You keep spotting farms with flowers at the gate and wonder what is a buschenschank. It is a Carinthian farm tavern serving farm products, above all the Brettljause, in limited opening periods.
This guide is part of our wider look at carinthian cuisine, where the farm tavern is one way to eat well in the region.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Sign that it is open | A flower “Buschen” at the farm entrance |
| Opening period | Limited, set individually, per year |
| Classic dish | Kärntner Brettljause (a farm-produce board) |
| Typical drink | Apfelmost (apple must) |
| Vegetarian option | Kärntner Käseplatte (cheese platter) |
These details come from the Wörthersee tourism page on Buschenschenken, farm shops and direct sellers. Farms set their own hours and menus, so check the source and the farm itself before you rely on any of it.
The Buschenschank at a glance
A Buschenschank (plural: Buschenschenken) is a farm-based tavern in Carinthia. The Wörthersee tourism page says these places put their emphasis on the classic Kärntner Brettljause and serve guests with farm products.
The same page gives the idea behind the tradition in one line: food tastes best where the products are made with a lot of care. A Buschenschank puts that idea on a plate, because the meal comes from the same place you are sitting.
It is also a walker’s kind of stop. The page describes hikers meeting farms again and again on the hills around the region’s lakes, which makes a Buschenschank a natural place for a break.
How do you recognise an open Buschenschank?
Look at the farm entrance. The tourism page describes a Buschen of flowers decorating the driveway as the sign that the Buschenschank is open and that guests are being served farm products.
Three practical points follow from that description:
- A flower bunch at the entrance signals that the farm is serving guests.
- Opening is limited: Buschenschenken may only open for a restricted period of the year, and that period differs from farm to farm.
- The best way to learn the hours is to ask the farm you have chosen directly.
That third point matters most if you are travelling a distance. A hillside farm with a closed gate is a disappointment you can avoid with one question before you set out.
What is on a Brettljause board?
The Brettljause is the dish the Buschenschenken are known for. The tourism page calls it unique and produced on the farm itself, and lists what the board carries:
- Streaky bacon (durchzogener Speck).
- Hoartes Wiaschtl, a smoked and air-dried dry sausage.
- Glundner Kas, a roasted cheese.
- Sasaka, a bread spread made from chopped bacon.
- Fresh farm bread, the dark Schwarzbrot, served on a wooden board.
According to the page, the board comes with a Feitl (knife) and a Frakerl, a hip flask filled with schnapps. Apfelmost, apple must, is what quenches the thirst.
Several of these names are Carinthian dialect, so a menu can read like a puzzle. The page uses the dialect words and explains them in brackets, for example the smoked dry sausage, the roasted cheese and the knife. Learning a handful of them before you go means you can read the board instead of guessing.
Notice how the board is built from what a farm can make for itself. The page stresses that the dish is produced on the farm, and its list is made up of cured meat, cheese and bread, with a spread made from bacon. That gives you a plate of hearty, simple food that suits a break on a hillside walk. It also explains why the dish feels tied to its place: the page calls it unique and produced on the farm itself, so the board in front of you is the farm’s own work rather than something brought in from elsewhere.
Treat the list as a guide to the classic version rather than a promise. Each farm decides what it puts on its own board, so ask what is available on the day you visit. The same goes for the schnapps flask: it is part of the traditional serving described, so look at it as a piece of the tradition, and plan your walk or drive home sensibly.
If you do not eat meat, the page names a vegetarian counterpart: the Kärntner Käseplatte, a cheese platter. Ask what the farm offers that day, since each farm decides its own menu.
Regional classics sit alongside the board in Carinthia. The page names Kärntner Kasnudln, Kirchtagssuppe, Ritschert and Kärntner Reindling as dishes worth tasting, and says they appear on most menus in typical Carinthian inns. If the Reindling catches your eye, this reindling recipe shows how to make it at home.
More than a meal: farm shops and direct sellers
Many Buschenschenken are also farm shops, according to the tourism page. That means fresh products can be bought to take home as well as eaten on the spot.
The page adds that the region has plenty of direct sellers beyond the taverns. It lists fresh fruit and vegetables, grain and flour, meat, spirits and handicrafts as examples.
One example it names is the Veldener Bauern, an association of farms that sell their goods straight from the farm. For a visitor, this turns a lunch stop into a chance to buy a loaf, a piece of cheese or a bottle as a souvenir, if the farm offers it.
Planning your visit
A little preparation makes a Buschenschank stop easy. These steps follow what the source says about how these farms work:
- Choose a farm and ask for its opening hours directly, because Buschenschenken open only for a limited, individual period each year.
- Use the lists on the tourism site if you are around Wörthersee; it provides a listing of Buschenschenken there, and its annual opening times also appear in the Wörthersee A bis Z brochure.
- Look for the flower Buschen at the entrance when you arrive.
- Order the Brettljause, or the cheese platter if you prefer a vegetarian meal, and try the Apfelmost.
- Check whether the farm also runs a shop if you want to carry something home.
You can read the full listing and details on the Wörthersee tourism page. For a different kind of meal on the trail, read about alpine hut food austria, which makes a useful comparison with a farm tavern.
This site is independent and editorial. It does not run, represent or book any Buschenschank, so contact the farm you choose for hours and menus.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Buschenschank open all year?
Show answer
No. The tourism page says Buschenschenken may only be open for a limited, individual period of the year. Ask the farm you want to visit for its hours.
What do you eat at a Buschenschank?
Show answer
The classic is the Kärntner Brettljause: bacon, smoked dry sausage, roasted cheese, a bacon spread and farm bread on a wooden board. Apfelmost is the drink the page names.
Is there a vegetarian option?
Show answer
The tourism page names the Kärntner Käseplatte, a cheese platter, as the vegetarian counterpart to the Brettljause.
Can you buy food to take home?
Show answer
Often, yes. The page says many Buschenschenken are also farm shops where fresh products can be taken home.
How do you find Buschenschenken near Wörthersee?
Show answer
The tourism page links to a listing of Buschenschenken at Wörthersee and says the annual opening times are in its brochure Wörthersee A bis Z.
