This is Stephen Block from the German Goodies Recipe Newsletter archive
German Goodies Newsletter
Nov 26, 2023
Naughty Little Dumplings
After Gaisburger Marsch in the last newsletter,
I am continuing taking a stroll through the Swabian history,
there are some other legends of classic German dishes
that are too much fun I have to explore them.
For instance this one called
called
Maultaschen
pronounced, MOW-well-TAschen
the first vowel is like Meow without the e
Sometimes referred to a German Ravioli
but I am not sure anyone of Swabian pride would
call it a ravioli.
When I first heard of this dish I thought the word Maultaschen couldn't be German
I didn't know what language it would be but it just didn't sound like something I grew up with.
The same dish however has become the most favorite German dish
with our family for 3 generations, and the most widely made in our family.
The word is a combination or Maul and Tasche
Maul can mean mouth and Tasche means bag.
So that makes sense...
Mouth bag
Not really..
I think a better explaination is the one from
Maulbronn Monastarey about 25 miles from Stuttgart.
This centuries old monastary was built in the middle of the 12th century,
when a group of monks looking for water and their mules led them
to this site.
Mules have been known to actually dig their own ground water wells even
in the plains or desert. The monks were elated to have found a good source of water,
and built a monastery from the plentiful
supply of sand and then a fountain to commemorate the mule.
So they called it Maulbronn Monastery
Maultier = Mule
Brunnen = Fountain
It was near the end of Lent when lay brother Jakob, on his way home from collecting sticks, unexpectedly came upon a nice cut of meat: A fleeing thief had dropped his sack right at Jakob's feet. Once back at the monastery, he discovered the tasty contents. It is forbidden for monks to eat meat during Lent however Jakob could not bear to waste the precious piece of meat. But how could he preserve it before it spoiled?
WELL PACKAGED
After pondering this problem for several days, the perfect idea came to him while he was preparing the Maundy Thursday meal. He chopped up the meat and mixed it into some vegetables. He was still plagued with guilt, so he hid the mixture in a small pocket of dough. That way, he was able to hide the meat from the eyes of God as well as his brothers. And so he served the hearty meal as Lenten food. This is why Maultaschen are colloquially known as "Herrgottsb’scheißerle" ("small God cheaters").
Or
Naughty little Dumplings
The result was certainly ordained a success.
So they named it Maultaschen a compound word,
Maul for Maulbronn and Tasche for bag.
On 22 October 2009, the European Union recognized Maultaschen (Schwäbische Maultaschen or Schwäbische Suppenmaultaschen) as a 'Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
and remarked that the dish is significant to the cultural heritage of Baden-Württemberg.
This measure provides protection to the integrity of the dish, mandating that genuine Maultaschen are only produced in Swabia, a historical region that was incorporated into the modern German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
I have not had time to make all these different versions of the dish,
so I will share the ones that I found that are on my
kitchen Bucket List....
Maultaschen with 3 different fillings
by Sallys Welt
I found this one interesting as it shows a lot of different fillings for the traditional Maultaschen.
Probably the 2 most popular is served in a broth.
and the other is fried with caramalized onions.
There are other styles also. Some Maultaschen looks more like a cinnamon roll with meat and spinach filling.
Be sure to put on english subtitles
The Swabisches National Dish
The secret of good Maultaschen
A recipe book and short biography of my Grandmother Emma Block. Her recipes, culture and cooking styles that were brought over from Germany. How they evolved when she came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Portland, Oregon on the west coast of the United States. Over 100 recipes
Bonus Recipe CD with the Ebook and recipes with step by step pictures
Biography of my grandma
Emma Block From Germany with Love tells the story of my grandma, Emma Block, growing up in a little town in Baden/ Würtemberg, Germany near Heidelberg named Steinsfurt. Then at the age of 15 immigrating to the United States, taking a train with one of her sisters and brothers to Hamburg and sailing the Atlantic with other hope filled Germans wanting to make a life in the "New World". It was not easy but with good values learned in her German upbringing made a full life, had a wonderful family with lots of fun and celebration including the great German meals.
Through modern technology we can enjoy music from Germany at the touch of your computer, there are many venues now, Pandora, Amazon music, and Youtube is free.
I love my noise canceling headphones that are completely wireless and give incredible sound!
This is a wonderful tool from Germany, that makes the longer Spaetzle noodles. My German friend brought one over from Germany for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karin Elliot born and raised in Germany
is a chef and wonderful friend giving me encouragement through the years here and donated her recipes for our newsletter. She also does wonderful volunteer work like providing meals for school children in need in Tuscon, Arizona.
Many German-Americans and German immigrants are interested in Native American items from books and movies to jewelry and arts and craft supplies. Karin will take care of you personally with her online store Native Rainbows
This is the newsletter you are reading now, called the German Goodies Recipe Newsletter. I have been publishing this for 20 years now and we have had a lot of fun doing it.
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If you enjoy the history I talk about in this newsletter you will also love the history of other dishes and foods I like to do in my
Food History Newsletter
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