The PA Melting Pot: food

Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The PA Melting Pot: THE PA MELTING POT - Macedonians 6 - 3 - The Turks

The PA Melting Pot: Macedonians 6 - 3 - The Turks:

Thursday, February 19, 2015

THE PA MELTING POT: Southern Europeans: 9-5 Italy: Umbria

The Melting Pot: Southern Europe - Umbria

The 1870 United States Census shows there were 784 Italian-born Americans in the US. Today, over 17 million Americans claim Italian ancestry in the USA and the Italian Americans in the 10 southwestern counties of Pennsylvania claim their heritage: 26.1% (1^st - Lawrence) and 10.8% (10^th- Armstrong).

Again, as immigration officials would often combine all regions of a country by the language spoken or the point of origin there are no real numbers of exactly from which regions the Italians came although it seems that most came from central and southern Italy.

In Pittsburgh laborers frequently worked for the city’s public works services and the Equitable Gas Company and the Pennsylvania Railroad yards. Pittsburgh’s Italian neighborhoods included Oakland, East Liberty, the Lower Hill, the Bluff, and Bloomfield.

Umbrian cuisine is very rustic, often called “cucina povera”, or peasant cooking, which uses minimal ingredients and employs methods of preparation that rely heavily on local products: prosciutto, grains (faro), lentils, vegetables (asparagus), fresh herbs, olive oil (Umbria’s liquid gold), black and white truffles and chocolate. The simple traditional Umbrian dishes have been handed down through generations since the Etruscan times (700 BC).

Antipasti: Bruschetta topped with olive or truffle pastes, Verdure Grigliate con Olio d'Oliva (grilled vegetables with olive oil), and selections of Salumi (cured meats).

Carne e Pesce (meats and fish): Tagliatelle al Ragu d’Oca (Tagliatelle with Goose Ragu), Filetto di Maiale con Bacche di Ginepro (Pork with Juniper Berries), Cirole (pasta served with oil and garlic), Colombi (wild pigeons), Coneglio in Potacchietto (rabbit casserole with wine, garlic and rosemary), Medaglione alla Rossini (beef filet cooked a buttery Marsala sauce & served with slices of ham and cheese on top), Olivette di Vitello (little rolls of thinly sliced veal stuffed with anchovies and capers, dipped in batter and fried in butter) and Sogliola alla Rossini (fillet of sole with white-wine sauce and foie gras).

Insalate e verdure (salads and vegetables): Rucola con Pecorino, Pignoli e Pere (Arugula, Pecorino, Pine Nut and Pear Salad), Cardi alla Perugina (chards served in a tomato meat sauce), Fave alla Campagnola (slow-cooked broad beans served with olive oil and onion puree) and Olive al Forno (green olives wrapped in bacon and baked).

Pasta e Il Riso (pasta and rice): Calcioni or Piconi (ravioli), Cirole (pasta served with oil and garlic), Risotto alla Rossino (mushrooms and risotto), Spaghetti ai Tartuffi Neri (with the famous Umbrian black truffle) and Strangozzi di Spoleto (homemade flat pasta served with oil, garlic, basil and tomato).

Pane (breads): One very popular bread is torta al testo (a flat, thin bread cooked on a griddle pan which is often stuffed with cured meats, sausages or sauteed greens). Torcoletti (an Easter bread) is a Pecorino cheese bread and is baked in a ring shape.

Desserts (desserts): Biscotti ai Cereali (Umbrian Snow Flake Cookies), Cicerchiata (a honey and almond cake), Crostini Umbriachi (chocolate flavored bread) and Granita di limone (lemon granita-granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings).

Formaggi (cheeses): mature Pecorino sheep’s cheese and fresh or ripe goat’s cheeses are the most popular.

I Vini (wines): Red and white wines from Montefalco are the best known.

Liquori (liqueurs): Nocino is a digestif (served after dinner) made from green walnuts.

MANGIA BENE!

LINKS (PHOTOS BELOW)

LINK to Wiki on Italian Cuisine

LINK to EveryCulture on Italian-Americans

LINK To the Foods of Umbria

LINK TO Umbrian Recipes 1

LINK to Umbrian travel and recipes

LINK to nytimes.com and Umbrian recipes

Monday, August 4, 2014

THE PA MELTING POT: 6- 1B Greek Influences on western PA Cuisines - Photos, recipe links and videos!!

A look at the evolution of food in southwestern Pennsylvania – MACEDONIANS: Greek influence on the cuisines of Romania, Hungary and Italy. 6-1B

Since southwestern PA, northern W VA and southeastern Ohio area are so linked by Greek ethnicities, religions and customs, I thought I would talk about the influence of Greek cuisine on the cuisines of Italy, Romania and Hungary. The Greek civilization began in the 8^th to 6^th centuries BC, flourished from Central Asia to the western end of the Mediterranean Sea and provided the foundation of modern Western culture. Thus the cuisine of all those countries has been influenced by Greek cuisine.

