A Dampfnudel (; ; plural Dampfnudeln, Alsatian dialect: Dampfnüdel) is a dumpling eaten as a meal or as a dessert in Southern Germany, Austria,
History
The origins of Dampfnudels is unclear.The origin of the Dampfnudel is unclear. Friederike Luise Löffler, housekeeper at the ducal court in Stuttgart, listed various Dampfnudel recipes in her 1791 book
Neues Kochbuch oder geprüfte Anweisung zur schmakhaften Zubereitung (New Cookbook or Proven Instructions for Tasty Preparation), Stuttgart cook Friederike Luise Löffler listed various Dampfnudel recipes, one of which was explicitly referred to as Bavarian Dampfnudel.
There are
Dampfnudel in
Freckenfeld and
Kandel, two towns in the Rhineland-Palatinate, in western Germany, near the border with French Alsace. It is reputed that, during the Thirty Years' War,
Swedish Empire troops arrived at Freckenfeld and demanded ransom. Master baker Johannes Muck, with his wife and apprentice, made 1,286
Dampfnudeln to feed the soldiers, who then spared the village from further extortion and pillage.
The
Dampfnudeltor (Dampfnudel gate) even features on the coat of arms of the municipality of Freckenfeld.
Ingredients and preparation
Dampfnudeln are made from a
dough composed of white
flour,
water, yeast,
salt,
butter or
margarine, and sometimes also eggs and a little sugar. The dough is formed into balls about the size of an egg, left to rise and then cooked in a covered pot, preferably a high-rimmed iron pan with a lid, either in a mixture of milk and butter (the Bavarian style) or
saline water and
fat (the Rhineland-Palatinate style) until a golden-brown crust forms at the bottom after the liquid has evaporated. The tops remain white.
Serving
Dampfnudeln are typically served as a
main course with savoury accompaniment such as
cabbage,
salad,
, potato soup, lentil soup, or
in a béchamel sauce. They can also be served as a
dessert with
vanilla custard,
jam, or boiled
fruit. In
Bavaria, however,
Dampfnudeln are traditionally served as the main dish even though they are normally served sweet. In the Palatinate they are served as a main dish and with a salty crust.
See also
-
Buchteln
-
Germknödel
-
List of buns
-
List of desserts
-
List of steamed foods
-
List of sweet breads
-
Mantou
-
Siopao
Further reading
