Deggendorf, in eastern Bavaria, is famous for its dumplings. How do these fluffy lumps of bread define the town's identity? And how are they made?
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00:00A dumpling with a surprise. Dark on the outside, light on the inside. The classic Deggendorf
00:07Knudel. This entire small Bavarian town was once supposedly saved by one. Ever since,
00:14much of Deggendorf life has revolved around the dumpling.
00:19You can try one in this restaurant, for instance. So a Knudelwerferin, the dumpling thrower.
00:25We'll explain the name later. The boss here knows a thing or two about dumplings.
00:31My name's Helmut Kurz. I'm the innkeeper of ZU Knudelwerferin. We like to make dumplings
00:37because they're very versatile. They go well with almost anything. You can also hide things
00:42in them.
00:44A dumpling as a hiding place? Tell us more.
00:49To make these classic Bavarian Semmelknudel, dumplings made from bread rolls, you'll need
00:54chopped up black and white bread rolls, red onions, eggs, white onions, milk, parsley
01:01and some butter, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
01:05Our special Deggendorf dumpling is made with two doughs. A regular bread dumpling dough
01:10for the core, wrapped in a black bread dumpling dough.
01:17First, we sauté the onions in the melted butter until they're translucent.
01:24Then we add the parsley to really bring out the flavor.
01:31Add that mixture to the chopped bread rolls. Best when they're a day old.
01:41Dumplings were originally a way to use up leftovers. That's really why they were invented.
01:48First though, the milk has to be brought to a boil, then poured over the crumbled bread
01:52rolls.
01:56Season with pepper, salt and nutmeg. Let the mixture cool a bit and only then add the egg.
02:07Now for the main act, kneading the dough. It's important to have clean hands, of course,
02:15and just really scrunch it all together.
02:23Now, form it into small balls. These need to go into the freezer for about 10 minutes
02:33so they can firm up slightly.
02:37Time for the black bread dough, also made with bread from the day before. The second
02:42dough is prepared the same way. Fried onions and parsley are mixed with bread, milk and
02:47eggs.
02:55The dough's just right when it's a bit firmer than the bread-dumpling mixture. Next we can
03:01get to the part where we hide the core.
03:06You need to try and smooth the surface a bit, otherwise it cracks. It's not easy, that's
03:11why it's important that the dumpling's nice and cold, so it stays firm.
03:16So now, presto! Roll it nicely, so there are no cracks, because if water gets in, it'll
03:23fall apart.
03:27Pop the dumplings into boiling salted water.
03:34Boil with the lid on for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat and let them simmer for another 15
03:39minutes.
03:40While that's happening, let's find out how everything in Deggendorf came to revolve around
03:44these dough balls.
03:47Deggendorf was under siege in the 13th century. The marauders hoped to starve the people out.
03:52But legend has it that this woman saved them all. She happened to be carrying a bowl of
03:58fresh dumplings when she ran into one of the attackers.
04:02Being quick-witted, she grabbed one of the dumplings and threw it at the scout, who was
04:09astounded to find the people of Deggendorf throwing food around. He raced back to the
04:14enemy camp, declaring, the siege isn't worth it. They have so much food, they can even
04:19throw it away.
04:22Nowadays, the dumpling thrower has become part of the fabric of the place. The people
04:27of Deggendorf have dedicated a monument to her. And you can even wear her around your
04:32neck.
04:35These savory dumplings are ready now.
04:39If they're still on the bottom of the pot, they aren't ready yet. And when they reach
04:45the top, they should still simmer there for a bit. They need to be fully cooked or they
04:49won't taste right.
04:51The finished dumpling is served with fresh chanterelles and cream sauce.
04:56Thankfully, the people of Deggendorf these days no longer need to defend themselves with
05:00dumplings. They can just enjoy them.