Encyclopedia of Hungarian dishes: cottage cheese dumplings

The reason for the popularity of cottage cheese in Hungarian cuisine can be traced back to several historical and geographical factors. Although cottage cheese is known and consumed in other countries, nowhere is it as important an ingredient as in Hungary. The ancestors of the Hungarians led a nomadic lifestyle even before the conquest, in which sheep breeding and the production of dairy products played a prominent role. Milk spoils quickly, so longer-lasting foods made from milk – such as cottage cheese and cheese – were essential in the diet of nomadic peoples.

Making cottage cheese is relatively simple: the milk is coagulated, then the whey is filtered and pressed out. Therefore, it was easy to produce even in peasant households and developed as a natural part of dairy processing.

Although cottage cheese is also known in other Central European countries, in many places cheeses dominate. For example, Austrian and German cuisines favor harder cheeses, while feta and salty sheep's cheeses have spread in the Balkan countries, and in Hungary, cottage cheese has become one of the most important dairy products.

Cottage cheese became a key element of Hungarian gastronomy in the 19th century, when national dishes received increasing attention. Cottage cheese recipes also appeared more frequently in Hungarian cookbooks, and urbanization did not replace the ingredient from the kitchen.

The first appearance of cottage cheese in Hungarian cookbooks.

Miklós Misztótfalusi Kis: Szakáts mesterségnek könyvecskéje, published in 1698, lists numerous cottage cheese dishes, most of which are made with eggs and dill, mostly in a salty version. For example, cottage cheese derelye or cottage cheese béles. These recipes also show that by the end of the 17th century, cottage cheese was not only a common dish, but also an integral part of Hungarian cuisine.

The old cookbook mentions a very interesting old Hungarian recipe, domika, the preparation method of which was as follows:

Domika, a dish made from cottage cheese and bread.

"Slice bread thinly into a bowl, one layer at a time, then immediately add cottage cheese, then another layer of slices, more cottage cheese in between, and so on until the bowl is full: however, there should be clean hot water in a pot, salt in it, and pour the domika into the bowl with it, while it is very hot, cover it with another bowl; when it has absorbed the water, pour it over it again: if there is a lot of water left on it, strain it and butter it on top; and if you make domika from a cake, it will be even better."

The history of cottage cheese dumplings

The basis of the curd dumpling is cottage cheese, semolina, eggs and breadcrumbs. Although its exact origin is unknown, it probably comes from the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, similar dishes can also be found in Austrian and Slovak cuisine. The curd dumpling really spread in Hungarian cuisine in the 19th–20th centuries, and has now become one of the most popular traditional desserts.

I found the first detailed recipe in the Szeged Cookbook from 1876. What's interesting is that it's not rolled in breadcrumbs, it's just sprinkled on top when serving.

Turoscombóc

"Take a plate of fresh cottage cheese, put it in a tablecloth and squeeze out the whey. Then beat a little fat with six eggs, add half a kilogram of flour, the cottage cheese and a little salt. Mix all this well, cut dumplings from them and cook them in salted water; if it is good, take them out, put them on a plate and pour them with butter in which you have toasted breadcrumbs.

Cottage cheese dumplings in a different way. Mix 10 ounces of butter with 6 whole eggs. Add a little salt, a good two spoons of powdered sugar, 60 ounces of cottage cheese, a deciliter of skim milk, 10 ounces of flour, and enough breadcrumbs to make a regular dumpling dough.

"We form dumplings with floured hands and boil them in salted water. When ready, top with breadcrumbs toasted in butter."

Curd cheese and European Union protection.

Although cottage cheese dumplings do not have to be made from curdled cottage cheese, there is a place for this interesting fact here. Hungary applied for protection of curdled cottage cheese as a traditional Hungarian product from the European Union back in 2012. Only products whose composition and production method preserve traditions can receive protection of origin, and finally in 2019 the European Commission registered curdled cottage cheese.

