Pickert facts for kids
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| Type | Dumpling |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Germany |
| Region or state | Lippe and Westphalia |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, flour, milk, eggs, usually raisins, yeast, salt, sugar, oil |
A Pickert is a yummy, flat, fried or baked potato dish from Westphalia, Germany. Think of it like a thick, filling pancake or a flattened dumpling.
Pickerts come in different shapes and sizes. You might find a round Pfannenpickert that fills a whole pan, a rectangular Kastenpickert, or smaller, palm-sized Pickerts. The name "Pickert" comes from an old German word, picken, which means "to stick something onto something else."
What's in a Pickert?
The main ingredients for Pickert are grated potatoes, flour, milk, and eggs. Usually, they also have raisins, a little bit of yeast, salt, and sugar. They are cooked with oil.
Just three large potatoes can make about 10 to 15 palm-sized Pickerts. That's usually enough for 4 or 5 people to enjoy!
Pickert's History
Pickerts are a special food from the Lippe area in Germany. Long ago, they were a common meal for farmers who didn't have much money. Pickert was a cheap and very filling dish, perfect for giving energy for a hard day's work in the fields.
Today, people enjoy Pickerts in many ways. They often spread them with sweet sugar beet syrup, butter, or fruit jam (especially plum jam). Some people like them with savory spreads like leberwurst (a type of liver sausage).
Lappenpickert: A Cousin Dish
In areas west of Lippe, like near Münster and the Ruhr Area, you might find a similar dish called Lappenpickert.
Lappenpickert is a bit different from the Pickert from Lippe. It usually doesn't have raisins or yeast. Sometimes, it might have a splash of sweet cream added. Lappenpickert is often cooked as thinner pancakes on a griddle (a flat cooking surface) that's greased with lard.
People eat Lappenpickert with the same sweet spreads as regular Pickerts. But they also enjoy it with smoked fish or cold cuts (sliced meats).
See also
You can also learn about Pickert in Spanish: Pickert para niños
