PinLiechtenstein Mac And Cheese Image Used Under Creative Commons License from roastedmontreal.com
Citizens! Trust me on this one, I know whereof I speak.
The Principality of Liechtenstein is one of the smallest countries in the world — only 62 square miles — yet this tiny postage-stamp of a country has managed to produce one of the world’s tastiest dishes. It’s also one of only two countries on Earth that are doubly landlocked, meaning every single one of its neighbors is itself landlocked too (the other is Uzbekistan) — Liechtenstein sits wedged between Switzerland and Austria, ruled by the House of Liechtenstein since 1719, and it has quietly built one of the highest per-capita GDPs on the planet on the back of finance and precision manufacturing, all while remaining smaller than most American counties.
Liechtensteiner cuisine is the cuisine of Liechtenstein. The cuisine is diverse and has been influenced by the cuisine of nearby countries, particularly Switzerland and Austria, and is also influenced by Central European cuisine. Cheeses and soups are integral parts of Liechtensteiner cuisine. Milk products are also commonplace in the country’s cuisine, due to an expansive dairy industry. Common vegetables include greens, potatoes and cabbage. Widely consumed meats include beef, chicken and pork. The consumption of three meals a day is commonplace, and meals are often formal.
Liechtensteiner Käsknöpfle is basically mac and cheese that has evolved to a higher plane of existence, and it’s genuinely considered the national dish of the principality. Its roots trace back to Käsespätzle, a cheese-and-noodle dish that emerged in the Swabian region of southwestern Germany in the 1700s — the first written record of spätzle itself dates to 1725, though medieval illustrations suggest the noodle predates that by centuries. As spelt flour was cheap and plentiful in the poor, small-farming communities of the Swabian-Alemannic region, spätzle started life as humble peasant food before working its way, over generations, into feast-day fare and eventually a full-blown regional specialty. When the dish crossed into the Alpine communities of Austria’s Vorarlberg and neighboring Liechtenstein, it picked up its local name — Käsknöpfle, “little cheese buttons” — along with its own distinguishing touch: unsweetened applesauce served alongside, a pairing that’s virtually unheard of anywhere else spätzle is served.
The “mac” are actually spaetzle — which offers a more toothsome bite than pasta — while the cheese is actually a mix of 3 different varieties, each selected for superior flavor and/or meltability. Lastly, add in some caramelized onion for additional goodness and optional apple sauce to heighten the sweetness of each bite.
I wax rhapsodic about this dish — and rightfully so. It is not known outside of Liechtenstein, a true tragedy that I intend to dictatorially fix with this post.
I personally found the following recipe from the exceptional food blog of Global Table Adventure to be the most canonical — the site they’ve put together is one of my favorites, expect to see other recipes from there cropping up in the future. I especially approve of their selection of cheeses — they are truly the right choices for this dish.
Citizens, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do — it deserves your attention and your respect, and once you’ve tasted proper Käsknöpfle with the applesauce alongside, you’ll understand exactly why an entire tiny nation built its culinary identity around it.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and flour. Pretend it’s a flurry of snow. Eventually a thick, somewhat pasty batter will form. In this case, pasty is a good thing. It’ll make the noodles perfect in texture. Set it aside for about 30 minutes to rest and let the bumps even out.
Meanwhile, cut and caramelize the two onions. I stopped when they were deep golden, but in Liechtenstein they sometimes fry them until crispy… it’s up to you!
Now, shred up the cheeses.
Next, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add plenty of salt to the water and reduce to a simmer, then begin the process of making the Käsknöpfle.
In the past I pushed the batter through the holes of a colander (please don’t laugh at my early photography… much). They also sell special spaetzel boards – you can use one of those, too or push it through the dull side of a flat cheese grater with the back of a ladle. This last method worked very well.
Once the pasta is cooked (it should only take a couple of minutes – they’ll float when ready), add it to the pan of caramelized onion with all the cheeses. You can cook and scoop (and cook and scoop some more), in batches, until the batter is all gone.
Serve at once…and be sure to do it up right, with plenty of homemade apple sauce, as they do in Liechtenstein.
Prep Time:0 hours
Cook Time:0 hours
Nutrition
Calories:624.06 kcal
Sugar:6.44 g
Sodium:686.19 mg
Fat:21.05 g
Saturated Fat:11.34 g
Trans Fat:0.25 g
Carbohydrates:81.74 g
Fiber:3.78 g
Protein:25.24 g
Cholesterol:209.94 mg
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