Swabian cuisine is native to

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

, a region in southwestern Germany comprising great parts of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

and the Bavarian part of Swabia. Swabian cuisine has a reputation for being rustic, but rich and hearty. Fresh egg pastas (e.g., Spätzle noodles or Maultaschen dumpling wrappers), soups, and sausages are among Swabia's best-known types of dishes, and Swabian cuisine tends to require broths or sauces; dishes are rarely "dry".

History

As soils were meagre and stony, conditions for raising cattle were poor. Meat, therefore, was something of a luxury for most, and was mainly consumed by the

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

and

landowners In common law systems, land tenure, from the French verb "" means "to hold", is the legal regime in which land "owned" by an individual is possessed by someone else who is said to "hold" the land, based on an agreement between both individuals ...

, while the

common people A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neithe ...

often had to be content with

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...

where meat was concerned. Regional influences on Swabian cookery abound. Old-Wurttemberg was

pietistic Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life. Although the movement is aligned with Luth ...

, and the cuisine is therefore rather simple, as nutrition was prized above flavour, in keeping with Christian asceticism. In the Roman Catholic parts of Swabia, mainly influenced by Austria, the cuisine is more elaborate and features more opulent flour dishes. In the Plains of

Hohenlohe The House of Hohenlohe () is a German princely dynasty. It formerly ruled an immediate territory within the Holy Roman Empire, which was divided between several branches. In 1806, the area of Hohenlohe was 1,760 km² and its estimated pop ...

fish, especially

carp The term carp (: carp) is a generic common name for numerous species of freshwater fish from the family (biology), family Cyprinidae, a very large clade of ray-finned fish mostly native to Eurasia. While carp are prized game fish, quarries and a ...

, is a local favourite. The cuisines of the former Empire cities

Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and ...

and Biberach are very diverse, with apparent Italian and French influence. The potato was introduced in the mid-17th century, soon gaining popularity and integrated into the local cuisine. Many new recipes were developed, such as

Schupfnudel Schupfnudel (German; : ''Schupfnudeln''), also called Fingernudel (''finger noodle''), is a type of dumpling or thick noodle in southern German and Austrian cuisine. It is similar to the Central European kopytka and Italian gnocchi. They take ...

potato salad Potato salad is a salad dish made from boiled potatoes, usually containing a dressing and a variety of other ingredients such as boiled eggs and raw vegetables. It is usually served as a side dish. History and varieties Potato salad is foun ...

and

home fries Home fries (US, Canada), gommer fries (Western Canada), house fries (US), American fries (US), fried potatoes (UK, Canada and regional US), Bratkartoffeln (German), or bistro potatoes (southeastern US) are a type of basic potato dish made by pa ...

. The popular idea of traditional Swabian cuisine remains based on the stereotype of simple, hearty and uncomplicated "

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

food".

Noodles and dumplings

Among Swabia's best-known dishes are

Maultaschen (; singular ''Maultasche'' , ) are a kind of large meat-filled dumpling in Swabian cuisine. They consist of sheets of pasta dough filled with Ground meat, minced meat, smoked meat, spinach, bread crumbs and onions and flavored with various her ...

(meat and spinach-filled dumplings either fried or served in broth) and

Spätzle Spätzle (), Spätzla or Spatzen, called ''nokedli'' () in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg pasta typically served as a side for meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated with Swabia (hence Swabian spaetzle) and Alsace, it is als ...

(fresh egg noodles). Fresh

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

products in a wide range of variations may comprise main dishes or may be served as side dishes.

