Dishes with history

The legend of the South Tyrolean dumpling

One day, a marauding group of mercenaries came to a South Tyrolean farmhouse and their commander demanded food, or else the soldiers would set fire to their farm. The farmer’s wife was alone at home with her maidservants, but bravely she began to prepare the food. She instructed the maidservants to find all edible food in the house and bring it over. Finally, there was stale bread, onions, some eggs, streaky bacon and some flower on the table. The farmer’s wife began to chop up the bread, collected some greens from the garden and chopped them up finely. Then, she kneaded the mixture it into dough, added some salt, made it into balls and put them into boiling salt water. She served the bowl of balls to the hungry mercenaries. They liked them so much, and were so filled-up that they immediately fell asleep. “These cannonballs can knock over the toughest of men”, said their captain with amazement and he even gave the bold farmer’s wife some pieces of gold in return before they peacefully went their way. That started the triumphal progress of South Tyrolean dumplings…

How bacon was invented

Bacon is first hinted at in the commercial register of the butchers regulation of 1200 AD. But bacon is mentioned by name for the first time in the 18th century. Originally, people had to use various methods to preserve meat, such as smoking and salting. Smoking was particularly popular in colder countries where people used more heating. Mediterranean people, on the other hand, used salt to preserve their meat. The South Tyrolean people used both methods – salting and smoking – and thus created raw bacon, combining the northern method with the Mediterranean one. The South Tyrolean peasants also used plenty of fresh air. These three elements are still used to make bacon in South Tyrol today: a little salt, a little cold smoke and plenty of fresh air. In the beginning, the bacon helped the peasants to survive the hard winters. Later, however, it became a speciality that was served at special occasions and banquets. And today, no South Tyrolean afternoon snack is served without bacon.

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Recipes: South Tyrolean specialities

Coleslaw with bacon

• 1 small cabbage
• Salt, pepper, caraway
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 140 g bacon, vinegar

Quarter the cabbage, remove the stalk, cut into thin slices, and then press the cabbage with both hands to soften it. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway. Finely dice the bacon and gently fry it in the oil. Douse with vinegar and add everything to the coleslaw while still hot.

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Vinschgau bread soup

• 1 small onion
• 50 g butter
• 1 Vinschgau Paarlbrot (or 150-180 g rye bread), two days old
• 1 l meat stock
• 2 eggs
• Salt, pepper, parsley

Brown the finely chopped onion in butter, add the diced bread and fry. Add the hot meat stock, bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the two eggs. Add the finely chopped parsley.

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Bacon dumplings

• 300 g stale white bread
• 100 g smoked bacon
• 1/2 finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 l milk
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• Salt
Finely dice the bread and place in a bowl. Chop the bacon very finely and add to the bread. Brown the onion in butter. Whisk the eggs with some of the milk, stir in salt and parsley and pour over the bread. Allow to stand for half an hour. Add flour, salt, onion and if necessary more milk. Shape dumplings with wet hands and simmer gently for approx. 15 minutes in salted boiling water. Delicious served in a hearty meat soup or simply with salad.

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Sunday doughnuts

• 220 g wheat flour
• 180 g rye flour
• 1 egg yolk, 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. cream
• 30 g butter, 1 tbsp. oil
• 1/10 l milk, salt
• Jam for filling
• Fat for deep-frying
Mix all ingredients and knead thoroughly. Allow to stand for 1 hour, then cut off small portions, shape into balls and roll out into thin oval discs on a floured surface. Fill the doughnuts with jam, stick the two halves together, pressing the edges together firmly and trim the edges with a pastry wheel. Deep-fry in plenty of fat.

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Kaiserschmarrn (Shredded pancake with sugar and raisins)

• 150 g flour
• ¼ l luke warm milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 30 g sugar
• 60 g soaked raisins
• 80 g butter
Mix the milk with the sieved flour and a pinch of salt, add the egg yolk and stir until you have a smooth batter. Beat the egg whites and the sugar until very stiff and fold into the batter. Dry the raisins and add to the batter. Heat a large frying pan and pour in the batter and allow to brown briefly on one side. Then bake for a further ten minutes at a moderate heat in a preheated oven. Tear into pieces using two forks and sprinkle with icing sugar.

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Vinschger Schneemilch (Vinschgau trifle)

• 2 bread rolls
• Milk as required
• Amarettini (to taste)
• A dash of rum
• Cinnamon
• 1 handful of sultanas
• A little sugar
• 1/8 l cream
Finely dice the 2 one-day-old rolls and mix with a few crushed Amarettini. Douse the mixture with luke warm milk and add a dash of rum to taste. Allow the mixture to stand for half an hour, mix in the sugar, sultanas and a little cinnamon and gently fold in half of the whipped cream. Finally, spread the remaining whipped cream over the mixture, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and place in the fridge for half an hour.

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Apple fritters

• 3-4 juicy apples, sugar, rum to taste, lemon juice
• 125 g flour
• 1/8 l white wine
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• Fat for deep-frying
• Cinnamon, sugar
Mix the flour and white wine until you have a smooth batter, then stir in the butter, salt and egg yolks. Allow to stand in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Peel and core the apples, and cut into 1-cm thick slices. Sprinkle with sugar, add a few drops of rum and lemon juice, cover with a plate and allow to stand for half an hour.
Dry the apple slices. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Individually dip the apple slices into the batter and deep-fry in very hot fat, allow any excess fat to drip off, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and serve immediately.

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