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What to eat in Western Europe? Top 65 Western European Dumplings

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 65 Western European Dumplings
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01

Pasta

PIEDMONT, Italy
4.5
Agnolotti
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A variety of Italian pasta ripiena (lit. filled pasta), agnolotti are tender, bite-sized pillows of dough, plump with a creamy cheese, meat, or vegetable filling. Agnolotti originated in the Piedmont region circa 12th century, and they are often regarded as the first of many stuffed pasta types in northern Italian cuisine.


Unlike ravioli, which are made with two separate pasta sheets and stamped out, agnolotti are made with a single sheet of dough that is folded over the filling and typically cut into little rectangles. However, throughout the region, agnolotti come in various shapes. 
VARIATIONS OF Agnolotti

MOST ICONIC Agnolotti

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02

Dumplings

SOUTH TYROL, Italy and  one more region
4.5
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Käseknödel is a traditional dumpling enriched with cheese originating from Tyrol and South Tyrol. These cheese dumplings are typically served as a side dish that shows an inventive way of using leftover stale bread. The stale bread is mixed with cheese, eggs, butter, milk, onions, parsley, salt, and pepper.


Käseknödeln are usually boiled in water or fried in butter on both sides until golden brown and then served in a broth or with various salads and stews.

03
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The word ravioli denotes various kinds of pasta made by placing a filling between two thin layers of dough. The pasta used is typically wheat flour and egg based, and it acts as an enclosure while also binding with the sauce or broth the ravioli is cooked or served in.


Ravioli are usually served boiled with a sauce as a first course, or boiled and served in broth as a traditional winter dish. Ravioli fillings include diverse varieties of meat, cheese, and vegetables, and they vary from region to region. There are also sweet ravioli, which are usually deep-fried. 
Serve with

MOST ICONIC Ravioli

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04

Pasta

LOMBARDY, Italy
4.4
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Tortelli is a variety of Italian stuffed pasta prepared in a few shapes: square, semicircular, or rounded and twisted. The pasta is popular throughout Italy, especially in Tuscany, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna. One of the most famous dishes featuring this pasta variety is called tortelli con zucca, where tortelli are filled with pumpkin, crushed cookies, and parmesan cheese.


The dish is then topped with more cheese and a sauce consisting of butter and sage.

MOST ICONIC Tortelli

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05

Pasta

SOUTH TYROL, Italy and  one more region
4.4
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Mezzelune or schlutzkrapfen is a unique pasta variety that is popular both in Italy and Austria, especially in the area of South Tyrol. The pasta has a semicircular shape, which is the reason why it is called mezzelune (half moons in Italian).


The dough is typically made from wheat and buckwheat flour, semolina, eggs, and olive oil. The pasta is stuffed with various ingredients, just like ravioli. Common fillings include ingredients such as cheese, mushrooms, potatoes, meat, or spinach.


Mezzelune are often served with sauces such as pesto and paired with seafood, sausages (salsiccia), or fresh vegetables such as cherry tomatoes.

MOST ICONIC Mezzelune

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06

Dumplings

PROVINCE OF NUORO, Italy
4.4
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Widely known as Sardinian ravioli, culurgiònes are a typical dish of Ogliastra. These delicious handmade dumplings are shaped to resemble an ear of wheat, and they are traditionally filled with potatoes, pecorino cheese, lard, onions, garlic, and mint.


Another common filling includes ricotta, spinach or chard, and saffron. Culurgiònes are typically served doused in a flavorful tomato sauce and sprinkled with freshly grated pecorino.

MOST ICONIC Culurgionis d’Ogliastra

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07

Pasta

PIEDMONT, Italy
4.4
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Agnolotti del plin is a traditional dish from Piedmont that is made with small, usually boat-shaped agnolotti pasta. The pasta is traditionally filled with veal, pork or rabbit meat, this was mainly done with leftover roasts, but vegetables such as cabbage or spinach are also occasionally used.


