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Käsespätzle
LITTLE SPARROWS!
AUSTRIA, GERMANY, SWTZERLAND
Käsespätzle is a dish whose origin is hard to determine – regions of Swabia, Baden and Allgäu in Germany claim that they are the inventors of this savory dish. But it is equally a traditional dish in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria, especially in Vorarlberg where this dish is also called Käsknöpfle.
It’s a simple dish with few ingredients – spätzle, cheese and roasted onions. The main part of this dish – Spätzle – an invention of Swabia – is a type of small noodle, but Germans are not particularly happy with this comparison. Germans love Spätzle so much that it is often mentioned in poems and songs, and the novel “The History of the Seven Swabians” from 1827 states that one eats five times daily – five times soup and twice Spätzle. It was first mentioned in a document in 1725, but it is probably much older. Spätzle is considered to be the foundation of original Swabian cuisine and Swabians are depicted in many medieval paintings holding a Spätzle board. There are even reports of Swabian knights who, armed with “sword and spaetzle board”, once followed Emperor Barbarossa (Friedrich I) to the Holy Land.
Since Spätzle is very nutritious and easy to make, it also used to be an integral part of the daily diet of poor people, of whom there were many, especially in Swabia, a region that was not very fertile and its population was therefore rather poor up until the 20th century.
There are a lot of theories about the origin of the name. According to one, the name comes from the German word Spatzen which means little sparrows. Before the invention of Spätzlehobel – a tool for making Spätzle, women would put the dough in their hand and, holding it like a sparrow, would put small pinches into the water forming Spätzle or “little sparrows”. Another theory argues that the name comes from the Italian word “spezzato”, which means broken.
The base of Spätzle is dough made from flour, water, and eggs. The type and amount of flour and the number of eggs vary, depending on the recipe you are using. Also, some recipes use grated nutmeg. Spätzle can be used in many dishes, but one of the most famous, and our favorite, is Käsespätzle – Spätzle mixed with grated cheese, typically Emmentaler, and garnished with roasted onions. It is a very beloved dish in Germany, Austria and Switzerland especially on many alpine huts, as it is a very tasty dish that gives necessary calories needed for all the outdoor activities.
We made a vegan version of this dish – Spätzle without eggs and we used vegan cheese. The first time making Spätzle can get a bit messy, especially if you don’t have Spätzlehobel, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be making Spätzle regularly.
RECIPE FOR 4 SERVINGS
// hard, but I can do it // €€€
Preparation: 30 min // Cooking: 30 min // Total: 60 min
INGRIDIENTS
For the Spätzle:
350g wheat flour type 40
80g durum wheat semolina
300ml oat milk
2l + 100ml water
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Kala Namak
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
Rest:
300g grated vegan cheese
30g roasted onions
10g chives, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
- In a large bowl mix the wheat flour, durum wheat semolina, Kala Namak, salt and turmeric. Add the oil, soy milk and water and whisk to form an even, viscous batter.
- In a large pot bring 2 liters of water to a boil.
- Put about 1/4 of the dough into the funnel of the Spätzlehobel and press the Spätzle in to the boiling water by moving the slide back and forth.*
- Stir briefly and remove Spätzle with a slotted spoon as soon as they begin to float to the top. Drain well.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the remaining dough.
- When all of the dough has been used, heat a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan and add Spätzle and greeted vegan cheese. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and simmer for a few minutes or until the cheese has melted.**
- Garnish with roasted onions and chives.
- Mahlzeit!
NOTE!
* If you don’t have the Spätzlehobel, you can use the normal kitchen grater. Spätzle won’t have a perfect form and it will get a bit messy, but it will do its job.
** In a traditional recipe Spätzle and cheese are layered alternately and, after adding each layer, the mixture is put into the oven until the cheese is melted. This takes a bit more time, so if you are in a hurry use the easier way described above.
*** This recipe was inspired by the recipe for vegan Spätzle from Eat This: https://www.eat-this.org/vegane-spaetzle/
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Keep it Vegan!
Thank you for taking your time and exploring our recipes! We hope that we have inspired you to try out some dishes.