Curd cheese is a traditional Hungarian dairy product made from pasteurized cow's milk by rennet coagulation. It gets its name from its characteristic, curd-like texture, which differs from the creamier cottage cheeses of Western Europe. It is a popular ingredient in Hungarian cuisine due to its high protein content and natural, slightly sour taste.

Pasteurized milk (usually heated to 30-32 °C) is inoculated with rennet and lactic acid bacteria. The rennet causes the milk to curdle. This curd is carefully crushed and heated to approx. 55-60 °C so that the curd particles (clumps) precipitate and coalesce. This produces a pleasant, lumpy consistency. The resulting whey is filtered off from the curd. The curd is left to drain and dry further to reach the appropriate dry matter content.

The fact that curd cheese became a European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product in 2019 means that it can only be produced in Hungary using a specific, traditional process.

The product must comply with the prescribed quality and production rules, and the name can only be used for cottage cheese made in this way, so consumers can be sure that they are buying real Hungarian curd cheese. This protection reinforces the traditional nature and origin of the product and helps Hungarian dairy farmers and food industry companies to be competitive in the European market.

Dumplings in international cuisines

Austrian, Czech, Slovak and Polish cuisines all make cottage cheese or cheese dumplings, but their preparation method and flavoring may differ from the Hungarian version.

In Austrian cuisine, the cheese dumplings called Topfenknödel are very similar to the Hungarian version, but there are also important differences. The Austrian recipe usually uses flour or breadcrumbs instead of semolina for the dough, and the dumplings are rolled in breadcrumbs toasted in butter, which are often mixed with ground walnuts or poppy seeds. While Hungarian cheese dumplings are most often served with sour cream and powdered sugar, the Austrian version is often served with jam or vanilla sauce. In addition, the Austrian version has a looser texture and is smaller in size, while the Hungarian cheese dumplings are larger and more compact.

Hungarian curd dumplings and Austrian Topfenknödel probably have common roots, as the gastronomy of different regions greatly influenced each other during the Habsburg Empire. However, the Hungarian version uses sour cream and semolina differently from the Austrian version, which uses flour or breadcrumbs. Cottage cheese dumplings, known as tvarohové knedlíky, are also found in Czech and Slovak cuisine. They are often filled with fruit, such as apricots or plums, and are similar in some ways to Hungarian plum dumplings. Their dough is usually sweeter and is often flavored with butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

Stand25's cottage cheese dumplings recipe

The Stand25 cottage cheese dumplings are a true classic, the recipe for which was previously shared with us by the restaurant. It is worth starting the preparation a day before the planned consumption, as the dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for a day. Stand25 cooks the dumplings in plenty of sugar water – the amount of sugar may be surprising at first, but that is really how much the recipe uses.

Ingredients for the cottage cheese dumplings

1000 g cottage cheese (sliced)

36 g semolina

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

48 g granulated sugar

10 dkg flour for rolling the dumplings

Ingredients for cooking dumplings

4 liters of water

25 dkg sugar (this is how much you need!)

Half a handful of salt

Toasted crumbs

300 g panko crumbs (finely ground)

150 g of rice

75 g granulated sugar

Sweet sour cream

400 g sour cream

100 g granulated sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

Making cottage cheese dumplings

1.nap

Add the semolina, the egg yolk mixed with granulated sugar to the curd, then mix the ingredients thoroughly. Beat the egg white until foamy (do not let it be too stiff!), then mix it into the curd mixture. When the curd base dough is ready, cover it with foil, pressing the foil into the dough so that it does not form a skin!

Let's put it in the fridge overnight!

2.nap

The next day, boil a large pot of water, season generously with the specified amount of sugar and salt. Using two spoons, break the dough into even pieces and arrange them in a row on a plate. Form the dough into balls by hand, roll in flour, and place in the boiling water.

Once all the dumplings have risen to the top of the water, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let them rest in the water for 20-30 minutes, until the insides are completely soft.

During this time, fry the crumbs in a dry frying pan until golden brown, adding the butter and granulated sugar at the end, which will give the crumbs extra crunch.

Dip the dumplings in the crumbs, roll them in them, and serve immediately, hot, with lots of sweet sour cream and powdered sugar.