Maultaschen

are dumplings filled with ground or minced meat, onion, spinach and soaked stale bread. Their nickname is ''Herrgottsbscheißerle,'' which means ''little God-cheaters'', because as legend says they were first prepared by monks who wanted to evade the Lenten meat prohibition, and the monks supposedly thought that God could not see the meat inside the pasta. Maultaschen may be served in a hearty beef broth, or fried. Although they are eaten throughout the year, it is traditional to eat them on

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

Spätzle and Knöpfle

Another very famous specialty is

spätzle Spätzle (), Spätzla or Spatzen, called ''nokedli'' () in Hungarian, are a type of Central European egg pasta typically served as a side for meat dishes with sauce. Commonly associated with Swabia (hence Swabian spaetzle) and Alsace, it is als ...

, which is to the Swabians a universal

side dish A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.Kässpätzle'', which is spätzle that are cooked in salted water and then layered into a casserole with different kinds of cheese (commonly

Emmentaler Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the Emme Valley in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type cheese. History Emmental cheese originates from the Emme Valley in Switzerland. It has a ...

and Gruyère, or

Weißlacker ''Weisslacker'' (or ''Weißlacker'', ; , due to the rind color), also known as ''bierkäse'' and beer cheese, is a type of cow's milk cheese that originated in Germany, but is now known worldwide. Also produced in the United States, mostly in Wis ...

) and roasted onions. The kind of cheese used depends on the region in which it is being prepared. As with many noodle products in Central Europe, spätzle can also be featured in sweet dishes combined with sugar,

apple sauce Apple sauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and can be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and some parts of ...

or other

fruit preserve Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes Acid#In food, acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or Spread (food), spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globall ...

s, but they are more commonly seen in savoury dishes. Linsen Spaetzle 20060212

Also originally Swabian is Linsen mit Spätzle, a dish featuring lentils cooked in a vinegar broth and served over spätzle. They are often served with

Vienna sausage Vienna sausage (; Viennese/Austrian German: or ; Swiss German: ; Swabian: or ) is a thin parboiled sausage traditionally made of pork and beef in a casing of sheep's intestine, then given a low-temperature smoking. The word is German fo ...

s or smoked

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

. Spätzle is prepared by scraping the fresh pasta down in thin bands from the "Spätzlesbrett" (a simple wooden board), but nowadays there are special "Spätzlepresse"s available, (which are similar to

potato ricer A potato ricer (also called a ricer) is a List of food preparation utensils, kitchen implement used to process potatoes or other food by forcing it through a sheet of small holes, which are typically about the diameter of a grain of rice. This for ...

s). Shorter Spätzle and the thick, round ''Knöpfle'' are prepared with a ''Spätzlehobel'', which is a board with little holes through which the dough is pushed, directly into the boiling water. Spätzle and Knöpfle can be served directly after cooking but usually they are briefly tossed in liquid butter before serving. The dough contains wheat flour, egg and water although occasionally ingredients, such as spinach or tomato puree, are used for colouring.

Schupfnudeln

Also called ''Buabaspitzla'',

n are another particularity of the cuisine of Upper Swabia and the

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard ) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flo ...

. They are made of a dough which contains equal parts of

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

and

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

and their shape is oblong with tapered ends. They are cooking by boiling in salted water, but may also be combined with saurkraut and bacon, and pan-fried. This is called "Krautschupfnudeln" (lit., "cabbage schupfnudeln") and are eaten during

carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

, and on the

Kermesse festival Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, is an outdoor fair or festival usually organized for charitable purposes. The term was derived from 'kerk' ( church) and 'mis' (mass) in the original Dutch language term, and was borrowed in English, French, S ...

. They may also be served with sweet accompaniments, either pan-fried or boiled: they are commonly eaten with melted butter, cinnamon sugar,

Pancakes

Pancakes are also called ''

Flädle Flädle is a southern German garnish and soup ingredient from the region of Baden-Württemberg consisting of savory pancakes, cut into ribbons.

'' and are usually very thin and fried in oil. They may be eaten as a whole with savory or sweet accompaniments, or cut in stripes and added to soups. Kaiserschmarrn

Another type of pancake is the ''Kratzete''. They are not only eaten as a sweet dish but may also be eaten as an accompaniment to asparagus.

