Spätzle
Encyclopedia
Spätzle ˈʃpɛtslə are a type of egg noodle
Noodle
The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...
of soft texture found in the cuisine of Germany
German cuisine
German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and neighbouring Swabia, share many dishes....
and of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
.
History
The geographic origin of spätzle is not precisely known; various regions claim to be the originators of this noodle. Written mention of Spätzle has been found in documents dating from 1725, although medieval illustrations are believed to place this noodle at an even earlier date. Noodles more generally have a history extending back 4,000 years (see NoodleNoodle
The noodle is a type of food, made from any of a variety of doughs, formed into long thin ribbons, strips, curly-cues, waves, helices, pipes, tubes, strings, or other various shapes, sometimes folded. They are usually cooked in a mixture of boiling water and/or oil. Depending upon the type, noodles...
and Pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
).
Today, in Europe spätzle are largely considered a "Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n speciality" and are generally associated with the German states
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. The leading German producer is Herrman, which produces approximately 13,000 tons per year. The estimated annual commercial production of spätzle in Germany is approximately 40,000 tons, which does not include spätzle made by individual households and restaurants. Pre-made spätzle are also available internationally from companies such as Maggi, a division of Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
.
Etymology
The linguistic origin of Spätzle is debated. Literally translated, Spätzle means "little sparrow".Before the invention and use of mechanical devices to make these noodles, they were shaped by hand or with a spoon and the results resembled Spatzen (meaning little sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s, sparrow is Haus-Spatz or Sperling in German). This theory may reflect that traditional Spätzle are never shaped.
Knöpfle means "small buttons" and describes the compact form of this spätzle variety.
Preparation
Spätzle dough typically consists of few ingredients, principally egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
s, flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, and salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
. Often, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
is added to produce a thinner dough.
Traditionally, Spätzle are made by scraping dough off a wooden chopping board ("Spätzlebrett") into boiling salt water where they cook until they rise to the surface. They are then skimmed and put aside.
Since this can be a cumbersome way to prepare spätzle, several devices were invented to facilitate cooking that resemble a strainer, (or colander
Colander
A colander is a bowl-shaped kitchen utensil with holes in it used for draining food such as pasta or rice.The perforated nature of the colander allows liquid to drain through while retaining the solids inside...
), a potato ricer
Potato ricer
A potato ricer is a kitchen implement used to process potatoes by forcing it through small holes, which are often not much wider than a grain of rice. Mashed potatoes is a food commonly made using this utensil. In technical terms, it works by a process of extrusion. A potato ricer can also be used...
("Spätzlepresse"), a food mill
Food mill
A food mill is a food preparation utensil for mashing and sieving soft foods...
or coarse grater
Grater
A grater is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces. It was invented by François Boullier in the 1540s.-Uses:...
("Spätzlehobel"). As with scraped Spätzle, the dough drops into the boiling water.
Dough varieties
For certain specialty dishes, the dough may be enriched with minced pork liver (resulting in Leberspätzle), spinach, or finely grated cheese.Commercial products
Commercially made noodles marketed as spätzle may bear little resemblance to handmade spätzle, being more or less regular in shape and more solid in mouthfeelMouthfeel
Mouthfeel is a product's physical and chemical interaction in the mouth, an aspect of food rheology. It is a concept used in many areas related to the testing and evaluating of foodstuffs, such as wine-tasting and rheology. It is evaluated from initial perception on the palate, to first bite,...
. Most popular are dried spätzle that are cooked in boiling water like ordinary egg noodles. But as of late, pre-cooked Spätzle has become available as well in supermarket refrigerators.
Dishes
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
dishes prepared with an abundant sauce or gravy, such as Zwiebelrostbraten, Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten
Sauerbraten is a German pot roast, usually of beef , marinated before cooking in a mixture of vinegar, water, spices and seasonings.Sauerbraten is traditionally served with red cabbage, potato dumplings , Spätzle,...
or Rouladen
Rouladen
Rouladen are a German meat roulade usually consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef which is then cooked...
. In Hungary spätzle often are used in soup. Spätzle also are used as a primary ingredient in dishes including:
Savory
- Linsen, Spätzle und Saitenwürstle: Spätzle with lentils and fine-skinned, frankfurterFrankfurterFrankfurter may refer to:* a hot dog* a sausage as made in Frankfurt* a resident of Frankfurt am Main, Germany* a resident of Frankfurt , GermanyFrankfurter is a German Jewish surname and may refer to:...
-style sausages - Käsespätzle: Spätzle mixed with grated cheeseCheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
(typically Emmenthaler) and fried onionOnionThe onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion... - Gaisburger MarschGaisburger MarschGaisburger Marsch is a traditional Swabian beef stew, named after Gaisburg, a district of Stuttgart.The meat, cooked in a strong beef broth, is cut into cubes and served with cooked potatoes and Spätzle...
: Traditional Swabian beef stew - Krautspätzle: Spätzle mixed with sauerkrautSauerkrautSauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
, onion, butterButterButter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
and spices such as marjoramMarjoramMarjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours...
and/or carawayCarawayCaraway also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa.... - Leberspätzle
- Spinatspatzeln (TyroleanTyrol (state)Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
dialect): Spätzle which also contain spinach as one of the ingredients; a speciality of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Sweet
- Kirschspätzle: Spätzle mixed with fresh cherriesCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, dressed with clarified, browned butter, sugar and cinnamon and/or nutmeg. In AllgäuAllgäuThe Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
, this is served as a one-dish supper in late summer. - Apfelspätzle: Spätzle with grated apples in the dough, dressed with clarified, browned butter, sugar, and cinnamon. In AllgäuAllgäuThe Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
, this is served as a one-dish supper in autumn.
See also
- SchupfnudelSchupfnudelSchupfnudel , also called Fingernudeln or Bubespitzle , is the name of a type of dumpling or thick noodle in southern German and Austrian cuisine, similar to the more internationally familiar Italian gnocchi...
- KlößeKloseKlose is a surname, and may refer to*Adolf Klose , German railroad engineer and inventor* Anastasia Klose, , Australian artist* Bob Klose, , British musician and photographer* Dennie Klose, , German Comedian...
, larger dumplings - HaluškyHaluškyHalušky are a traditional variety of thick, soft noodles or dumplings cooked in the Central and Eastern European cuisines .They are irregular in shape...
, eastern European equivalent of spätzle - GnocchiGnocchiGnocchi are various thick, soft dumplings. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, flour and egg, flour, egg, and cheese, potato, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients. The smaller forms are called gnocchetti....
, similar Italian dumplings/noodles - PassatelliPassatelliPassatelli is a pasta formed of bread crumbs, eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg, and cooked in chicken broth. It is typically found in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy and has much in common with spätzle....
, similar Italian noodles made with bread crumbs in place of flour