Semmelknödel, bread dumplings, are made from stale rolls. Harald Seitz of the Federal Center for Nutrition says: “Semmelknödel sind die perfekte Resteverwertung für altbackene Brötchen.” Bread dumplings are the perfect use of leftover stale rolls. According to ZDF, they began as a farmers’ dish for using up old bread.
Arme Ritter, poor knights, are slices of old bread, soaked and fried. A supermarket recipe page calls them a former emergency meal. Resteverwertung, the use of leftovers, is an everyday German word.