On the way driving south to the Black Forest, we stopped for a couple of days at some friends house near Stuttgart, There I had my first “Maultaschen”.
Maultaschen instantly reminded me of an oversized Ravioli. Maybe there was an Italian influence? What I found out surprised me
There are different legends about the origin of the Maultaschen. One legend says the Cistercian monks of the Maulbronn Monastery, where the name Maultasche originates, wanted to hide the forbidden meat from God during Lent, which popularly led to the nickname “Herrgottsbscheißerle” (cheating on God)
A slightly modified legend said, it was Protestants who secretly added meat to the dumplings, which was originally only filled with herbs and spinach. The tradition in Swabian families goes well with the fact that “dumplings in the broth” is the typical dish on the Thursday before Good Friday or “Karfreitag”. The already made dumplings are also available the next day on Good Friday, in other possible ways of preparation. Toppings could be cheese, bacon and/or fried onions.
It is generally believed that the dumplings are a Swabian copy of the well-known Italian pasta, such as Ravioli. There are numerous areas in the Maulbronn area, where Waldensians, which is a group of Protestant religious refugees, arrived from northern Italy.
The Waldensians also introduced the mulberry tree, alfalfa, and tobacco cultivation, in addition to the potato in 1710 to southern Germany. This could make “Maultaschen” of Italian origin. The spinach filling also points to the Italian origin.
Regardless of the origin, these Maultaschen dumplings used to be considered a poor people’s dish, because meat, bread and vegetable leftovers could be processed in the filling, and thus offered a next day’s meal.
Maultaschen
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 to 3 tbsp cup of water
- 3 Bratwursts (fine)
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ leek
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp bread crumbs
- Dash of salt and pepper
- Chicken broth or cube
Instructions
- Dough:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl: flour, oil egg and salt.
- Stir by hand or mixer.
- Let the dough rest.
- Filling:
- Mince the onions and garlic and fry till golden in a pan with oil or butter. Let it cool.
- Cut the leek, parsley and combine it with the egg, bratwurst and breadcrumbs.
- Boil a pot of water with some broth or vegetable/beef cube, add some salt.
- Roll out the dough (thin) about 30 inches long. Place the filling in the middle.
- Brush the exposed edges with an egg wash.
- Take both sides of the dough and wrap to close the filling.
- Make an indentation with the handle of a wooden spoon every 2 inches, then cut the along the indentation with a pizza cutter.
- Turn down the boiling water/broth to simmer and place in the Maultaschen inside.
- Let simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Remove with soup spoon, serve with some broth and fried onions on top
Notes
Toppings are usually fried onions, but also could be cheese or bacon
