Maultasche
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maultaschen (lit. muzzle bags) are a Swabian (Baden-Württemberg) specialty food, consisting of an outer layer of pasta dough with a filling traditionally made of minced meat, spinach, bread crumbs and onions and flavored with parsley. They are similar to Italian ravioli, but larger, each Maultasche being about 8-12cm across. A usual serving size is two to four Maultaschen per person.
Maultaschen are rumored to have been invented by monks of the Maulbronn monastery to conceal the fact that they were eating meat during lent. This is reflected in the semi-humorous alternative Swabian name "Herrgottsbscheißerle" (roughly: little ones who cheat the Lord).
Maultaschen are traditionally eaten either "geschmälzt" (cut into thin slices, then fried with onions and eggs) or "in der Brühe" (simmered in vegetable broth).
Today, Maultaschen are offered with a wide variety of fillings, ranging from traditional over salmon to vegetarian versions filled, for instance, with mushrooms and other vegetables.
In general it can be said that traditional, home-made Maultaschen often contain much more parsley then the ready-made ones, which contain more spinach and very little parsley.
