Liechtenstein: Little Egg Dumplings & Cheese (Käsknöpfle)

First, often in this article, I'm using the term "German" in the broader sense; that is, in the cultural and linguistic sense, rather than in the narrower nationality sense; "citizens of Germany."

This is a dish using "Spätzle," the little noodle/dumpling/pasta bits, almost always served in some manner in German-themed restaurants in the U.S., and, I'm sure, elsewhere. That term too is the general term in German, which is understood by German speakers in all areas of Europe, as "Spätzle" is a famous part of German cuisine, coming from the southwestern German region of "Schwaben" (Swabia). It literally means "little sparrows" (Spatz=sparrow, see Word History, below) in the dialect of that southwestern region of Germany (the dialect is called Schwäbisch *=Swabian in English). In other German areas in the south (German in the broad sense), including Liechtenstein, instead of "Spätzle," the term used is, "Knöpfle" (literally, 'little buttons'). "Käs" is the close relative to English "cheese," which is what it means. The dumplings, whether you called them "Knöpfle" or "Spätzle," are made the same, with only slight variations, as some people use milk instead of water, and others, the total purists, believe they should only be made from eggs, flour and salt. I looked at about 10 recipes from Liechtenstein, and all but one used water (the other used milk), so I made mine with water (I usually make mine the "purist" way). Germans (broad sense) often have special equipment at home to make the Spätzle, which is used to force the dough through, and it drops into the hot water, but you can just use a large spoon and drizzle the dough/batter into the water. Understand, this general recipe is not exclusive to Liechtenstein, but it is sort of the national dish of that little country,** so I chose to use Liechtenstein.

You can certainly add more cheese, if you'd like, and a mix of two or more cheeses is common in Liechtenstein, with one always being "(Swiss) Emmentaler" (some say, "Emmental"), which is what most Americans think of as "Swiss cheese," with the off white color and holes in the cheese. "Appenzeller," another cheese from the German area of neighboring Switzerland, is also often used, as well as, "Gruyère," another cheese from Switzerland, but it's from an area of majority French-speaking population, although with a substantial German-speaking minority. "Fontina," a northern Italian cheese, is also used by some.   

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
(optional) a good pinch of nutmeg
simmering salted water
1/2 cup Swiss cheese (Emmentaler), shredded
1/2 cup Gruyere, shredded
1 onion, halved, then thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter (or you can use vegetable or canola oil)

In a pan large enough to hold 4 to 5 inches of water (also wide; you want the dumplings to have plenty of room to "swim"), add a couple of tablespoons of salt, and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the water simmers nicely. In a bowl, mix the flour, eggs, salt and water. Germans (broad sense) make the batter/dough various thicknesses. With this recipe, I made it somewhat "fluid," where there was resistance when stirring with a spoon, and where the thick batter could be drizzled into the simmering water. If you make it even thicker, more of a true dough, you can cut off pieces. The batter will almost instantly solidify in the hot water, and the dumplings will float to the top when done (Germans often say "swim"), and you can use a slotted spoon to take them from the water, before you add another batch. Be sure to stir the bottom of the pot, as sometimes one or two might stick to the bottom. Have your cheeses shredded and in a separate skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil, then saute the onion slices until browned. When all of the dumplings are cooked, you can microwave them briefly to reheat them, then stir in the cheese until it melts (some mix in the cheese and bake the dish until the cheese melts). Add some browned onions to the top of each serving. Applesauce is commonly served along with the dish.

* Swabian is a dialect that is part of the overall German dialect "Alemannic," which is also spoken in Switzerland, Alsace, extreme western Austria (not in the rest of Austria) and Liechtenstein, as well as some small parts of northern Italy.

** For those with some knowledge of German history, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are both representative of the German states of the old German Empire, when Germany had, at one time or another, anywhere from hundreds, to a couple of thousand of generally such small states, usually led by princes or dukes.

With a little dish of applesauce on the side.