Soups and stews

Soups and stews are essential parts of Swabian food culture. The fact that soups and stews are loved by Swabians lead to the nickname ''Subbaschwôb'' which means "Soup Swabian". In

fine dining Fine dining is a restaurant experience that is typically more sophisticated, special, and expensive than at a typical restaurant. The décor of such restaurants features higher-quality materials, with establishments having certain rules of din ...

, they are usually served as an appetizer, but in home cooking they are usually a main dish, served with bread.

Gaisburger Marsch

One of the most popular Swabian stews is

Gaisburger Marsch Gaisburger Marsch (German for "march of Gaisburg") is a traditional Swabian beef stewPeter Lesniczak: ''Alte Landschaftsküchen im Sog der Modernisierung. Studien zu einer Ernährungsgeographie Deutschlands zwischen 1860 und 1930, Teil 4''. F ...

, a nourishing stew with diced ox meat, cooked potatoes and Spätzle. The certain something is the garnish consisting of fried onions topping the soup. Legend says that the stew was first served to hungry soldiers in Gaisburg in the 19th century and became so popular that soldiers stationed more distantly marched all the way to Gaisburg to enjoy it. Thus, the name "Gaisburger Marsch" means "March to Gaisburg".

Flädle soup

Thin

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

s are cut into slices and are added to a clear broth. As they absorb the broth very quickly, they are added just before serving.

Meat and fish specialities

Although not much meat was historically used in the kitchen, there are still some regional specialties with meat; for instance, roast lamb with spätzle. Many recipes use tripe, which was inexpensive and therefore affordable for the common and poorer people. Very well known (although not universally loved) are Saure Kutteln,

cut into slices, steamed with

roux Roux () is a mixture of flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces. Roux is typically made from equal parts of flour and fat by weight. The flour is added to the melted fat or Cooking oil, oil on the stove top, blended until smoo ...

and then soured with

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

. Other famous dishes using tripe are "Saure Nieren" (lit. sour kidneys) and "Saure Leber" (sour liver), both prepared by cutting the

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the internal organ (anatomy), organs of a butchered animal. Offal may also refer to the by-products of Milling (grinding), milled grains, such as corn or wheat. Some cultures strong ...

in slices, pan-frying, and serving with a sauce, alongside spätzle or home fries, and a green salad. The Swabian

Wurstsalat Wurstsalat (, literally ''sausage salad'') is a tart sausage salad prepared with distilled white vinegar, Cooking oil, oil and onions. A variation of the recipe adds strips of pickled Pickled cucumber, gherkin. It is generally made from boiled sa ...

is an assortment of sausages that are sliced, mixed together with onion, pickles and chives, and dressed with oil and vinegar, and eaten with bread. Fish dishes are often made with

Bodenseefelchen ''Coregonus'' is a diverse genus of fish in the salmon family (Salmonidae). The ''Coregonus'' species are known as whitefishes. The genus contains at least 68 described extant taxa, but the true number of species is a matter of debate. The type ...

(freshwater fish in the salmon family), which are caught in the

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

. They are often pan-fried in butter, but can also be served steamed or smoked.

Miscellaneous dishes

Filderkraut is a special variety of pointed cabbage grown on the

Filder The Filder (; plural) – also Filder Plain () – is a natural region (major unit no. 106) of the Swabian Keuper-Lias Land within the South German Scarplands. They form a gently rolling, fertile plateau in the German state of Baden-Württemberg ...

, a plain near

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, and used to make

sauerkraut Sauerkraut (; , ) is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugar ...

and salads. The Swabian potato salad is also very famous in Germany and even in other countries. In contrast to the

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

-dressed potato salad in Northern Germany, it is lighter and contains less fat. Waxy potatoes are cooked and peeled when they are still hot. Then they are sliced and mixed with diced onions before pouring warm broth, vinegar and oil in succession over the potatoes and onions. Optionally, it can be garnished with chives or diced pickles, or spiced with mustard. The salad should rest for a few hours or even overnight before serving and can then be enjoyed as accompaniment for different dishes or solely with bread.

