Pasta

German pasta has almost nothing to do with the Italian kind. It is made with egg, cut short and irregular, and cooked soft rather than al dente — built to hold gravy rather than to be twirled.

Egg noodles come from Bechtle, Tress Original Hausmacher, Bavaria, Frau Marta in assorted shapes, Tableland Imports, and a fine soup cut for broth. Spätzle is the southern German speciality: irregular little dumpling-noodles, sold plain by Maggi or ready-sauced as Käse-Spätzle by Maggi Wirtshaus with roasted onions and by Knorr Hüttenschmaus.

Dumplings are their own tradition and deserve the space. Dr. Willi Knoll raw potato Klöße in the Thüringer style, bread dumplings, EDEKA Semmelknödel and Kartoffel Knödel halb & halb, and Pfanni dough mix. These are what turn a Sunday roast into the meal someone is actually remembering.

Bende brings the Hungarian side — csiga and tarhonya, tiny pasta grains that go into soup rather than onto a plate — and Cara Mamma potato gnocchi are gluten free without tasting like a compromise.

All dry, all shelf-stable, all shipping anywhere in the United States.