Semmelknödel

Semmelknödel are stale bread rolls bound with egg and milk into a large, dense dumpling, boiled and sliced. It's Austria's savoury bread dumpling, and it's worth being clear this is a genuinely different dish from Marillenknödel or Powidltascherl on the same menu — those are sweet fruit dumplings served as dessert, while Semmelknödel is a plain savoury side meant to soak up gravy.

What it actually is

Day-old bread rolls cut or torn into small pieces soak briefly in warm milk, then bind together with beaten egg and a little sautéed onion and parsley into a thick, cohesive mass. That mixture shapes by hand into one or more large balls, which poach gently in simmering water — never a hard boil, which would break them apart — until fully set through. Sliced into thick rounds, the dumpling shows a distinctive cross-section of loosely bound bread pieces.

It's a savoury dumpling for gravy, not a sweet one for dessert. The name shares its "-knödel" ending with Marillenknödel and Powidltascherl, but Semmelknödel has no fruit or sugar anywhere in it — it's built specifically to soak up the sauce from a roast or stew.

How it's served

• Sliced into thick rounds, alongside a roast or stew with plenty of gravy.
• As a side dish, never as a dessert, despite the "-knödel" name overlap with sweet versions.
• Hot, straight from the poaching water, sliced just before serving.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag gluten, egg and dairy; the bread, egg and milk carry all three.
• Say that it's a savoury side, not a sweet dumpling, since guests may confuse it with the fruit-filled versions by name alone.
• Note that it's naturally vegetarian.
• Mention what dish it's served alongside, since it's built to soak up gravy rather than stand on its own.