Salzburger Nockerl

Salzburger Nockerl are a fluffy Austrian dessert of sweet meringue-based soufflé, shaped into three peaks, from the city of Salzburg. They are always served fresh, warm, and dusted with icing sugar.

History

The dish most likely descends from French soufflés, and its origin lies in the pastry kitchens of Salzburg. The base is egg white whisked to soft peaks, into which sugar, instant-free vanilla pudding powder and finally an egg yolk are folded. The mixture is spooned carefully into a ceramic dish to form three peaks and baked for roughly nine to ten minutes, until the outside is lightly golden.

Over time it became an emblem of Austrian cooking, alongside Kaiserschmarrn and apple strudel. Although it is traditionally a dessert, it is filling enough to be served as a main course. Sometimes a raspberry sauce or another fruit spread is layered on the bottom of the soufflé.

Culture

In Salzburg the dumplings are part of the city's food identity and are always prepared to order. Popular tradition says the three peaks recall the hills around the old town (Gaisberg, Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg), and the icing sugar their snowy summits, though this reading is not documented. The dish has also reached the stage and screen: in 1938 Fred Raymond wrote the operetta Saison in Salzburg, which praises the dessert as “sweet as love and tender as a kiss”, and in the 1953 film Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach a character recalls the one his ex-wife used to cook.

Trivia