Although my mother was Italian, she learned to cook my father’s favorite dishes from her mother-in-law. Shoofly pie, red beet eggs, boiled pot pie, dandelion salad — these were ordinary dishes when I was growing up. Not until I moved away from home did I learn that this was traditional Pennsylvania Dutch fare.
As all locals know, the term Dutch is a corruption of Deutsch, or German. The first settlers emigrated from the German-speaking areas of Europe before 1800 to escape religious persecution. Lured by William Penn’s promise of religious freedom, they settled in Pennsylvania.
Along with their language, the settlers brought their cuisine. Heavy on meat and starches, it was meant to fill stomachs for a long day of work on the farm.
It also showcased the frugality of the immigrants. Nothing was wasted. Hogmaw is a typical example. A pig’s stomach was used as a vehicle to be filled with a mix of potatoes and other savory ingredients. Scrapple is a mixture of leftover pork parts cooked with cornmeal.
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