Spätzle

Spätzle([ˈʃpɛtslə]),SpätzlaorSpatzen, callednokedli([ˈnokɛdli]) in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg pasta typically served as asidefor meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated withSwabia(henceSwabian spaetzle) andAlsace,it is also found in the cuisines of southernGermanyandAustria,Switzerland,Liechtenstein,Hungary,Vojvodina,Banat,Slovenia,Lorraine,Moselle, andSouth Tyrol. It may be served as a side dish or with other ingredients like cheese and onion as a main dish. Spätzle are egg-based pasta of an irregular form with a rough, porous surface. The glutinous dough is put directly into boiling water or steam and the form varies between thin and thick, elongated and short. Spätzle is cooked for the first time during the fabrication. The moist dough is either pressed through a perforated metal plate or it drips through this plate into the boiling water.Other ways to prepare Spätzle are more applicable for domestic use.
A similar round shape, simplified in production, is native to the pre-Alpine Allgäu regions ofBavarian SwabiaandBaden-WürttembergasKnöpfle.
Spätzleis theSwabianandAlsaciandiminutive ofSpatz, thus literally 'littlesparrow'.Some linguists derive it from the word “clump”, meaning dough which tends to form clots.In Switzerland they are calledSpätzliorChnöpfli, inHungarianNokedliorCsipetke,  inSlovenianVaseršpacliorvodni žličnikiand inLadinFierfuli. TheSlovakHalušky(Hungarian:Galuska) is also similar.
Before the use of mechanical devices, the noodles were shaped by hand or with a spoon, and the results resembledSpatzen(plural ofSpatz, meaning 'sparrows', 'sparrow' isSpatzorSperlingin German;Spätzleis the diminutive ofSpatz, unchanged in plural).
Spätzle used in this context stands in plural form. In the 18th century this dish was referred to as "Wasserspatzen" (engl. water sparrows). In Switzerland and in Markgräflerland (Margraves’ Land) the dish is called "Spätzli" or "Chnöpfli" and in the LowAlemannicarea "Knepfli". There is an equivalent and common dish in Hungary ("nokedli" and also "galuska" – whereas both terms are naturalised loanwords) and Slovakia ("galuska" or "halušky") with Austria connecting both cultures. In Northern Austria, Spätzle are called "Nockerln" (as in the dishEiernockerl) whereasdumplingsare also referred to as "Nocken" in Carinthia and Tyrol.
Spätzle which went wrong, which are very lumpy or stick together are also called “raven”, “little stork”, “black horse”, “nightingale”, “grandfather” or “eagle”.
They are also known asKnöpfle(diminutive ofbutton) which describes the compact, round form of the noodle. Depending on the form, some regions differentiate between Spätzle (the length exceeds the diameter around more than the fourfold) and Knöpfle (the relation of length to diameter is under two).  In everyday language usage, the two names refer to the same product made from the same dough and are interchangeable.There is no clear distinction between how the two names are used, and usage varies from region to region (for example, in Alsace,Knöpleare typically larger than Spätzle).
The geographic origin of Spätzle is not precisely known; various regions claim to be the originators of the noodles.
The tradition of making Spätzle can be traced back to the 18th century, althoughmedievalillustrations are believed to place the noodle at an even earlier date.In 1725, Rosino Lentilio, a councillor and personal physician fromWürttemberg, concluded thatKnöpfleinandSpazenwere "all the things that are made from flour".Speltwas grown widely in the Swabian-Alemannic area at the time. The cereal grew on poor soils and was very popular in the region, which was home to small farmers and characterised by poverty. As spelt flour contains high levels of gluten protein, and the dough could therefore be made in times of hardship without the need for eggs,Schwäbische Spätzle/Schwäbische Knöpflewere mainly made from spelt.The product achieved fame in the Münsinger Alb upland area. As industrialisation began and prosperity increased, the noodles went from an ordinary, everyday food item to a culinary specialty eaten on feast days. In a description of a Swabian farmers' village written in 1937, Spätzle are described as a festive food.
The great importance ofSchwäbische Spätzle/Schwäbische Knöpflein Swabian cooking can be seen, inter alia, from the 1827 novelDie Geschichte von den Sieben Schwaben, according to which the custom in Swabia is "to eat five times a day, five times soup, twice withKnöpfleor Spätzle".
Today,Spätzle are largely considered a "Swabianspeciality"and are generally associated with theGerman stateofBaden-Württemberg. In France, they are associated withAlsaceandMoselle. Germany's estimated annual commercial production of Spätzle is approximately 40,000 tons.Pre-made Spätzle are also available internationally.
In Swabian literature, there is a multitude of poems about “the favourite dish of the Swabian people”. Examples are poems such as "Das Lob der Schwabenknöpfle" (The Praise of Swabian Knöpfle) which was published in the regional newspaperSchwarzwälder Bote(Black Forest Messenger) in 1838, the poem "Schwäbische Leibspeisa" (The Swabian Favourite Dish) or the “Spätzles-Lied” (The Spätzle Song).