Brenntar Brenntar staple food A staple food, food staple, or simply staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for an individual or a population group, supplying a large fraction of energy needs an ...

stuff, particularly prominent in the

Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura ( , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. It is part of th ...

and in the Allgäu. It is made of a specially roasted flour called ''Musmehl''.

Sweet dishes

Ofenschlupfer (lit., "oven slipper") is a kind of

bread pudding Bread pudding is a popular bread-based United Kingdom, British dessert. It is made with stale bread and milk or cream, generally containing egg (food), eggs, a form of fat such as oil, butter or suet and, depending on whether the pudding is swe ...

consisting of stale white bread spiced with sugar, vanilla, and

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

, which is layered in a casserole dish with apple, raisins, and almond biscuits, and then soaked in an egg and cream-based

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with Eggs as food, egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in con ...

before being baked in the oven. Kirschenplotzer comprises stale white buns, worked into a dough with butter, egg, milk, and sugar, into which cherries are folded before the casserole is baked, and then served hot. Pfitzauf is also a dish prepared in the oven. This is a kind of

soufflé A soufflé () is a baked egg dish originating in France in the early 18th century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word ''soufflé'' is the past participle of the Fr ...

prepared in special Pfitzauf moulds and commonly served with applesauce or vanilla sauce, although there are also savory recipe variations with cheese or bacon.

Nun's puffs Nun's puffs (also known less euphemism, euphemistically as nun's farts) are a dessert pastry originally from France, where they were known as . They are now also produced in French Canada, the United States, England, and Spain. Description The ...

are small round doughnuts made of a yeast dough or

choux pastry Choux pastry, or (), is a delicate pastry dough used in many pastries. The essential ingredients are butter, water, flour and eggs. Instead of a raising agent, choux pastry employs its high moisture content to create steam, as the water in ...

, and fried. They are traditionally eaten during

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

and may be served as a main dish or a dessert served with icing sugar, cherries, or vanilla sauce.

Beignet Beignet ( , also , ; ) is a type of deep-fried pastry of French origin. It is commonly made from choux pastry, pâte à choux, but can also be made using rice flour (rice beignets) or yeast-leavened batters. Beignets can be served in a variety o ...

s are also very famous, and are commonly prepared with apples and served with vanilla sauce.

Baked goods

Bread and pastries

Swabian baking culture boasts a broad range of different breads. There are many variations that are not widely distributed or known, and are only baked in a particular area or village. There are some baked goods made throughout the region, and widely available in

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...

: these include Laugengebäck, pretzels, bread rolls, and

Hefezopf Hefekranz or Hefezopf (literally "yeast wreath" and "yeast braid") are sweet breads from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and South Tyrol. The dough is made from sugar, flour, butter, eggs and yeast (sometimes with raisins or almonds). Typically ...

(lit., "yeast plaid"). The Swabian "Seele" (lit., "soul") is a

baguette A baguette (; ) is a long, thin type of bread of French origin that is commonly made from basic lean dough (the dough, not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter ...

-like white bread made from

spelt Spelt (''Triticum spelta''), also known as dinkel wheat is a species of wheat. It is a relict crop, eaten in Central Europe and northern Spain. It is high in protein and may be considered a health food. Spelt was cultivated from the Neolit ...

with its origin in Upper Swabia. It is prepared from a very high-hydration dough from spelt flour, yeast, water, and salt, and formed into an elonged loaf and sprinkled with

caraway seed Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...

and coarse salt. After baking, it is crispy on the outside and very light and fluffy on the inside. It also stays moist inside due to the high

gluten Gluten is a structural protein naturally found in certain Cereal, cereal grains. The term ''gluten'' usually refers to the elastic network of a wheat grain's proteins, gliadin and glutenin primarily, that forms readily with the addition of water ...

content of spelt flour. Briegel is a very similar baked good that is native in East Wurttemberg, and is even moister than the Seele. It also belongs to the species of moistened breads such as Wasserwecken and Knauzen from

Wendlingen Wendlingen am Neckar (, ) is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated on the Neckar and Lauter rivers, 27 km southeast of Stuttgart. The town grew in size, officially, on 1 April 1940, ...

