'steam noodle'; plural Dampfnudeln, Alsatian: Dampfnüdel) is a dumpling eaten as a meal or as a dessert in Germany, Austria,[1] Switzerland, and in France (Alsace-Moselle).

[citation needed] It is reputed that, during the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops arrived at Freckenfeld and demanded ransom.

Master baker Johannes Muck, with his wife and apprentice, made 1,286 Dampfnudeln to feed the soldiers, who then spared the village from further extortion and pillage.

Dampfnudeln are made from a dough composed of white flour, water, yeast, salt, butter or margarine, and sometimes also eggs and a little sugar.

The dough is formed into balls about the size of an egg, left to rise and then cooked in a covered pot, preferably a high-rimmed iron pan with a lid, either in a mixture of milk and butter (the Bavarian style) or salt water and fat (the Rhineland-Palatinate style) until a golden-brown crust forms at the bottom after the liquid has evaporated.