Spätzle

Spätzle

Home made knöpfle type spätzle
Place of origin	Germany and Austria
Main ingredients	egg noodle

Spätzle [ˈʃpɛtslə] (Swabian diminutive plural of Spatz, thus literally "little sparrows", also Spätzli or Chnöpfli in Switzerland or Knöpfle or Hungarian Nokedli, Csipetke or Galuska) are a kind of soft egg noodle found in the cuisines of southern Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Alsace, Moselle and South Tyrol.

The linguistic origin of Spätzle is debated.

Before the invention and use of mechanical devices to make these noodles, they were shaped by hand or with a spoon and the results resembled Spatzen (plural of Spatz, meaning sparrows, sparrow is Spatz or Sperling in German; Spätzle is the diminutive of Spatz, unchanged in plural).

Knöpfle means "small buttons" and describes the compact form of this spätzle variety.

The geographic origin of spätzle is not precisely known; various regions claim to be the originators of this noodle. Written mention of „Knöpflein“ und „Spazen“ als „alles was aus Mehl zubereitet wird“ has been found in documents dating from 1725 by Lentilus a counselor and personal physician of Württemberg, although medieval illustrations are believed to place this noodle at an even earlier date.

Today in Germany, spätzle are largely considered a "Swabian speciality" and are generally associated with the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In France they are associated with Alsace and Moselle. The total estimated annual commercial production of spätzle in Germany is approximately 40,000 tons. Pre-made spätzle are also available internationally from companies such as Maggi, a division of Nestlé.