. Another speciality which is native to

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...

is the Dreikönigsmutschel, (lit., "Three Kings Mutschel"), a star-shaped, bland yeast pastry with eight points and a round elevation in the middle which is the circle of a braided garland. It is traditionally eaten on the Thursday after

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: Psychology * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany seaso ...

and people play dice to eat it and celebrate.

Savory cakes

The Swabian Cream Cake is a thin yeast flatbread spread with

sour cream Sour cream (sometimes known as soured cream in British English) is a dairy product obtained by fermenting regular cream with certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, which is introduced either deliberately or naturall ...

and topped with onion or leek and bacon, very similar to the

Flammkuchen Flammekueche ( Alsatian), Flammkuchen (Standard German), or tarte flambée (French), is a speciality of the region of Alsace, German-speaking Moselle, Baden and the Palatinate. It is composed of bread dough rolled out very thinly in the shape of ...

from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

. The topping may vary and some add egg or caraway seed. In the

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...

area, a variation called "Peterlingkuchen" (parsley cake) is popular and as the name suggests, this flat bread is topped with

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum''), is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalisation (biology), naturalized in Eur ...

. The name also differs depending on the locale, with variations being ''Dennetle'', ''Dinnette'', ''Blooz'', and ''Bätscher''. Also well-known is the Swabian

Zwiebelkuchen (, ) is a savory German onion cake made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on either a yeast or leavened dough. It is not to be confused with Flammkuchen, a similar dish that is dryer. History Most of Zwiebelkuchen's ...

, which is very similar to the French

quiche Lorraine Quiche Lorraine is a savoury French tart with a filling of cream, eggs, and bacon or ham, in an open pastry case. It was little known outside the French region of Lorraine until the mid-20th century. As its popularity spread, nationally and inter ...

. It is usually eaten in late summer and autumn with

Federweisser Federweisser (also Federweißer) is an alcoholic beverage commonly made in continental Europe. It is the product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice, known as must. The term ''Federweisser'' in principle includes all stages of fermentat ...

apple cider Apple cider (also called sweet cider, soft cider, or simply cider) is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in North ...

Sweet cakes

There are a variety of cakes prepared in Swabian homes, since the German tradition of Sunday afternoon ''Kaffee und Kuchen'' is widely practiced by Swabians. Also very popular is the Swabian ''Träubleskuchen'', a cake with a

shortcrust pastry Shortcrust is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche, pie, or (in the British English sense) flan. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken pie. ...

base and a filling of

redcurrant The redcurrant or red currant (''Ribes rubrum'') is a member of the genus ''Ribes'' in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions. Description ''Ribes ...

and beaten egg whites.

Literature

*''Schwaben, Kulinarische Streifzüge'', H-D. Reichert, D. Wägerle, H-J. Döbbelin, Sigloch-Verlag, Blaufelden, 2005, *''Schwäbische Küche'', G. Poggenpohl, Verlag EDITION XXL, Fränkisch-Crumbach, 2003, *''Schwäbisch kochen'', Karola Wiedemann, Martina Kiel, Gräfe und Unzer Verlag, München, 2010, *''Die schwäbische Küche – Regionale Spezialitäten'', Matthias F. Mangold, Kosmos Verlags-GmbH, Stuttgart, 2011,

References

External links

„Schmeck den Süden“ – Spezialitäten aus Baden-Württemberg
{{Regional cuisine of Germany

Cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...