Schwäbische Maultaschen   

„Herrgottsbscheisserle", Schwäbische Suppenmaultaschen

Schwäbische Maultaschen are dough pockets with a filling made from minced meat or vegetables. A particular feature is the use of spinach in the filling. They are rectangular or strudel shaped and are blanched or fried before being eaten. The weight of each individual pocket varies between 40 and 150 g. Maultaschen for soup are smaller and weight between 10 and 40 g.

Maultaschen are first eaten with a little broth as part of a lunch menu with several courses. They are then eaten fried for the second course. The next day, any leftovers are fried with a little egg and served with colourful salads. Straight from the hand, whether lukewarm or cold, Maultaschen can now be purchased in Berlin, Vienna, New York and Tokyo. They are regarded as “Swabian fast food” and are popular on the other side of the Trollinger line too.

Predominantly in the Swabian region. However, they are also well known and eaten throughout Germany as a Swabian speciality.

There are numerous legends and stories concerning the origins of the Maultasche in Swabia. What is known about the origins of the Maultasche is based above all on information passed on by mouth and which has only recently been set in writing. The first mention of its origins dates back to 1831. At this time, the royal Württemberg prelate Johannes Christoph von Schmid described the Maultaschen as “filled noodles from Swabia”. A similar description was also seen in 1885 in the standard work by the Brothers Grimm in which it was additionally described as “mainly filled with spinach” in the Swabian dictionary. According to what is probably the most popular legend regarding its origins, the Maultasche was invented by the Cistercian monks of the Maulbronn monastery. The story goes that the Cistercian monks obtained a large piece of meat for the fasting period during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. In order to give the impression that the meal was meat-free, the meat was said to have been finely minced and mixed with herbs and spinach. To provide better camouflage, the mixture was subsequently hidden in dough which was divided into small portions. The name Maultasche was therefore said to have been originally derived from the term “Maulbronner Nudeltaschen”. It was later also termed “Herrgottsb`scheißerle”. The Swabian Maultaschen, just like ravioli or pizzas which are so popular nowadays, were originally regarded as “poor man’s food” because all of the leftovers from previous days such as boiled meat, stale bread or old vegetables could be reused together in a wonderful way in this dish – without the family noticing. Maultaschen have since long been regarded as socially acceptable. A number of sophisticated varieties are also possible – filled with quail meat, veal sweetbreads or morels. As usual, there is nothing which could not be used to fill these pockets. A bit like the motto “the best things come in small packages”.

(Serves 4): 400 g flour, 4 eggs, 1/4 tsp salt, 50 g streaky bacon, 2 onions, cut into cubes, 1 garlic clove, cut into cubes, 150 g frozen spinach, 350 g coarse sausage meat, 2 tbsps breadcrumbs, 2 tbsps chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1 tsp freshly milled black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg white, 2 l strong meat stock.

Make a soft noodle dough with the flour, eggs and salt. Cover it and allow it to stand in a bowl for 30 minutes. Cut the bacon into cubes and heat it so the fat melts. Add the onions and garlic and fry them until they are clear. Add the frozen spinach and cook it until there is no more liquid remaining. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and mix in the sausage meat, breadcrumbs and parsley. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roll out the dough in two portions to a thickness of 3 mm on a thinly floured kitchen towel. On one of the pieces of dough, mark out squares of roughly 8 cm and place a tablespoon of filling in the centre of each of these squares. Brush the areas between the filling with egg white. Place the second piece of dough over the first and press it down in the areas between the filling. Cut out the squares. Bring the meat stock to the boil in a large pot, add the Maultaschen and cook them for about 10 minutes in lightly boiling water. For the garnish, heat some butter and fry onion rings until they are brown. Remove the Maultaschen from the pot using a slotted spoon, place them on a warm plate and pour a little stock over them. Finally, spread the onion rings over the Maultaschen and serve immediately.

Swabian Maultaschen are made in private homes, many butcher’s shops and in medium-sized companies within the food industry.

Large quantities, because they are produced commercially and privately all year round.

An application has been made for EU-wide protection for the “Schwäbische Maultaschen” as a protected geographical indication (PGI). In the future, Maultaschen which bear the designation “Schwäbische Maultaschen” may only come from the Bavarian governmental district of Swabia or the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.