The Maultaschen Pilgrimage

Enormous Swabian pasta pockets stuffed with meat, spinach and breadcrumbs - nicknamed 'Herrgottsbescheißerle': the little things that cheat the Lord.

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Why this dish?

Maultaschen are Swabia's answer to ravioli, but bigger and bolder - squares of pasta stuffed with minced meat, spinach, onion and breadcrumbs, the size of a small envelope. Legend says monks invented them in Lent to hide forbidden meat from God inside the pasta - hence the nickname Herrgottsbescheißerle, roughly 'little God-cheaters'. You'll find them simmered in broth, pan-fried with egg, or layered with onions.

This is the heart of Swabian home cooking, a regional cuisine most travellers never meet. Eaten in a Stuttgart Weinstube (wine tavern) with a glass of local Trollinger, Maultaschen are hearty, comforting and very specifically of this place - the kind of dish you'll think about on the flight home and again next winter.

Our Picks

Weinstube Schellenturm

Address: Weberstraße 72, Stuttgart
What to order: Maultaschen 'geröstet' (pan-fried with onion and egg) or 'in der Brühe' (in broth), with a glass of Trollinger or Lemberger.
Book ahead: Weinstuben are small; book for dinner.
Pro tip: Ask for the regional Swabian wine by the glass (Viertele) - the local pour.

Alte Kanzlei

Schillerplatz 5A, Stuttgart

Central, traditional, reliable Swabian classics - the easy on-the-square version of the Weinstube ritual.

What to order: Maultaschen, or Kässpätzle (cheesy egg noodles) - the other great Swabian comfort dish.

Good to know

Swabian cuisine is its own world - also try Spätzle and Kässpätzle while you're here. Stuttgart is wine country (not just beer); order the local reds, Trollinger and Lemberger. The city centre is compact; trams cover the rest.

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