(; singular ''Maultasche'' , ) are a kind of large meat-filled

dumpling Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...

in Swabian cuisine. They consist of sheets of

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

dough filled with minced meat, smoked meat,

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

, bread crumbs and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s and flavored with various herbs and spices (such as

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

, parsley and nutmeg). are typically across. They are square or rectangular in shape. On 22 October 2009, the European Union recognized (' or ') as a 'Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)' and remarked that the dish is significant to the cultural heritage of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

. This measure provides protection to the integrity of the dish, mandating that genuine are only produced in Swabia, a historical region that was incorporated into the modern German states of Baden-Württemberg and

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

History

In Swabia, are the traditional dish associated with the

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

en commemoration of

Maundy Thursday Maundy Thursday, also referred to as Holy Thursday, or Thursday of the Lord's Supper, among other names,The day is also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries. is ...

and

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 ...

. During Lent, Catholics and other Christians are encouraged to refrain from eating meat. However, are humorously associated with these days because the meat in the dish is concealed under the pasta dough and cannot be seen by God. Among the anecdotal stories regarding the origin of the dish, one claims that were created by the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s of

Maulbronn Abbey Maulbronn Monastery () is a former Cistercian abbey and Prince-bishopric, ecclesiastical state in the Holy Roman Empire located at Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg. The monastery complex, one of the best-preserved in Europe, was named a UNESCO World ...

for that purpose. A Swabian German nickname for the dish, ', means "God-cheaters". One of the earliest mentions of the name is associated with several recipes in a 1794 cookbook—however, these are recipes for sweet preparations, and not a savory meat-filled entree.Allgemeine Küchenlexicon für Frauenzimmer. II. Th. Leipzig 1794. Col. 124–125 The name is a compound word and could derive from three possible meanings: The first being that ' comes from the combination of the noun ' referring to the mouth of an animal and ', which means "pocket" or "bag." Thus, literally would mean " feedbag"—as in a bag used for feeding livestock—and probably derives this name from its appearance. In Swiss dialects "Mul" or "Mu" also just means "mouth" (despite its meaning of "mouth of an animal" in the standard language.) the same could be the case in Swabia, since they also speak an Alemannic dialect, just as the Swiss do. The second meaning could be that from an archaic word — either ' or '—for a "slap in the face." If this were its origins, the name could be a comparison between a swollen cheek after being slapped with the shape and appearance of the dish. The third explanation might be just a reference to

and be short for '.

Preparation

are traditionally prepared in two ways, either: * ' (simmered in

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

and served like a soup), * ' (dressed with

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

and

s). Some recipes for use

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 ...

for the meat filling.

References

Literature

* {{Dumplings German products with protected designation of origin Pasta dishes Dumplings Swabian cuisine Stuffed dishes Ground meat

History

Preparation

See also

References

Literature