Knöpflein Zur Suppe A La Nehne

"The white chicken meat is finely chopped or minced together with a small piece of cleanly skinned fresh beef kidney fat (gristle), a little bit of parsley, lemon peel, and a few shallots. When it is half mixed, cut the crust off half a Kreuzer bread, slice it thinly, soak it in a little sweet cream, and add it to the mixture. Work it all together finely (chop or mince), then pound it in a mortar with an egg, add salt and a little mace. Now, make small dumplings from this mixture and cook them in simmering meat broth. If the dough is too thick, you can add another egg; if it is too thin, add some bread crumbs."

The historical recipe is written in a conversational, almost narrative style typical of 18th-century German cookbooks, intended for practiced domestic cooks familiar with kitchen techniques and ingredient handling. Weight measures are imprecise, often referencing coinage or common objects (like 'half a Kreuzerbrot'), as scales weren't standard for household use. Some spelling, such as 'Ey' (for 'Ei', egg) or 'Raume' (for 'Rahm', meaning cream or milk), reflects regional dialect and older German orthography. Terms like 'Peterlingkraut' (for parsley) and 'Mus-katenblüthe' (for mace blossom) may not be in current usage, and ingredient quantities rely on the cook's judgment and experience.