As American as Shoofly Pie the Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine + Reviews

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Start your review of As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine

When I hear the phrase "Pennsylvania Dutch", I think of the Amish. I think near people exercise. So when I received a review re-create of William Woys Weaver'south latest volume on the culinary history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, Equally American as Shoofly Pie, I have to admit I wasn't too excited. What's there to learn most pickled beans and shoofly pie really?

Well, equally information technology turns out, the Amish are only a subgroup of the Pennsylvania Dutch (PD). Weaver explains that the PD include all German language speaking (Dutch in th

When I hear the phrase "Pennsylvania Dutch", I retrieve of the Amish. I remember most people do. And then when I received a review copy of William Woys Weaver'south latest book on the culinary history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, Every bit American as Shoofly Pie, I have to admit I wasn't too excited. What's there to larn about pickled beans and shoofly pie really?

Well, every bit it turns out, the Amish are simply a subgroup of the Pennsylvania Dutch (PD). Weaver explains that the PD include all German language speaking (Dutch in the context of PD is a bastardization of Deutsch, the name for German linguistic communication) peoples that immigrated to Pennsylvania during the 17th and 18th centuries. From Wikipedia: "The majority of these immigrants originated in what is today southwestern Germany, i.e., Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg; other prominent groups were Alsatians, Swiss, and Huguenots (French Protestants)". Weaver goes on to explicate that near a 3rd were the Palatinates, a 3rd were Swiss (and this includes the Amish), and a tertiary were the immigrants from Wuttemberg (known as Swabians - and these folks gave us the pretzel).

Weaver spends a lot of his pages describing in detail the cultural and culinary differences between these 3 major groups of PD and information technology's quite interesting. Amid other things, we learn well-nigh the lost or forgotten PD recipes (like hairy dumplings), we learn how PD sauerkraut is made differently than the German variety, and we learn how the Amish culinary table (or what nosotros remember of as their culinary table) came to dominant the entire image of PD cuisine. And it's on this last point that Weaver seems quite bitter. To sum upward his resentment in two clauses: information technology'due south unconscionable that everyone thinks PD=Amish and it'south unconscionable that their food (as marketed and sold in restaurants and farmstands) is seen as THE authentic PD when much of their cuisine is derivative and tin can't be traced back to the former globe. For case, their chicken pot pie is just a riff on the traditional English recipe. And shoofly pie is only a variant of maple syrup pie made by the Canadians and New Englanders. But the Amish go all the press bc of their non-standard attire and their plain sect culture. Oh and he too has a beefiness with calling the PD German bc only 2/3rd of them immigrated from what is at present Germany (don't forget about those Swiss and French!) and even those who did can't really be considered German language since Federal republic of germany was non a country at the time they came over.

The terminal section of the book is filled with PD recipes, both those that came over from the old world and the new that were created in Pennsylvania. Equally it turns out, I'm not much a fan of PD cuisine (its a bit too similar to German food which doesn't adjust me) so I haven't attempted any of the recipes even so, just they're still delightful to read.

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I have to acknowledge, this volume was not really what I expected. I thought information technology was going to be a cookbook roofing Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine with history scattered throughout. It is more than like a history book with lots of recipes in the back one-half of the volume. Pretty much everything you always wanted to know nigh the history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is covered in this book. The origins are traced dorsum as far equally the commencement High german settlements in America, then followed forward as information technology evolves throughou I take to admit, this book was not really what I expected. I thought it was going to be a cookbook covering Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine with history scattered throughout. It is more like a history book with lots of recipes in the back half of the book. Pretty much everything you ever wanted to know near the history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine is covered in this book. The origins are traced back as far as the first German settlements in America, then followed forward as it evolves throughout American history. This book covers the roots, regional characteristics, communities and grade divisions of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine.

The recipes are in alphabetical order, which felt very odd to me. Yous go from Almond Fingers to Amish Roast to Apple Schnitz and Dumplings. There is an index that lists the recipes by category on pg 276. The recipe themselves are very interesting. Some of them made me want to become into the kitchen and commencement cooking them immediately, while others fabricated me desire to turn the folio as quickly equally possible--Stuffed Pig Stomach, anyone? If you're looking for an actual cookbook of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes, you might want to expect elsewhere as this is a pretty thick book, merely if yous want the history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, this is the book for y'all.

I received a re-create of this book from University of Pennsylvania Press for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Aug ten, 2013 Alexis rated it really liked it

This book is virtually half history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, half recipes.

Prior to moving to fundamental Pennsylvania iv years ago, my knowledge of local food was a hazy awareness of shoofly pie and chicken potpie, and a touch of cynicism about the boasts of "Lancaster County!" on eggs sold in New York Metropolis. This was an interesting overview of what Dutch cuisine actually is and how our image of Dutch civilisation and cuisine--and its popular zipper to the Amish--was manufactured, oftentimes by outsiders.

This volume is about half history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, one-half recipes.

Prior to moving to central Pennsylvania 4 years ago, my knowledge of local food was a hazy awareness of shoofly pie and craven potpie, and a touch of pessimism about the boasts of "Lancaster County!" on eggs sold in New York City. This was an interesting overview of what Dutch cuisine really is and how our image of Dutch culture and cuisine--and its pop attachment to the Amish--was manufactured, often by outsiders.

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