Swabian cuisine
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Swabian cuisine is native to Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany comprising great parts of Württemberg and the Bavarian part of Swabia. Swabian cuisine has a reputation for being rustic, but rich and hearty. Fresh egg pastas (e.g., Spätzle noodles or Maultaschen dumpling wrappers), soups, and sausages are among Swabia's best-known types of dishes, and Swabian cuisine tends to require broths or sauces; dishes are rarely "dry".[1]
History
As soils were meagre and stony, conditions for raising cattle were poor. Meat, therefore, was something of a luxury for most, and was mainly consumed by the aristocracy and landowners, while the common people often had to be content with tripe where meat was concerned.
Regional influences on Swabian cookery abound. Old-Wurttemberg was
The potato was introduced in the mid-17th century, soon gaining popularity and integrated into the local cuisine. Many new recipes were developed such as Schupfnudeln, potato salad and home fries.
The popular idea of traditional Swabian cuisine remains based on the stereotype of simple, hearty and uncomplicated "peasant food".
Noodles and dumplings
Among Swabia's best-known dishes are
Maultaschen
Spätzle and Knöpfle
Another very famous specialty is
As with many noodle products in Central Europe, spätzle can also be featured in sweet dishes combined with sugar,
Also originally Swabian is Linsen mit Spätzle, a dish featuring lentils cooked in a vinegar broth and served over spätzle. They are often served with Vienna sausages or smoked bacon.
Spätzle is prepared by scraping the fresh pasta down in thin bands from the "Spätzlesbrett" (a simple wooden board), but nowadays there are special "Spätzlepresse"s available, (which are similar to potato ricers). Shorter Spätzle and the thick, round Knöpfle are prepared with a Spätzlehobel, which is a board with little holes through which the dough is pushed, directly into the boiling water.
Spätzle and Knöpfle can be served directly after cooking but usually they are briefly tossed in liquid butter before serving. The dough contains wheat flour, egg and water although occasionally ingredients such as spinach or tomato puree are used for colouring.
Schupfnudeln
Also called Buabaspitzla,
Pancakes
Pancakes are also called Flädle and are usually very thin and fried in oil. They may be eaten as a whole with savory or sweet accompaniments, or cut in stripes and added to soups.
Another type of pancake is the Kratzete. They are not only eaten as a sweet dish but may also be eaten as an accompaniment to asparagus.
Soups and stews
Soups and stews are essential parts of Swabian food culture.[2] The fact that soups and stews are loved by Swabians lead to the nickname Subbaschwôb which means "Soup Swabian". In fine dining, they are usually served as an appetizer, but in home cooking they are usually a main dish, served with bread.
Gaisburger Marsch
One of the most popular Swabian stews is Gaisburger Marsch, a nourishing stew with diced ox meat, cooked potatoes and Spätzle. The certain something is the garnish consisting of fried onions topping the soup. Legend says that the stew was first served to hungry soldiers in Gaisburg in the 19th century and became so popular that soldiers stationed more distantly marched all the way to Gaisburg to enjoy it. Thus, the name "Gaisburger Marsch" means "March to Gaisburg".
Flädle soup
Thin pancakes are cut into slices and are added to a clear broth. As they absorb the broth very quickly, they are added just before serving.
Meat and fish specialities
Although not much meat was historically used in the kitchen, there are still some regional specialties with meat; for instance, roast lamb with spätzle. Many recipes use tripe, which was inexpensive and therefore affordable for the common and poorer people. Very well known (although not universally loved) are Saure Kutteln, tripe cut into slices, steamed with roux and then soured with vinegar or wine.
Other famous dishes using tripe are "Saure Nieren" (lit. sour kidneys) and "Saure Leber" (sour liver), both prepared by cutting the offal in slices, pan-frying, and serving with a sauce, alongside spätzle or home fries, and a green salad.
The Swabian Wurstsalat is an assortment of sausages that are sliced, mixed together with onion, pickles and chives, and dressed with oil and vinegar, and eaten with bread.