WORD HISTORY:
Sparrow-This word for a common bird goes back to Indo European "sper," with "perhaps" the underlying notion being, "twitching or fidgeting animal/bird," as many birds twitch. This gave its Old Germanic offspring "sparwon," which meant "sparrow." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "spearwa," with the same meaning. This then became "sparowe," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "Sperling," ^ Low German Saxon "Sparling," Dutch "spreeuw" (meaning: "starling"), Danish and Norwegian "spurv," Icelandic " 'spör'fugl," Swedish "sparv."  

^ The origin of "Spatz," another German word, mainly southern, but generally known everywhere, for "sparrow," is not entirely clear. The Old High German form of the word for sparrow, was "sparo."  The idea is, this became "spar" in the dialects in what is now southwestern Germany. This then came to be pronounced as if, "spartz," but then lost the "r."   

Germans and Apples

Because apples keep so well, fall and winter are good times to know about some dishes using apples. The Germans have a sort of love affair with the apple and I'd say their most popular fruit juice is apple juice. By German, I mean people of German background, not just the nationality German; so, people in Germany, Austria, about 2/3 of Switzerland, much of Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, much of Alsace and a fair part of Lorraine, as well as a part of northern Italy.* Even if you're a "picky" eater, please don't turn your nose up at some of the combinations until you have at least tried them. I believe I've told this little story before, but it bears repeating. Back in the 1980s I was traveling on a train (common transportation in Germany, and Europe in general) between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, which are only about 20 miles apart. An American couple, likely in their 60s, was sitting across from me. Americans were frequently encountered in the area due to the large American military presence in what was then West Germany, but these folks were tourists. I started a conversation with them and found out they were from Seattle, so somewhere in the neighborhood of 5500 to 6000 miles from Germany. They were headed for Frankfurt and they wanted to know about places to eat, as this was their first trip to Germany. Since they would be getting off the train at the main train station in Frankfurt, I immediately recommended the "Dippegucker Restaurant am Hauptbahnhof," which simply means "the pot looker restaurant at the main train station." The lady then said she was afraid to try German food, as she might not like it, and that they would probably just go to McDonald's (McDonald's has many outlets in Germany, all of which sell beer and wine). So, she traveled about 6000 miles to eat a hamburger she could have gotten on any street corner in America? While it's been many years, I have to believe it took a great deal of self restraint on my part to keep from smacking her, kicking her in the shin, or calling her a "blöde Kuh," if not all three. ("Blöde Kuh" means stupid or silly cow, in German).
    
A pretty common German dish in many areas comes from Berlin and is simply "liver and onions," but the recipe includes sliced apples with the onions. For Germans, the liver is usually calves liver, but the substitution of beef or pork liver will not condemn you to prison, and while some Germans have told me the apples have to be green, like Granny Smiths, I've used Red Delicious for years and I have yet to turn into a pillar of salt, so use what you have and, by the way, I leave the skin on the apples. Here in America, you may see this dish on the menu of German restaurants as "Berlin Liver," or perhaps, "Berlin Style Liver."

Then there's "Himmel und Erde," or "Himmel un Ääd" in some Rhineland dialects, which means "Heaven and Earth." The dish is simply mashed potatoes and apples; that is, the (lightly cooked) apples are mashed in with the potatoes. The name idea is, the apples represent the "heaven or sky," as they come from a tree, and the "earth" is represented by the potatoes, which have to be dug out of the ground. There are variations on this dish, depending upon the area, and some Germans use pears instead of apples. In the south, in Bavaria and Austria, I've seen recipes simply calling it "Puree of Apples and Potatoes." Germans often serve it with blood sausage (Blutwurst), Bratwurst, or liverwurst (Leberwurst). To give it some texture, I often don't completely mash the apples up, or if I don't have fresh apples, I add the store bought chunky apple sauce from a jar after the potatoes are mashed. Now if you think potatoes and apples don't go together, see the next listing.

