Gaisburger bog is a beef stew with potatoes and spätzle, a type of egg pasta, originating from Stuttgart. It is named after the Gaisburg district and was invented by women who cooked for their POW husbands. The dish is served with spätzle and topped with fried onions and herbs.
Gaisburger bog is a stew originating from the southwestern region of Swabia, specifically in the city of Stuttgart. It is clearly identified by the combination of beef stew, potatoes and “spätzle”, a kind of egg pasta very common in the dishes of other central European countries such as Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. Several German leaders such as Horst Köhler, the previous German president, and General Wolfgand Schneriderhan, cite gaisburger bog as their favorite dish. Even Harald Wohlfahrt, considered one of the best chefs in Germany and Europe, calls stew his favorite dish.
The phrase “gaisburger marsch” is German for “the march to Gaisburg” or “Gaisburger march”, after the Gaisburg district in the city of Stuttgart. One account tells how 19th-century soldiers stationed in the nearby mountains regularly ate stew at a Gaisburg restaurant called “Bäckerschmide”. Such was their love of stew that soldiers often marched from the mountains down to the city to satisfy their craving.
Another account tells how, in the 19th century, many Gaisburger men were arrested to become POWs and local women were given only one visit to the POW camp to provide the men with their meals. To provide their men with nutritious and appetizing meals, the women would cook a stew made of meat, vegetables and carbohydrates and walk to the prison camp to distribute the food. This is how the gaisburger swamp was invented.
Aside from the meat itself, beef bones, especially the marrow, are also important ingredients in the dish for creating a flavorful beef stock. Usually, the meat and bones are first boiled in unseasoned water, sometimes with chopped onions, pepper, and a piece of bay leaf. When the meat is slightly tender, the bones are removed and spices such as salt, cloves and nutmeg are added into the stew. Peeled and quartered potatoes are also placed in the stew before other vegetables such as carrots, leeks and celery to prevent these from becoming too soft. A small amount of butter can be added to give a richer flavor.
The gaisburger swamp noodle element, which is the “spätzle”, is prepared separately from the stew. Dried, pre-cooked egg noodles are commercially available in many supermarkets, but many cooks still prefer to make their own noodles. When the spätzle is ready and placed in a bowl, the stew is poured over it. A topping of fried onion rings and chives or parsley rounds out the gaisburger bog.
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