Knieküchle is a traditional Austrian/German fried dough pastry that is very popular in Old Bavaria,

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 ...

, Western

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and

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. It has several other names depending on the region, including ''Auszogne'' (or ''Ausgezogene''), ''Krapfen'', ''Küchl'', ''Nudel'', ''Rottnudel'' and ''Schmalznudel''. In Austria it is known as ''Bauernkrapfen'' or ''Kiachl'', and in Ladin as ''Cutla'' or ''Fanziëuta''.

Preparation

As a general rule they are made of yeast dough but some recipes vary slightly. Very common for example is the addition of

raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

s. The dough is then shaped in a way so it is very thin in the middle and thicker on the edges. They are then fried in boiling

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

and dusted with confectioner's sugar. In

and in

it is eaten with

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

marmalade Marmalade (from the Portuguese ''marmelada'') is a fruit preserves, fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It also has been made from lemons ...

lingonberry ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'' is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as the lingonberry, partridgeberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, or cowberry. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra through ...

jam 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 ...

.Knieküchle
(kirchenweb.at) In the past, the pastry was mostly eaten during the harvest and on

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

s, especially for Kermesse or Dult. In

, people also differentiate between "catholic" and "protestant" Knieküchle depending whether it is dusted with confectioner's sugar or not.

Name etymology

According to legend, the name derives from the practice of baker women from Franconia that stretched the dough over their knees very thinly so they could read

love letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

s through it.

References

External links

Knieküchle (Krapfen, Kiechla)
(frankentourismus.de) Austrian pastries Austrian cuisine Bavarian cuisine German pastries {{Germany-cuisine-stub