Amazon.com Review
Long before the rest of America decided to get back to healthy basics in their cooking and eating habits, the Pennsylvania Dutch were happily living off the land. Among their fertile, rolling hills and lush green fields, these farm folk speak about their distinctive cuisine in a language that, in some parts of the United States, has been spoken longer than English. Pennsylfaanisch names grace every recipe in
Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking, and to help non-Pennsylfaanisch speakers with pronunciation, there's a guide and even a glossary of additional food terms. But what's in a name? It's the cooking that counts in this compendium of more than 100 authentic recipes that are both delicious and healthy. There are recipes for breads, soups and noodles, meats, vegetables, and even a section for special holiday feasts. There are beverages such as Wheatland Harvest Tea, made from spearmint, lemon balm, tarragon, and bergamot leaves; desserts such as Hickory Nut Dumplings, served with stewed peaches; and recipes for rye, buckeye, sourdough, and potato breads, among many others.
As if the recipes alone weren't enough, Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking is brimming with photographs of the countryside, the gardens, the people, and, of course, the foods of this special place. This is a book that feeds the soul as well as the body, a feast for the eyes as well as the table.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
The term "Pennsylvania Dutch cooking" covers a lot of ground, and almost has to. In this meticulously researched book, Weaver ( Quaker Woman's Cookbook ), a 13th-generation Pennsylvanian and Mennonite descendent, clearly and insightfully explains the complex heritage of the people now known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, discussing their history and the meetings of New World and European traditions. The book evokes the close harmony between a people, the seasons, and the food they grow and cook. With beautiful photographs and ample illustrations, this is an excellent introduction to a complicated regional history and culture. Each recipe is accompanied by a brief explanation of its place in that culture. The recipes, however, are not to be taken up lightly; though Weaver has done an outstanding job of adapting them to the modern kitchen, they require both skill and time, and the use of labor-saving devices is not favored. Many recipes call for homemade stocks and organic grains, and will require the reader to hunt down ingredients in specialty shops. Some, like "hinkeldarremkuche" (chickweed pie), even call for readers to harvest their own chickweed. But for those with the dedication, culinary delights await: Christmas "mummeli" (gingerbread men), "hickeniss-gnepp" (hickory-nut dumplings) and "forty-nine beans," the Penn Dutch answer to applejack. A sturdy source list is provided.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.