Knoedels -- An Illustration of Austrian Food Expertise

Dumplings, in culinary dictionary language are bits and pieces of food, which could be a combination of meat, vegetable, or both, that are wrapped inside a dough, pastry, or bread. Previously, I used to contemplate that these dumplings pertain to the Chinese cuisine such as dim sums. But when I came to Austria for a short trip, I was appalled that even Europeans have them.

Knoedel is the Austrian designation for dumpling and its variations can reach to as many as 14 or more. Of this number, two are referred to as side recipes: the Kartoffel knoedel or the potato dumpling and the Semmel knoedel or the white bread dumpling. The former is famed in Salzburg and the rest of Upper Austria while the later is widely known in the lower places, especially in Vienna. Both are regularly served alongside gravy meals like roast pork. In Relevance to the types of fillings, preferences can vary as well, from fruits to even leftover meats.

Before I went back to the States, I demanded my tour guide why Austrians are such big supporters of these dumplings. She just laughed at me at first but gave me this brilliant quip, "It's a matter of expertise with what's at hand". Come to think about it, these people aren't afraid to take on new stuff and these highly recognized knoedels are just proofs of the so-called creativity, veritably with food.