Spätzle is a type of pasta or dumpling made with eggs, typically serving as a side for meat dishes with gravy. Commonly associated with Swabia, it is also found in the cuisines of southern Germany and Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Slovenia, Alsace, Moselle and South Tyrol.
Before the use of mechanical devices, the pasta was shaped by hand or with a spoon and the results resembled Spatzen (sparrow is Spatz or Sperling in German).
