Cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch
Encyclopedia
Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is the typical and traditional fare of the Pennsylvania Dutch
, and it has had a considerable influence on the areas in which they originally settled, Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania
, as well as the neighboring areas that they have migrated to over time. Though its base strongly reflects their German heritage, it has developed into a distinctly different cuisine over the centuries that they have lived in America; it also manifests their simple, largely agricultural lifestyles, the resources made available to them in Pennsylvania Dutch Country
, as well as the various regional and religious backgrounds from which they stem. As they hated to waste anything, Pennsylvania Dutch cooks often made use of food parts otherwise discarded, including pig organs and scraps and watermelon
rind. Even today, Amish
diets are considerably low in processed foods.
A common aspect of Pennsylvania Dutch meals, especially maintained by Amish families today, is a centuries-old emphasis on the seven sweets and seven sours, stemming from archaic European custom and the belief that everything should be properly balanced. Before the typically large families, and especially in the presence of company, seven various pickled foods, relishes, and spreads were laid out on the table alongside the starchy, hearty, filling dishes as part of the evening meal. These delicacies were enjoyed as accompaniments or by themselves. In the absence of refrigeration, they could be prepared in the summer and preserved in jars through the winter months. Beyond the home, some tourist-oriented restaurants and annual festivals in Pennsylvania Dutch Country celebrate this tradition.
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
, and it has had a considerable influence on the areas in which they originally settled, Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, as well as the neighboring areas that they have migrated to over time. Though its base strongly reflects their German heritage, it has developed into a distinctly different cuisine over the centuries that they have lived in America; it also manifests their simple, largely agricultural lifestyles, the resources made available to them in Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
, as well as the various regional and religious backgrounds from which they stem. As they hated to waste anything, Pennsylvania Dutch cooks often made use of food parts otherwise discarded, including pig organs and scraps and watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
rind. Even today, Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
diets are considerably low in processed foods.
A common aspect of Pennsylvania Dutch meals, especially maintained by Amish families today, is a centuries-old emphasis on the seven sweets and seven sours, stemming from archaic European custom and the belief that everything should be properly balanced. Before the typically large families, and especially in the presence of company, seven various pickled foods, relishes, and spreads were laid out on the table alongside the starchy, hearty, filling dishes as part of the evening meal. These delicacies were enjoyed as accompaniments or by themselves. In the absence of refrigeration, they could be prepared in the summer and preserved in jars through the winter months. Beyond the home, some tourist-oriented restaurants and annual festivals in Pennsylvania Dutch Country celebrate this tradition.
Dishes
- Amish potato salad
- Apple butterApple butterApple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce, produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve...
- Beef or venison jerkyJerky (food)Jerky is lean meat that has been trimmed of fat, cut into strips, and then been dried to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt, to prevent bacteria from developing on the meat before sufficient moisture has been removed. The word "jerky" is a bastardization of the...
- Bova Shankel [recte:Boova Schenkel] (translated as "boy's legs")
- Brown butter noodles
- Chicken corn soup (with small dumplings called rivelsRivelsRivels are an ingredient in some types of soup, typically a chicken-based soup, and archetypically chicken corn soup. Rivels are common in Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. They are composed primarily of egg and wheat flour, which is cut together to create small dumpling-like pieces....
) - Chicken pot pie (Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine)
- Chow-chowChow-chowChow-chow is a Nova Scotian and American pickled relish made from a combination of vegetables. Mainly green tomato, cabbage, chayote, red tomatoes, onions, carrots, beans, asparagus, cauliflower and peas are used...
- Cole slawCole SlawCole Slaw is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Argo label in 1964 and performed by Donaldson with Herman Foster, Earl May, Bruno Carr, and Ray Barretto.The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review....
- Corn FrittersCorn frittersCorn Fritters are a savory snack. Traditional corn fritters are a mixture of corn kernels, egg, flour, milk, and melted butter. They can be deep fried, shallow fried, or baked and served with jam, fruit, honey, or cream. They may also be made with creamed corn, baked, and served with maple syrup.-...
- Cup CheeseCup CheeseCup cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese deeply rooted in "Pennsylvania Dutch" culinary history. Its heritage dates back to the immigration of the Mennonites and Amish to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. A descendant of the German cheese "Koch Käse", it became known as cup cheese because it...
- Hogmaw (Also called "Pig's Stomach," or "Seimaaga" in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect)
- Lebanon bolognaLebanon bolognaLebanon bologna is a type of cured, smoked, fermented, semi-dry sausage. This all-beef sausage is similar in appearance and texture to salami, although it is somewhat darker colored. Lebanon bologna has a distinct tangy flavor, more so than other fermented meat products such as summer sausage...
- Peanut butter schmier
- Pepper cabbage
- Pork and Sauerkraut
- Potato filling
- Potato rollsPotato breadPotato bread is a form of bread in which potato replaces a portion of the regular wheat flour. It is cooked in a variety of methods, including by baking it on a hot griddle or pan, or in an oven. It may be leavened or unleavened, and may have a variety of other ingredients baked into it...
- PretzelPretzelA pretzel is a type of baked food made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape, originating in Europe...
- Red beet eggs (pickled beet eggs)
- Schnitz un kneppSchnitz un kneppSchnitz un knepp, often spelled schnitz un gnepp, is a staple in the cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch. It translates roughly to " slices and dumplings"...
- ScrappleScrappleScrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving...
- Slippery Ham Pot Pie
Desserts:
- Angel food cake
- Apple dumplings
- FastnachtsFasnachtsA Fasnacht, sometimes spelled Fastnacht or Faschnacht, is a fatty doughnut treat served traditionally on Fastnacht Day , the day before Lent starts. Fasnachts were made as a way to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat, and butter, which were traditionally fasted from during Lent.Basel, Switzerland...
- Funnel cakeFunnel cakeFunnel cake or funnelcake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. Funnel cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession...
- Funny cake
- Montgomery pie
- Moravian sugar cake
- Shoofly pieShoofly pieShoofly pie is a fluffy molasses pie considered traditional among the Pennsylvania Dutch and also known in Southern cooking.The term "shoo-fly pie" first appeared in print in 1926...
- Sugar cookies
- Whoopie pies