The manufacturing of Spätzle in Swabia can be traced back to the 18th century. 
In 1725 the Württembergian council and private physician Lentilius defined "Knöpflein" and "Spatzen" as "everything that is made from flour". Back then,speltwas widely used in Swabia and Alemannia. 
Since the region was marked by rural peasant structures and poverty, the undemanding grain spelt was very popular since it also thrives in low-nutrient soil. 
Spelt is high ingluten, so in times of scarcity it could be made into a dough without the addition of eggs. Consequently, it is the flour most commonly used in the preparation of Spätzle.
Traditionally, Spätzle are scraped manually on a board, which is still considered a special certification mark. For efficiency reasons, a mechanical production of "homemade" Spätzle comparable with manually scraped ones emerged at the start of the 20th century. With the beginning of industrialisation and progressing prosperity, Spätzle advanced from everyday food to a delicacy eaten during the holidays. People from a Swabian farming village called it a festive dish in 1937. One year prior, regional poet Sebastian Blau (Josef Eberle's pseudonym) rendered Spätzle a symbol of Swabian identity: "… Spätzle are the foundation of our cuisine, the glory of our country, … the be-all and end-all of the Swabian menu…".
Nowadays, Swabian Spätzle or Knöpfle can be found in nearly every product ranges of Swabian pasta producers and since the 1980s, they also have been successfully exported. They are mentioned in many Swabian traditions and celebrations and also form part of tourist activities in terms of culinary specialty weeks or courses, seminars and competitions where Spätzle are scraped (made). There are many cooking competitions and various world records in "Spätzleschaben" (Spätzle scraping). A number of exhibitions document the traditional knowledge of the making of Spätzle in the Swabian region from the very beginnings until today.  The great importance of Spätzle for the Swabian kitchen is proofed by the novelDie Geschichte von den sieben Schwaben(The history of the seven Swabians), published in 1827, according to which in Swabia exists the tradition "of eating five times a day, which means five times soup, and two times the soup is accompanied by Knöpfle or Spätzle".
In 1892,Elise Henleexplained that a Swabian woman should be able to manufacture Spätzle: "s isch koi richtigs Schwobe-Mädla, des net Spätzla kocha ka" ("t'is not a real Swabian girl, who isn't able to cook Spätzle"). For the modern era the Swabian author Siegfried Ruoß lists more than 50 different Spätzle recipes in his cookbook "Schwäbische Spätzleküche". In Bad Waldsee, in upper-Swabia, there is aSpätzlemuseum since 2013.
The earliest recipes forSpätzlecan be found in the so-called "Göppinger Kochbuch", which was composed by Rosina Dorothea Knör (1733–1809) in 1783.
Since March 2012,Swabian SpätzleandSwabian Knöpflehave been awarded the EU quality seal forprotected geographical indication(PGI) and are protected throughout Europe as a regional specialty.To be able to bear this sign, one of the production stages of the product must have taken place in the respectively defined region of origin.
Spätzle is a type of dumplingor noodle.Its dough typically consists of few ingredients, principally eggs, flour, and salt. The Swabian rule of thumb is to use a number of eggs equal to the number of servings, plus one. Water is often added to produce a runnier dough.The flour traditionally used for Spätzle isbread wheat(not thedurum wheatused for Italianpasta); however, a more coarsely milled type is used for Spätzle-making than for baking. This flour type is known asDunst, similar to US "first clear" or Czechhrubátype. This gives a chewier texture but can produce a dough too crumbly for scraping if no water is added, particularly when cutting short on eggs for dietary reasons. If fine ("all-purpose") flour and the full amount of eggs are used, all fat and moisture in the dough is derived from these, and water is rarely necessary.
Traditionally, Spätzle are made by scraping long, thin strips of dough off a wooden (sometimes wet) chopping board (Spätzlebrett) into boiling salted water, where they cook until they rise to the surface. Altogether, the dough should thus be asviscousas to slowly flow apart if cut into strips with a knife, yet hold the initial shape for some seconds. If dropped into boiling water, thealbumenwill congeal quickly in the boiling water, while theyolkwill keep the dough succulent. After the pasta has become firm, they are 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 orcolander,potato ricer(Spätzlepresse),food mill, or coarsegrater(Spätzlehobel). As with scraped Spätzle, the dough drops into the boiling water. Those instruments that use muscle pressure in addition to gravity can be used with a firmer dough; that for aSpätzlehobelshould be as "runny" as the one for scraping.
For certain specialty dishes, the dough may be enriched with minced pork liver (resulting inLeberspätzle[de]), spinach or finely grated cheese.
Spätzle typically accompaniesmeatdishes prepared with an abundant sauce or gravy, such asZwiebelrostbraten[de],Sauerbraten,JägerschnitzelorRouladen. In Hungary, Spätzle often are used in soup. Spätzle also are used as a primary ingredient in dishes including:
Savory
Sweet