Canederli or Knodeln

[vonwotan]

I have been experimenting with various day old or stale breads for my knodel recipes and wonder what breads (or grains) others use. I make them both savory and sweet often as sides to other dishes but some are rich enough to stand on their own with a little sauce.

[todao]

Interesting cultural comparisons. I rarely find either of these to be rich enough to stand on their own and typically use them as a side dish. Various types of rye bread bring entirely different flavors to the dish than Brochen. I'm a bit of a traditionalist so I'm unlikely to use either of these outside the boundaries of their cultural roots. It seems to me that serving Knodeln with Veal Picatta or Canederli with a brisket and sauerkraut would be a violation of international law.
Although somewhat playful in nature, this post is not a critique of your ideas, far from it. I just find it somewhat interesting that we are engaging in gastronomy with foods from Italy and Germany.

[vonwotan]

I have always found there to be a great variety of both sweet and savory canederli or knodel in the Trentino - Alto Adige / Sudtirol so I find it quite difficlut to identify recipes as "traditional." Relatives living in Austria have a different take on certain dishes than those living further south / southwest (as far as Pavia). When made with speck, sausage or other meats we might eat them on their own or with a bit of grated cheese.

Admittedly my description, canederli or knodel, is an oversimplification. Recipes beyond the basic bread, milk and egg have other names depending on your region, language, etc.