koeglerhof cider farm and restaurant.

The owners take this concept seriously, utilizing only organic products from their farm to not only produce exceptional ciders, but also incredible curated plates that reflect the wild and romantic character of the region.

[Klaus] Welcome here in Koeglerhof.

-I'll tell you, what a- blow me away with your setting.

The pleasure of being out here I mean, it's got to be something, it's like Gods country over here.

It's got to make you feel good, no?

[Klaus] Yeah, to live and to work and to live from part of this world.

It's a real amazing thing.

-Now, I understand a lot of your meats go back to some of your livestock that you have here?

-Nearly all meat we are serving is grown here.

It's farm to table in a very, very short way.

We are seeing the sheep on the meadow and this week we will serve it on the menu.

We have very, very traditiona things and very typical things.

The fresh cheese from the cow.

From these free range pigs we produce smoked bacon, salted meat and roasted.

We serve it with pickles and with horseradish.

Very typical too, is this yellow dumpling.

It's a baked dumpling an it's filled with the fat bacon and covered with sour cream.

Potatoes.

Potatoes are very important.

Any menu here, yo always read potato in any form.

Potato in the bread, potato in the spread.

-I wish more people would think like you and more people would do like you.

It's the way that we should all look after it, because we want to maintain this planet of ours, ya know?

-It's the way how I want to spend my life Here we hav the first bottle of this year.

It is the young cider.

-Salud!

-Cheers!

Wow.

I mean, that is- -It's very, very refreshing.

Fruity and very light and easy to drink.

Very less alcohol.

Only 7%.

-It really hits your palat from many different directions.

This is unbelievable.

It's like a symphony of flavors come together.

-I hope you enjoyed this stay here on Koeglerhof.

And I wish you a real nice trip through Austria.

-And thank you very much for spreading the gospel.

[laughs] -Okay, welcome!

From farm to table.

Thank you very much.

[waltz music] [Walter] Our next stop brings us to Linz, Austria, a town I've been dreaming about all my life.

From a young child to later on in my culinary career.

Legen has it that it was here in Linz, where the iconic pastry the Linzer Torte was born.

Dating as far back as 1653, This is one of the oldest documented cake recipes in the world.

It's a kind of dessert that has been warming hearts for centuries, earning its place as a beloved symbol of Austrian culinary tradition.

As one might expect, being in the birthplace of this iconic pastry means that demand is high.

Many of the most famou producers are crafting hundreds of thousands of these beautiful, simple cakes every year.

The core ingredients are butter, almonds, sugar, flour, and spices.

And while in modern days you may see fresh fruits, the original recipe here is made with redcurrant marmalade.

I'm full of emotions because I finally have arrived this late in life, it took me this many years, but I did make it here, think about that, and I get to enjoy it.

Main reason for the Linzer Torte being so popular, it's nice, is comfortable.

It doesn't need refrigeration.

It gets actually better when it sits a little bit.

My mom used to make it on a Wednesday for a Sunday and actually longer is better because it makes the dough nice and moist.

So for me, it's been always on my bucket list forever to be able to come to see where the Linzer Torte originated which is now made all over the world.

Matter of fact, in my restaurant in Philadelphia, it was an item that could never leave the pastry tray.

My pastry chef, Diana would make them all the time.

Why?

Because once the people had it one time, they asked for it back again.

When I took the Linzer Torte off the menu, it almost ended up being a second revolution in Philadelphia.

And this time over a piece of pasty.

And so I put a back on and it never came off.

Wow.

It's spectacular.

The beauty about this one here which is done with currant which I'm really not familiar with, makes it nice because the currant in itself has a little bit a higher level of acidity than maybe a raspberry.

But I think the raspberry one that I made all the time comes pretty close to it.

But again, for me, it's much more than just eating a piece of cake.

To me, it's history and my own personal history.

In my opinion, it's worth a trip to come here to Linz, Austria, just to experience a Linze Torte in its original setting.

Salud.

Mmm!

[upbeat bowed string music] What an incredible ride it has been dow the Danube River.

But our journey is fa from being over.

There is much more culinar and historical surprises awaiting for us.

All fo A Taste of History.

[music ends] [Narrator] A Taste of History is made possible by [Three Little Birds b Bob Marley & The Wailers plays] ♪ Rise up this morning ♪ ♪ smiled with the rising sun ♪ ♪ three little birds ♪ [Narrator] The Caribbean all inclusive Sandals Resorts.

More information can be found at sandals.com.

Additional funding provided by Crow Vineyard and Winery on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Sip.

Stay.

Savor.

Viewers can find DVDs and cookbooks at atasteofhistory.org, including the all new A Taste of History Cookbook, complete with step by step instructions of recipes seen on the show.

Exclusive content can be found on A Taste of History's, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.