Spätzle

Swabia (Baden-Württemberg), Germany and Vorarlberg/Tyrol, Austria — the earliest documented Spätzle recipe dates to 1725 in Swabia; the dish is claimed with equal fervour by Swabians and Austrians; it spread throughout southern Germany, Austria, and into Alsace-Lorraine with German influence

Swabia's egg pasta — irregular, tender, free-form noodles made from a wet batter of flour, eggs, salt, and a little milk or water, pressed through a colander or Spätzlehobel (a dedicated press with large holes) directly into boiling salted water — is the foundational starch of southern German and Austrian cooking: the pasta that is not pasta, the dumpling that is not quite a dumpling. The batter is looser than pasta dough (it pours rather than kneels) and the characteristic uneven, ear-like shape comes from the resistance of the pressed batter breaking as it hits the water. Käsespätzle (cheese Spätzle), in which the freshly cooked noodles are layered with grated Emmentaler or Bergkäse and topped with crispy fried onions, is the Swabian answer to macaroni and cheese — richer, more rustic, and substantially more satisfying.

Served as a side with Sauerbraten, Schweinshaxe, or Rouladen; as a main in Käsespätzle form with a simple green salad and apple cider vinegar dressing; the cheese version is the ultimate Swabian comfort food — a pot of Käsespätzle on a cold evening is the German equivalent of Welsh Rarebit or Fondue as winter comfort food