Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Hafalaab
Cornmeal-and-flour dumplings simmered in broth with ham and cabbage, a rustic national dish of Liechtenstein.
Liechtensteiner · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 30 min
~562 cal · 21g protein · 60g carbs · 27g fat · 4g fiber · 5g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Hafalaab is one of the national dishes of the tiny principality of Liechtenstein, a rustic preparation of dumplings that speaks to the country's Alpine, thrifty roots. It is honest, filling mountain food of the plainest and most comforting kind.
A dough of cornmeal and wheat flour, bound with egg and milk, is shaped into small dumplings and simmered in a rich broth alongside chunks of ham or bacon and cabbage. Sometimes the dumplings are served with the meat and a little of the broth, sometimes as a soup. Either way, it is the kind of dish that has quietly sustained a small mountain nation.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
8 oz ham or bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 leek, sliced
6 cups vegetable or meat broth
Instructions
1
Mix the cornmeal and flour with the egg, milk, and a pinch of salt into a thick, sticky dough.
2
Fry the diced ham with the onion, carrot, and leek in the pot for a few minutes, then pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
3
Drop in small dumplings shaped with a wet spoon and simmer until they float and are cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
✎ Chef’s note
Wet the spoon between dumplings so the sticky dough slides off cleanly into the broth.
4
Serve in bowls with some of the broth.
Liechtenstein national dish.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Vaduz. Kasknopfle is closest to a spaetzle: soft dough dumplings scraped into boiling water, drained, then layered up with melted mountain cheese and covered with onions fried dark. The apple sauce alongside is not optional, and it is the part outsiders usually leave off.
🗺️
Liechtenstein. Kasknopfle is served with roasted onions and apple sauce, and the apple sauce is the part outsiders leave off and locals do not: soft dumplings and melted mountain cheese need something sharp beside them. Liechtenstein's own tourism office calls it probably the country's most famous specialty.
🌍
Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Liechtenstein
KäsknöpfleSoft little dumplings tossed with melting mountain cheese and crowned with sweet fried onions.
Bircher MüesliOats soaked overnight in milk and yogurt with grated apple, nuts, and a squeeze of lemon.
ApfelchüechliBattered apple rings fried golden and dusted with cinnamon sugar, a warm Alpine treat of Liechtenstein.
Browse all Liechtenstein recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Liechtenstein meal
ApfelchüechliDessert
KäsknöpfleDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Hafalaab?
Cornmeal-and-flour dumplings simmered in broth with ham and cabbage, a rustic national dish of Liechtenstein.
Where does Hafalaab come from?
Hafalaab is a Liechtensteiner dish from Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Can Hafalaab be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Hafalaab recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Hafalaab safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Hafalaab take to make?
About 55 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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