Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania Press
News flash: Whoopie pies are not indigenous Pennsylvania Dutch food, no matter what the tourist traps say. Nor are the seafood bisque, chili, roast beef and other dishes crowding the steam tables at tourist restaurants in Lancaster County, Pa.
Instead, how about some gumbis, a casserole of shredded cabbage, meat, dried fruit and onions? Or some gribble, bits of toasted pasta akin to couscous? Or some schnitz-un-gnepp: stewed dried apples, ham hocks and dumplings?
Enlarge image i Fifty-three-hundred pounds of drumhead cabbage on its way to sauerkraut near Roaring Spring in Morrisons Cove, Blair County, Pa., Oct. 17, 1912.
Fifty-three-hundred pounds of drumhead cabbage on its way to sauerkraut near Roaring Spring in Morrisons Cove, Blair County, Pa., Oct. 17, 1912.
All are iconic Pennsylvania Dutch fare, according to William Woys Weaver, author of a new tome on Pennsylvania Dutch food, As American As Shoofly Pie.
The book's subtitle, The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine, suggests that Weaver, who grew up with a grandfather who spoke to him only in the dialect Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch, is not taking a wholly reverent look at his native cuisine.
Indeed, Weaver seems to have had a ripping good time unmasking the fake Pennsylvania Dutch tourist culture, with its hex signs (bogus) and windmiills (faux) and buffets designed to fill up busloads of tourists on a budget.
Funnel cakes, considered by many to be echt Pennsylvania Dutch, were a rare holiday treat until they were popularized as a fundraiser at the Kutztown Folk Festival in the 1950s, Weaver says.
Well, so much for tradition.
At the same time, Weaver has taken seriously his mission to rediscover the foods of his ancestors, interviewing hundreds of people over 30 years. A food historian, he directs the new Keystone Center for the Study of Regional Foods and Food Tourism.
Pennsylvania Dutch, he notes, isn't a synonym for Amish. Instead, it's the culture of people who came from Germany and Switzerland in the 17th and 18th centuries and settled in southeastern and south central Pennsylvania.
Some were Lutherans, some Anabaptists, some Mennonites. Some were rich enough to eat hasenpfeffer, rabbit braised in wine. Some were "buckwheat Dutch," so poor they rarely ate meat and got by on "hairy" dumplings, made with shredded potatoes that stuck out when the dumplings were boiled.
Enlarge image i A typical Buckwheat Dutch two-room log house circa 1896.
A typical Buckwheat Dutch two-room log house circa 1896.
"Because they were poor, they had to be creative," Weaver says. "They were eating ramps. They were eating wild asparagus. They were eating huckleberries. Of course, the Victorians wanted everything in white sauce and looked down their noses at [that food]. But we can see it as something very close to the land."
That authenticity, Weaver says, is something that can be used to create a "new Dutch cuisine." He's talking to chefs in Pennsylvania about incorporating traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dishes into their menus. "There's good stuff out there," he says. "It just needs to be uncovered."
The recipes in the book should help; they include familiar-sounding fare like Punxsutawney spice cookies, and surprises like peach and new potato stew.
Then there are the one-pot dishes, like that gumbis. It was a frugal meal that could be cooked on a hearth or a stove. It wasn't rare for rural families to eat it without plates or silverware, Weaver says, by dipping chunks of bread in the communal pot.
"They're sort of fun for people who want to sit around and pick at things out of the pot," Weaver says. "We even have a word for eating that way. We call it schlappichdunkes messy gravy."
YouTube Search or upload videos. Popular on YouTube: Music, Sports, Gaming, Movies, TV Shows, News, Spotlight. Browse Channels. Kotaku - The Gamer's Guide Kotaku is the definitive digital hub for video game news, reviews, cheats, design, and entertainment. CNN Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com Get unlimited access to live CNN TV and HLN TV on your computer or on the CNN Apps for iPhone and iPad. Nation/World The Asbury Park Press NJ app.com Neptune New Jersey News - app.com is the home page of Neptune New Jersey with in depth and updated Neptune local news. Stay informed with both Neptune New Jersey news ... Channel 4 - History An aggregation of all Channel 4 History programmes ... Sex and the Swastika. Located in the English countryside, a secret division created 'Black' propaganda and ... Jezebel - Jezebel: Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women. Without ... Jezebel is gossip, culture, fashion, and sex for the contemporary woman. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia The New York Times online with news, politics, business, technology, sports, science, health, arts, style, opinions, and classifieds. Health News & Articles Healthy Living - ABC News Get the latest health news from Dr. Richard Besser. Here you'll find stories about new medical research, the latest health care trends and health issues that affect ... Entertainment News, Celebrity Interviews and Pop Culture - ABC News Get the latest entertainment news, celebrity interviews and pop culture pulse on movies, TV and music and more at ABCNews.com. Celebrity News Celebrity Gossip - Yahoo! omg! Get the latest celebrity news from Yahoo! omg! Find the latest news about the Hollywood celebrities with videos and photos
No comments:
Post a Comment