Kartoffelklöße, Kartoffelklösse () or Erdäpfelknödel are a type of potato dumpling. They often contain a

crouton A crouton () is a piece of toasted or fried bread, normally cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor to salads—notably the Caesar salad— as an accompaniment to soups and stews, or eaten as a snack food. Etymology T ...

, ham, or

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 ...

filling. The dumplings are known throughout Germany, Switzerland, and Austria but are most common in

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 ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

, and the

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

. In

similar dumplings are called reiberknödel (from "to grate"), in

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 ...

gleeß and gneedl, in

Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...

gniedla or klueß and in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

erdäpfelknödel. The dish is also known in other northern and eastern European countries by various names.

History

According to the Register of Traditional Foodstuffs of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism,

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 ...

dumplings have been known in Austria for only a couple of centuries, as opposed to other types of dumpling which date back to at least 2500 BC and likely into the region's

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period. Potatoes are native to South America and were introduced to Europe during the

Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemis ...

Preparation and serving

Starchy or "floury" potatoes are peeled, boiled, mashed, mixed with flour, eggs, and seasonings, kneaded into a dough, and formed into dumplings. The dumplings are often stuffed with a

, ham, or

filling. The dumplings are simmered; some recipes call for them to be allowed to cool then fried. They are served hot as a side dish, often with a roast,

roulade A roulade () is a dish of filled rolled meat or pastry. Roulade can be savory or sweet. Swiss roll is an example of a sweet roulade. Traditionally found in various European cuisines, the term ''roulade'' originates from the French word ''roule ...

, stew, or

sauerbraten Sauerbraten () is a traditional German roast of heavily marinated meat. It is regarded as a national dish of Cuisine of Germany, Germany, and is frequently served in German-style restaurants internationally. It can be cooked from a variety of me ...

, with or without a sauce or gravy. Leftover dumplings are sometimes sliced and fried in butter or bacon fat. Many home cooks use packaged instant dumplings.

Similar dishes

Other similar dishes are

Thuringian Thuringian is an East Central German dialect group spoken in much of the modern German Free State of Thuringia north of the Rennsteig ridge, southwestern Saxony-Anhalt and adjacent territories of Hesse and Bavaria. It is close to Upper Saxon s ...

dumplings (made from a mixture of raw and boiled potatoes) and

Vogtland Vogtland (; ) is a region spanning the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and north-western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It overlaps with and is largely contained within Euroregio Egrensis. The name alludes to the former leadershi ...

dumplings (made from a mixture of raw potatoes and semolina pudding). Potato dumplings mixed with flour are also known in

Scandinavian cuisine This is a list of European cuisines. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. European cuisine refers collectively to the cuisines of Europe.raspeball (also known as , , , , , ) is a traditional Norwegian potato dumpling. A similar German dish is called . The main ingredient is peeled potatoes, which are grated or ground up and mixed with flour, usually barley or wheat, to make the balls ...

, kumle, kompe,

palt Palt is a traditional Sweden, Swedish meat-filled potato dumpling, of which there are many different variants. Palt is more common in the northern part of Sweden. Palt is traditionally served with butter and lingonberry preserves, and a glass of ...

kroppkakor Kroppkaka (plural "kroppkakor") is a traditional Swedish boiled potato dumpling, most commonly filled with onions and meat. Potatoes, wheat flour, onion, salt and minced meat/pork are common ingredients in kroppkaka. They are very similar to th ...

pitepalt Pitepalt (; see palt) is a Swedish dish related to kroppkakor or meat-filled dumplings. It is especially associated with the city of Piteå in Norrbotten County, thought to be its place of origin. Varieties This dish has many varieties. Pit ...

, and öländska kroppkakor. The

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

dish

gnocchi Gnocchi are a varied family of pasta-like dumplings in Italian cuisine. They are made of small rolls of dough, such as those composed of a simple combination of wheat flour,Buonassisi, recipe #831-833 potato,Buonassisi, recipe #854-857 egg,Buonas ...

and the Polish kopytka and pyzy are other versions of a potato-based dumpling.

History

Preparation and serving

Similar dishes

See also

References

Further reading