Lebbencs

Lebbencs is a traditional pasta made from hand-torn, dried sheets of dough. It is one of Hungary's oldest forms of pasta and holds a special place in Hungarian peasant cuisine. Lebbencs is typically used in soups, stews, and fried dishes, often as a hearty, filling addition.

It is a type of flat pasta or dough sheet that is torn into irregular pieces and then dried. The process of making lebbencs involves preparing a simple dough made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs. The dough is rolled out into large, flat sheets, which are then torn into small, uneven pieces and left to dry.

Once dried, lebbencs can be stored for long periods, similar to other dried pastas. Before cooking, the pieces are often fried or toasted to give them a nuttier, more complex flavor. While pasta is often served as a main dish, lebbencs is more commonly used as a soup base or in stews.

In this sense, it is comparable to broken lasagna sheets from Italy, fideos from Spain, and flat dumplings like those found in certain American dishes.