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known as Peisachdike lokshen (kosher
for Passover noodles).

Legend has it that frittatensuppe may
have originated in 19th century Austria
to feed Austrian, French and Italian
diplomats secretly meeting during the
Congress of Vienna. One participant
was Conte Romano de Frittata, whose
coachman prepared the pancake.

Frittata comes from the Italian word
friggere, to fry; perhaps suggesting that
the dish was named aft er the coach-
man’s employer. However, the only
similar Italian-Jewish recipe I could
fi nd was for Minestra di Sfoglietti Per
Pesach, a soup containing noodles of
baked dough, in Th e Classic Cuisine of
the Italian Jews by Edda Servi Machlin.

If the story is true, the dish did not
make its way back to Italy.

Holocaust survivor Cecile Gruer, 86,
is known as her family’s chef. She mov-
ingly recalls eating fl ädla in 1946 at the
fi rst Passover she celebrated with her
family in an Austrian displaced persons
camp aft er they were reunited. Th en a
teen, she watched her mother prepare
the noodle as her mother had done in
Hungary. Greuer makes fl ädla year-
round, using potato starch, matzah
meal or quinoa or almond fl our for
gluten-free relatives. Sometimes she’ll
just mix egg and water, essentially
an omelette. Gruer suggests adding
any herb, such as dill or cilantro, to
heighten the soup’s fl avor. She contin-
ues these traditions because, she says,
“You do not want to break the chain.”
Gruer’s and Natalie’s families enjoy
their fl ädla in chicken broth with
matzah balls. Th e Lubavitch sect, who
follow the custom of gebrokts and don’t
eat any dish where matzah can touch
liquid, have just the noodle in their
soup, says Leah Koenig, author of “Th e
Jewish Cookbook.” Gruer confi des she
doesn’t like chicken soup. How does
she eat her fl ädla? She laughs. “I would
LEGAL DIRECTORY
have it on the plate!”
Ingredients 4 eggs, separated
¾ teaspoon salt
¼-½ cup (to taste) chopped
chives 4 tablespoons potato starch
¼ cup of chicken broth
oil Separate the eggs and add the
salt to the yolks.

Mix chives and potato starch
in with the egg yolks. Add as much
chicken broth as is necessary for
the mixture to be the consistency of
pancake batter.

Beat egg whites until stiff and
add to yolk mixture (mix occasion-
ally while cooking batches to avoid
separation). Heat a small amount of oil in a
frying pan and add enough batter to
cover the bottom of the pan. Fry like
a crepe, and remove from pan. Lay
fl ädla on paper towels to absorb any
excess oil.

Let cool, then roll each crepe and
cut into thin strips. Flädla can be
made a few days in advance and
refrigerated. Serve in hot soup and enjoy. JE
Th is article fi rst appeared on Th e Nosher.

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