Speaking of potatoes, potato pancakes are common in German areas, and they are usually accompanied by apple sauce, which is pretty common in the U.S. too. See, you've probably had potatoes and apples before. The standard German word for potato pancakes is "Kartoffelpfannkuchen," but there are a number of dialect terms and recipe variations like,  "Reibekuchen," "Döbbekuchen," "Döbbekooche," "Dibbekoche," "Dippedotz," "Reiberdatschi," "Rievekooche,"  "Grumbeer Pannekuche," and others. Some Germans believe the potatoes should be freshly grated, while others use potatoes first boiled in their skins. Besides the potatoes, there is some onion added (either grated or finely chopped), as well as some flour and salt. To this base recipe some regions add chopped bacon, or even whole strips of bacon are placed on top and the dish is finished in the oven. In the past, lard was commonly used for frying, but nowadays oil is more common.

Swiss Germans make a fried apple dish (Apfel Bröisi), which is thin bread slices fried in butter and sugar, then apple slices are added and fried further until the apples are soft. The dish is topped with fresh dabs of butter, sugar and cinnamon. 

Germans add apples to sauerkraut or to red cabbage (called Rotkohl, Rotkraut, or Blaukraut, depending upon region). In some areas, especially in Austria and Bavaria, apples are cored, stuffed with raisins and walnuts or hazelnuts (sometimes cranberries and lemon zest are added too) and are baked in white wine, butter, and sugar, which combine in a syrupy sauce, to which apple brandy (Schnapps) can be added. The finished dish, called "Bratäpfel" (baked apples), or "Besoffene Bratäpfel" ('drunken' baked apples, because of the wine and schnapps) is often served with warm vanilla sauce, made with heated milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

If you're in the German state of Hessen (often Hesse, in English), you'll want to finish your meal with a nice glass, or ten, of apple wine, which is really like hard apple cider, and is a specialty of Hessen in general, but particularly of Frankfurt. The standard German word for this drink is "Apfelwein," but there are variations in Hessian dialect, including ""Ebbelwoi,"  "Äppelwei," or "Stöffche," and you can get it by the glass ("Rippenglas;" that is "ribbed glass," which has ridges for a good grip) or the "Bembel" (a stoneware jug), and after a few of either, you won't much care what name the Hessians call it ... ah ... at least that's what I've heard.  

* Alsace and Lorraine are parts of eastern France. 

 

WORD HISTORY:
Apple-This noun goes back to Indo European "abol," "abel," the exact meaning of which is unclear, but which had to do with "produce of trees and vines," and there are forms in other, non Germanic, languages too. Its Old Germanic offspring was "aplaz," which meant "fruit, nuts." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "aeppel," which meant "fruit," and later this became "appel," before the modern version. It wasn't until the 1500s and 1600s that the meaning narrowed to the specific type of fruit we now call an "apple." Translations of the Bible over time generally used "forbidden fruit" in the Garden of Eden, but some translations called this fruit "apple," from the general meaning of the word back then. Common in the other Germanic languages: standard German "Apfel," all sorts of German dialect forms like "Ebbel," "Appel," "Apel," "Äppel," "Äbbel," "Epfel," "Ebbfe," "Opfe," Low German Saxon and Dutch "Appel,"  West Frisian "apel," Danish "aeble," Icelandic "epli," Norwegian "eple," and Swedish "äpple." 

The German Question, Part Eighty-Five

"The Aftermath of the Great War & The Weimar Republic"/Part Two

"The Status Of Liechtenstein "

I have not dealt much with the small principality of Liechtenstein in this series as yet. In America, the name "Liechtenstein," often mispronounced or misspelled as "Lichtenstein," is probably best known for a polka tune that was quite common here since the late 1950s, but written by a German, Will Glahe, who was born in what was then the outskirts of Wuppertal, a city in the German state of "North Rhine Westphalia" (it later became part of the city).*

