Rivels / Rivlets (pea-sized dumplings in soup)

For anyone who hasn't heard of rivlets - or rivels as I've also heard them called - they're little bitty dumplings you add to soup (usually chicken soup) about 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking. Mix flour and egg, rub it between your fingers into pebble-looking bits and drop them in the soup.

I learned to make them from my mother's people (Pennsylvania Dutch) and the Amish are pretty big on them too, so for a long time I assumed it must be a Swiss/German tradition. I have never seen it over here though, and all the Swiss people I have fed it to act as though it's a completely new idea. ("You're putting... what, Knöpfli? in the soup ?")

Anybody else ever make these, or know of a similar dish anywhere in Swiss or German cuisine? (or any other cuisine, of course )

seems that its usual for people of a certain generation or two .....not so much now . youve rekindled my love of these , got to go try it out again......

Similar to Knödels? Pretty popular in Austria. Made from flour, a bit of oatmeal, eggs, leek, chives and seasoning.

what a cool idea! will try it next time.

no, haven't heard of it.. but i come from a pretty boring "meat and 3 veg" country.

Mm, maybe a little bit similar. Those are way bigger than rivlets though - and more complicated with all the seasonings and what not.

Bet they're good though.

Like it! And of course you must chase it down with Rivella, mandatory on menu.

I live in the United States (Indiana) and my mom, grandma & great-grandma made potato soup with rivlets. It was the best part of the soup to me. When I was sick as a child, that is what I asked for. I still make it that way and one of my sons loves it too. Our ancestors came from Pennsylvania Dutch country and were German Baptist. I also have heard them called rivels. We made it with just the egg yolk, flour and salt but some use the whole egg.

We do them back home.

I make mine smaller and rounder.

Sounds like spaetzle. Just that the spaetzle are fished back out of the soup and served with butter...

In fact, cooks.com has them as the same...

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/p88tj6re...or-rivels.html