The name of the dish stems from the local dialect in which plin translates as a pinch, referring to the preparation method of sealing each agnolotto with a firm squeeze. Agnolotti del plin can be served doused in melted butter, a combination of butter and fresh sage (burro e salvia), tomato sauce, ragù, or meat drippings sauce (sugo d'arrosto).

MOST ICONIC Agnolotti del plin

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08
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This is the traditional Italian form of dumplings. Today, the word gnocchi usually refers to a dumpling made with potato-based dough shaped into thick bite-sized pieces and pressed into a ribbed wooden board or grater to create an imprint, which helps the sauce to adhere to each piece.


They are typically boiled in large amounts of salted water or fried in shallow oil, a technique typical for some Italian regions. Gnocchi are believed to have been a predecessor of pasta, and historical records show that the term gnocchi, or gnocco, was sometimes interchangeably used with the word maccherone, a word that once referred to all pasta in general. 

MOST ICONIC Gnocchi

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09

Pasta

EMILIA-ROMAGNA, Italy
4.3
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One of the most popular Italian pasta types are tortellini; an intricate creation made with a variety of ingredients securely wrapped inside a layer of egg pasta, creating a pocket which is then folded in a ring shape. They are commonly referred as navels, originating from the famous legend which claims that a chef created it after he saw the goddess Venus, and modeled it on the look of her belly button.


The first written record of tortellini goes back to the 17th century, although it is probable that they were created earlier than that. It is believed that they originate from the Emilia-Romagna area, specifically cities Modena and Bologna. Unlike other pasta varieties, tortellini were considered a luxurious food, usually served during important holidays or festivities. 
VARIATIONS OF Tortellini

MOST ICONIC Tortellini

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This simple yet delicious dish comes from Campania, more precisely from the beautiful coastal village of Sorrento, hence the name. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, a Neapolitan classic in the local dialect known as strangulaprievete alla Sorrentina, are tender little potato pillows smothered in a rich, velvety, basil-flavored tomato and mozzarella sauce.


They are topped with some more mozzarella or pecorino cheese, sometimes even parmesan, and then oven-baked until bubbly and oozing or until the melted cheese forms a lovely golden crust on the top. Gnocchi alla Sorrentina are traditionally baked in a small single-portion clay pot called pignatiello and served sizzling hot. 

MOST ICONIC Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

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4
11
12
Dumplings
SOUTH TYROL, Italy
4.2
13
14
15
Pasta
PROVINCE OF REGGIO EMILIA, Italy
4.1
16
17
18
19
Pasta
PROVINCE OF BERGAMO, Italy
4.1
20
Pasta
FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, Italy
4.1
21
Dumplings
SOUTH TYROL, Italy
4.1
22
23
24
25
26
27
Soup
EMILIA-ROMAGNA, Italy
3.9
28
29
Pasta
PROVINCE OF BRESCIA, Italy
3.9
30
Dumplings
PROVINCE OF SIENA, Italy
3.8
31
32
33
34
Dumplings
FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, Italy
3.7
35
Dumplings
RHÔNE-ALPES, France
3.5
36
Pasta
EMILIA-ROMAGNA, Italy
3.5
37
38
Dumplings
PROVINCE OF CUNEO, Italy
n/a
39
40
41
42
Pasta
BOLOGNA, Italy
n/a
43
44
Pasta
PROVINCE OF LUCCA, Italy
n/a
45
46
47
48
49
50
Pasta
LEVANTO, Italy
n/a
51
52
Pasta
PROVINCE OF CREMONA, Italy
n/a
53
Dumplings
VALTELLINA, Italy
n/a
54
55
56
57
58
Dumplings
TRENTINO-SOUTH TYROL, Italy
n/a
59
Pasta
PROVINCE OF RAVENNA, Italy
n/a
60
61
62
63
Dumplings
FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, Italy
n/a
64
Dumplings
PORDENONE, Italy
n/a
65

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 65 Western European Dumplings” list until February 14, 2025, 3,492 ratings were recorded, of which 2,881 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Western European Dumplings