Fish dishes are often made with
Miscellaneous dishes
Filderkraut is a special variety of pointed cabbage grown on the Filder, a plain near Stuttgart, and used to make sauerkraut and salads.
The Swabian potato salad is also very famous in Germany and even in other countries. In contrast to the mayonnaise-dressed potato salad in Northern Germany, it is lighter and contains less fat. Waxy potatoes are cooked and peeled when they are still hot. Then they are sliced and mixed with diced onions before pouring warm broth, vinegar and oil in succession over the potatoes and onions. Optionally, it can be garnished with chives or diced pickles, or spiced with mustard. The salad should rest for a few hours or even overnight before serving and can then be enjoyed as accompaniment for different dishes or solely with bread.
Brenntar was a Swabian staple foodstuff, particularly prominent in the Swabian Jura and in the Allgäu. It is made of a specially roasted flour called Musmehl.[citation needed]
Sweet dishes
Ofenschlupfer (lit., "oven slipper") is a kind of bread pudding consisting of stale white bread spiced with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, which is layered in a casserole dish with apple, raisins, and almond biscuits, and then soaked in an egg and cream-based custard before being baked in the oven.
Kirschenplotzer comprises stale white buns, worked into a dough with butter, egg, milk, and sugar, into which cherries are folded before the casserole is baked, and then served hot.
Pfitzauf is also a dish prepared in the oven. This is a kind of soufflé prepared in special Pfitzauf moulds and commonly served with applesauce or vanilla sauce, although there are also savory recipe variations with cheese or bacon.
Nun's puffs are small round doughnuts made of a yeast dough or choux pastry, and fried. They are traditionally eaten during Carnival and may be served as a main dish or a dessert served with icing sugar, cherries, or vanilla sauce.
Beignets are also very famous, and are commonly prepared with apples and served with vanilla sauce.
Baked goods
Bread and pastries
Swabian baking culture boasts a broad range of different breads. There are many variations that are not widely distributed or known, and are only baked in a particular area or village.[
The Swabian "Seele" (lit., "soul") is a
Briegel is a very similar baked good that is native in East Wurttemberg, and is even moister than the Seele. It also belongs to the species of moistened breads such as Wasserwecken and Knauzen from Wendlingen.
Another speciality which is native to Reutlingen is the Dreikönigsmutschel, (lit., "Three Kings Mutschel"), a star-shaped, bland yeast pastry with eight points and a round elevation in the middle which is the circle of a braided garland. It is traditionally eaten on the Thursday after Epiphany and people play dice to eat it and celebrate.
Savory cakes
The Swabian Cream Cake is a thin yeast flatbread spread with
Also well-known is the Swabian Zwiebelkuchen, which is very similar to the French quiche Lorraine. It is usually eaten in late summer and autumn with Federweisser or apple cider.
Sweet cakes
There are a variety of cakes prepared in Swabian homes, since the German tradition of Sunday afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen is widely practiced by Swabians. Also very popular is the Swabian Träubleskuchen, a cake with a shortcrust pastry base and a filling of redcurrant and beaten egg whites.
See also
Literature
- Schwaben, Kulinarische Streifzüge, H-D. Reichert, D. Wägerle, H-J. Döbbelin, Sigloch-Verlag, Blaufelden, 2005, ISBN 3893930701
- Schwäbische Küche, G. Poggenpohl, Verlag EDITION XXL, Fränkisch-Crumbach, 2003, ISBN 3-89736-140-X
- Schwäbisch kochen, Karola Wiedemann, Martina Kiel, Gräfe und Unzer Verlag, München, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8338-1630-7
- Die schwäbische Küche – Regionale Spezialitäten, Matthias F. Mangold, Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, Stuttgart, 2011, ISBN 978-3-440-12587-8
References
- ^ "Culinary Specialties of Swabia (Schwaben)". German Food Guide. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Culinary Specialties of Swabia (Schwaben)". German Food Guide. Retrieved 21 December 2021.