Liechtenstein, which is less then 62 square miles in size, is located between Austria to the east, and Switzerland to the west. Its population (modern) is about 35,000, much of it located within the confines of its capital, Vaduz. It is German-speaking.** It was part of the Old German Empire (the "Holy Roman Empire"), and was also associated with Austria, the then leading German state ruled by the Habsburg family, whose leaders were long elected as German emperors. In fact, Liechtenstein's prince had palaces in the then German capital of Vienna. When the Old German Empire was dissolved, under pressure from Napoleon, Liechtenstein gained a certain independence, although it was dependent upon Napoleon's sponsored "Confederation of the Rhine." When Napoleon was defeated, Liechtenstein became part of the German Confederation, which was also led by the Habsburgs. When this entity was dissolved in 1866, Liechtenstein gained independence, but continued its strong connection to Austria and its successor state, "Austria-Hungary." World War One brought hardship for the little neutral principality, as its association with Austria-Hungary (one of the "Central Powers) and its German-speaking population made the Allies view Liechtenstein as an enemy nation, regardless of its protests of neutrality. Economic restrictions by the Allies brought a serious shortage of all sorts of products, including food. Even before the war ended, Liechtenstein tried to break its ties to Austria, and move into a closer relationship with Switzerland, which it succeeded in doing. Since that time, Liechtenstein has remained a separate nation, although there has been a small German unity movement there ever since, which became more active during the time of Nazi rule in Germany. So this answers a part of "The German Question," as Liechtenstein is out as a part of Germany, although it remains German in language and custom.

* The "Liechtensteiner Polka" was a catchy tune and though the lyrics were in German, the song was found on many an album containing polkas, was heavily played on radio, and it was commonly played by Lawrence Welk on his long running television show. "Das ist die Liechtensteiner Polka mein Schatz, Polka mein Schatz, Polka mein Schatz..." I didn't end that line with a period, because that would be a......."polka dot." (Hey, no rolling on the floor laughing!)

** As is common in the German-speaking parts of Europe, besides standard German, Liechtensteiners speak a German dialect going back to one of the old Germanic tribes, the Alemanni. It is the same "general" dialect spoken in the German areas of Switzerland, Alsace, extreme western Austria, Swabia, which is the region around Stuttgart, and other areas of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. I use "general" dialect, because there are variations (sometimes substantially so) even within the German dialects, often even from town to town. Remember, these are dialects, not standard, and without standard "rules of grammar and pronunciation," each area is on its own. Regional pride and tradition, along with little societal pressure to change, keeps these dialects alive, although in certain areas in the north, but not all, where Low German provides the common denominator in the dialects, standard German has diminished the number of dialect speakers substantially during the last several decades.

WORD HISTORY:
Sack-(This is to complete the compound "haversack," from the previous article.) This word goes back to the Middle East and the Semitic languages and the root "sqq" (not a typo), which gave Hebrew and Egyptian "saq," with the meaning "sackcloth, sack made from cloth." This was borrowed by Greek (an Indo European language related to English further down the family tree) as "sakkos," which was then borrowed by Latin as "saccus." (Latin is also an Indo European language.) Old Germanic borrowed the word from Latin as "sakkiz," which then gave Old English "sacc," for "sack," and "saecc," meaning "sackcloth." "Sacc" later became "sak," and then eventually the modern spelling. The word is widespread in the other Germanic languages: Old High German had "sac," and modern German, like English, has "Sack," as does Low German; Dutch has "zak" (but it means both bag and pocket), Norwegian has "sekk," Swedish has "säck," Danish has "saek." I could not find a related word in Icelandic. The verb form, with meanings "to pillage" and "to dismiss from employment," was borrowed from French "sac," which was derived from Latin "saccare," which meant "to put pillaged items into a sack to be carried off." It then has the same roots as the English noun. The "discharged/dismissed" meaning seems to come from the notion of a discharged employee leaving the premises carrying his belongings and tools in a sack, and perhaps, at least originally, that "sack" was often provided by the employer, as the term developed as "give someone the sack." The verb form was borrowed into English in the 1500s.