Zwiebelkuchen is a German onion tart with dough, ham, and sour cream. It is a lunchtime specialty in the Black Forest region and can contain up to 1.4kg of onions. Variations include vegetarian options and the traditional accompaniment is young wine.
Zwiebelkuchen is an onion tart originally from Germany. It is an integral part of the autumn tradition in the Black Forest area of the country. In addition to the onions, the tart has dough and contains ham and sour cream. Structurally, the filling is similar to that of a quiche.
In German, the word zwiebel translates as onion and kuchen as pie or cake. One tart can contain up to three pounds (about 1.4 kilograms) of onions. In its finished form, the onion tart shares characteristics with pizzas and quiches.
Basically, the tart base is a white flour dough that thickens with the addition of a yeast. The dough also contains salt, sugar and milk. Butter and eggs, separately or together, are also featured in recipes for the dough that forms the base and sides of zwiebelkuchen. It is the filling that contains the zwiebeln, or onions. Suitable onions may be white or red onions, which must first be softened in butter.
In addition to the onions, the filling typically contains meat, usually ham or bacon. The meat is cooked before the tart goes into the oven, sometimes with onions. Eggs and sour cream also go into the filling, to give the tart its quiche-like texture. Optional flavors include nutmeg, marjoram, or pepper. Often, the tart has no pastry topping and has an open filling, but sometimes it has decorative top layers such as lattice designs of interconnected strips of pastry.
Zwiebelkuchen is associated with the Black Forest region of Germany. The traditional time of year for the inhabitants of the region to prepare the tart is in early autumn, after the summer glut of onions. Rather than a dinner dish, tart is a lunchtime specialty.
One option is to eat the tart by itself, but other foods are also associated with the tart. Before eating zwiebelkuchen, some Germans take some meat broth, called rindesuppe. A traditional accompaniment to the zwiebelkuchen itself is a glass of new, young wine, known as Neuer Wein in the country.
Variations on the traditional zwiebelkuchen include a vegetarian option. This version simply omits the ham or bacon. Cooks may also use pork sausage meat instead of ham or bacon. Sliced mushrooms or cabbage can also fit into the tart. The fat from the bacon can cook these ingredients and the cabbage can also be steamed before going into the stuffing.
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