Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Ribel
One of Liechtenstein's most original dishes: cornmeal simmered in milk and water, then toasted in butter into golden crumbs.
Liechtensteiner · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 30 min
~525 cal · 15g protein · 81g carbs · 15g fat · 3g fiber · 9g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Ribel, also called Rebl, is one of Liechtenstein's most original and traditional dishes. Made from Türggamehl (corn flour), it was once a staple food for farming families, eaten regularly and often several times a day in hard economic times right up until around 1970. Today it is a valued specialty rather than everyday fare.
Corn flour is simmered in a mix of milk and water until thick, then toasted in plenty of butter in the same pan until it breaks into golden, crumbly pieces. Though savoury in itself, it is traditionally eaten with sweet things: milky coffee, apple sauce, elderberry sauce, stewed fruit, or a little sour cheese on the side.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, egg-, nut- and pork-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
3 cups corn flour (Türggamehl)
2 2/3 cups milk
1 1/3 cups water
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter
to taste apple sauce or stewed fruit, to serve
Instructions
1
Bring the milk, water, salt and a little of the butter to a boil in a deep frying pan or cast-iron pan.
2
Pour in the corn flour, stir, then cover and leave to simmer gently beside the heat for about 15 minutes until thick.
✎ Chef’s note
You can use half corn flour and half wheat semolina for a softer texture, the traditional variation.
3
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and toast the mixture, breaking it up with a spatula.
4
Keep toasting until the Ribel is golden and crumbly.
5
Serve hot with milky coffee, apple sauce, elderberry sauce or stewed fruit.
Liechtenstein (tourismus.li recipe).
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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.
HafalaabCornmeal-and-flour dumplings simmered in broth with ham and cabbage, a rustic national dish of Liechtenstein.
Browse all Liechtenstein recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Skillet or frying pan.
Storing it: Thickens as it sits. Reheat with extra water or milk to loosen, and keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated.
Make it a Liechtenstein meal
ApfelchüechliDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Ribel?
One of Liechtenstein's most original dishes: cornmeal simmered in milk and water, then toasted in butter into golden crumbs.
Where does Ribel come from?
Ribel is a Liechtensteiner dish from Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Can Ribel be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Ribel 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 Ribel 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 Ribel take to make?
About 35 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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