Spaetzle (2024)

FAQs

What to put on spätzle? ›

I've served the dumplings plain with melted butter and chopped chives. I've crisped them in a pan of brown butter and almonds. I've topped them with hearty beef stew. But layered with cheese and caramelized onions is still my favorite variation.

Spätzle is a German egg noodle pasta with a chewy, dumpling-like texture. The short noodles are usually irregularly shaped and made from a simple batter of eggs mixed with flour (all-purpose or semolina) and milk or water.

If you don't have a spaetzle maker, the batter can be pressed through the holes of a colander with a spatula (just make sure to lift the colander above the boiling water so it doesn't get clogged with cooked dough). I've heard a potato ricer works well, too.

Spätzle is the Swabian and Alsacian diminutive of Spatz, thus literally 'little sparrow'. They are also known as Knöpfle (diminutive of button). In Switzerland they are called Spätzli or Chnöpfli, in Hungarian Nokedli or Csipetke, in Slovenian Vaseršpacli or vodni žličniki and in Ladin Fierfuli.

Can German Spaetzle Be Prepared Ahead of Time? Yes! It holds its shape wonderfully and if you shock the Spaetzle in cold water after cooking it won't stick together. You can easily make this side dish a day or two ahead and then simply reheat it in a pan with a little butter.

Eier sounds very much like "eyes" and means quite innocently "eggs" but is also used as a colloquial term for "testicl*s".

The lumpy, handmade noodles are a staple of German, Austrian, Swiss, Czech, and Hungarian home cooking. Think of them as small, imperfect, not-fussy versions of gnocchi. In German, “spaetzle” (or “spätzle”) means “l*ttle sparrows,” but they usually look more like irregular blobs of dough.

When dining with Germans, be especially mindful of proper manners. They eat continentally—with the fork in the left hand (tines down) and knife in the right hand throughout. Do not pass the fork back and forth between hands. Don't set down your knife to use the fork alone.

A common german breakfast consists of bread, butter, different kinds of topings (like different kinds of cheese and cold cuts, quark, honey, fish, Nutella ..). Very typical is: One or two rolls (alternatively slices of bread) with butter and jam or honey or nougat cream (Nutella), also cold cuts and cheese.

Spaetzle are traditional German dumplings.

What to put on top of spaetzle? ›

wheat flour. Type 405 wheat flour is probably the most widely used today for spätzle. Type 405 indicates how high the degree of milling and the content of minerals such as magnesium or potassium.

This käsespätzle, also spelled kaese spaetzle, is a tasty homemade pasta tossed with onion and Emmentaler cheese. It's a German version of macaroni and cheese. The Allrecipes Test Kitchen staff are a team of culinary pros who make and vet recipes using only equipment you'd find in a home kitchen.