Spatzle ( spätzle ) or spatzen and knopfle are a type of Swabian or Alemannic pasta used as a side dish for other dishes or as a single dish (together with other ingredients). They are also present in Swiss ( spätzli or chnöpfl ), Hungarian, Slovak, Austrian and Tyrolean cuisine; in Italian, the spatzle (or toffi ) are also understood as small gnocchi or large and short spaghetti, depending on the type.
There are various types of spatzle: those cut by hand, the knopfles and the pressed ones.
Spatzle pasta is made up of a few ingredients, mainly: eggs, flour and salt. For some specialties, the pasta can be enriched with ground pork liver (Leberspätzle), spinach or finely grated cheese. The Swabian "empirical" rule envisages using one more egg than the number of guests; sometimes water is added to produce a more liquid dough, but it is necessary not to overdo it. The flour traditionally used is of a rather coarse type known as "dunstmehl", similar to the "first clear" of the United States and to the Czech "hrubá". The use of water instead becomes a necessity when it is necessary to reduce the content of eggs for health reasons. If the mixture is made in a workmanlike manner, the water and the lipids of the eggs do not require the addition of other liquids.
Traditionally, spatzles are made by scraping thin strips of dough on a special cutting board (Spätzlebrett); they are gradually dipped in salted boiling water, in which they are cooked to the surface. The dough should be sticky and soft. In cooking, the egg white tends to solidify while the yolk guarantees softness. After the spatzles emerge on the surface, they are collected with a sheet and set aside.
Since this method can be quite complicated, other devices have been invented which facilitate the process; some resemble a sort of "colander", some with a "schiacciapatate" (Spättzlepresse) and others with a "large grater" (Spätzlehobel). As in the scraped spatzle, even with the help of these tools the dough ends directly in cooking.
The linguistic origin of the word spätzle is rather controversial. Translated literally means "sparrows", or "small sparrows". Before the invention and the use of mechanical customary devices for the production of spatzle, these were modeled by hand or with the aid of a spoon, becoming irregular. It is possible that the irregular shape of this paste is the reason for the etymological root.
"Knopfle" instead, is a term that means "small buttons" and refers to the compactness of this variety of spatzle.
The geographical origin of the spatzle is not well known and there are many territories that claim the invention. The term spatzle has been found in some documents dating back to 1725 AD, although it is conceivable that spatzle are present in some medieval illustrations.
Today, in Europe, spatzles are considered a "Swabian specialty" and are associated with the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The estimated German spatzle annual total production is around 40000 tons. The packaged spatzles are available on the international trade, thanks to companies such as "Maggi", a division of "Nestlé".
Spatzle made industrially may have little affinity with those made by hand, they are more regular and more consistent to the touch. The most popular commercial spatzle are the dried ones, which are cooked in boiling water as if they were egg pasta. There are also forms of precooked spatzle available in the supermarket fridge counter.
