Why do I need to know this word?

Because you have to be able to spot this food on a menu! Marille (which sounds like this) means apricot, and Marillenknödel is a dish of sweet apricot dumplings that are hugely popular in Austria. 

Unsurprisingly these pastry dumplings are absolutely delicious. Made with ripe apricots wrapped in dough and then simmered in lightly salted water, the dumplings are usually then rolled in toasted breadcrumbs before being served with icing sugar and cream. 

This dish is found all over the country, but especially in regions which are most popular for growing apricots, such as the Wachau and Vinschgau areas. 

And if that doesn’t float your boat, you should also try Marillenmarmelade (apricot marmalade) and Marillenkuchen (apricot cake).

READ ALSO: Five dishes to try in Austria this apricot season

Where does the word Marille come from?

In standard German, an apricot is called die Aprikose, which sounds quite similar to the English apricot. 

But in Austria (and Bavaria in southern Germany), an apricot is known as die Marille. 

Die Marille (or Marillen in plural) is said to derive from the scientific name “Prunus armeniaca”, which became “Marille” via the Italian “armellino”.

Both Aprikose and apricot stem from the same Latin expression: “Persicum praecoquum”, which means unripe peach. Through various transformations in different languages around the Mediterranean Sea, it turned into the French l’apricot.

Interestingly, until the 17th century Marille was also used across Germany, and the term changed with increasing French influence. 

Use it like this: 

Ich würde sehr gerne die Marillenknödel probieren.

I would really like to try the apricot dumplings.

Schatz, hol bitte später die Marillen aus dem Supermarkt.

Darling, please get the apricots from the supermarket later.