I have chosen Italy, Romania and Hungary because of their large influences on the population of southwestern PA. PAST NUMBERS BECAUSE THE US STOPPED ASKING FOR SPECIFIC NATIONALITIES IN THE 2010 CENSUS:
ITALY: Western PA’s Italian population is estimated at 15.4%/13.2% in Allegheny/Fayette counties respectively. Pittsburgh has one of the largest Italian-American communities in the nation.
ROMANIA: There are estimated to be 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 Romanian-Americans in the US. Pennsylvania claims approximately 150,000-300,000. An accurate account is unavailable.
HUNGARY: There are an estimated amout of Hungarians 1,700,000 in the US and 132,000-150,000 in Pennsylvania. The triad of northern W VA, SW PA and SE Ohio contains a large Hungarian contingent.

COMMON FOODS:

Stuffed grape/cabbage leaves (Greek domades, Romanian and Hungarian dolma, and Italian cavolo tipieno) are very popular. They may be stuffed with vegetables, meats, rice, mint, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, dill, lemon, tomato paste, dried currants, pine nuts and other and served with egg-lemon or garlic-yogurt sauces.

Vegetable stews/soups (Greek ellines stifado, Romanian ghiveci de legume, Hungarian zddseg leves and Italian ciambotta) can contain, of course, vegetables such as peas/green beans, basil, oregano, lemon, tomatoes and other.

Cucumber-yoghurt soup/dip/sauce (Greek tzatziki, Romanian castrarveta supa, Hungarian citrom es tojas leves and Italian zuppa di uovo e limone) is served in warm weather and is made with cucumbers, yoghurt, mint, garlic, lemon, etc.

Stuffed peppers which have always been popular in PA (Greek gemistets piperies, Romanian ardei umplute, Hungarian toltott paprika and Italian peproni ripieni) are stuffed with vegetables including tomatoes, rice/orzo, beef or lamb and onion.

Meatballs (Greek keftedes, Romanian chifleluto, Hungarian derult egbol tasirt and Italian polpette) are usually made of beef and/or lamb with mint, garlic, onion, oregano, lemon and other herbs/spices. (Greek meatballs are traditionally served with tzatziki, salata and pita or pasta.)

Shish kabobs (Greek, Romanian and Italian shish kebobs and Hungarian dogok sisteregtek kabobs) are usually made with lamb, beef or chicken and vegetables (onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, peppers, etc.), marinated in a sauce and cooked on a grill (previously cooked over fires).

Crepes (Greek krep, Romanian crep/clatita, Hungarian crep palasinta and Italian crespo) are all-purpose flour/buckwheat flour based French pancakes with added egg, milk, butter, etc. and cooked on a griddle. Crepes can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Savory crepes can include ham & cheese, seafood and vegetable fillings. Sweet crepes contain fruits, are covered with powdered sugar and can be drizzled with chocolate, etc.

Baklava (Greek/Hungarian baklava, Romanian baclavaua and Italian il baklava) is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey and held together with syrup or honey.

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GREEK FOOD LINKS

GREEK FOOD FROM ALLRECIPES.COM

WIKI ON GREEK CUISINE

GREEK FOOD VIDEOS

ROMANIAN FOOD

ROMANIAN FOOD FROM ROMANIANFOODRECIPES.COM

WIKI ON ROMANIAN CUISINES

ROMANIAN FOOD VIDEOS ON YOU TUBE

HUNGARIAN FOOD

HUNGARIAN FOOD FROM FOOD.COM

WIKI ON HUNGARIAN CUISINE

HUNGARIAN FOOD VIDEOS FROM YOU TUBE

ITALIAN FOOD

OVER 5000 ITALIAN RECIPES FROM FOODNETWORK.COM

WIKI ON ITALIAN CUISINE

SEVERAL ITALIAN FOOD VIDEOS

Friday, June 20, 2014

THE PA MELTING POT - Macedonians 6 - 3 - The Turks

Under the column are photos and lots of links including
videos AND restaurant links in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

An active Turkish organization exists in Pittsburgh:
Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh: https://www.ptaa.org/)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TCCPenn/

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A look at the evolution of food in southwestern Pennsylvania –

MACEDONIANS: Part 6 – 3 The Turks

The largest number of ethnic Turks entered the US from 1900 and 1914. However the US passed the Immigration Act of 1917, which limited entries into the United States based on literacy and that halted some immigration. The early Turks were male-dominated economic farmer and shepherd emigrants from the lower socioeconomic classes; their main concern was to save enough money and return home. The majority settled in urban areas and worked in the industrial sector, taking difficult and lower-paying jobs in leather factories, tanneries, the iron and steel sector, and the wire, railroad, and automobile industries.

Later, a large wave of Turkish Americans who were more entrepreneurial came from 1960’s-1980 and on. During the last 15-25 years, Turkish grocery stores, restaurants and craft shops have increased in number. According to different online sources there are 7 to 14 restaurants that serve Turkish food in the Pittsburgh area.

BEVERAGE: Raki (the national drink) is a distilled beverage made from different fruits usually grapes, figs, raisins and plums. Raki is usually drunk with cold dishes like tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce salad and seafood. Fish is also a favorite, especially mullet and mackerel. Due to the aniseed it contains, raki changes color and becomes a milky white when water is added and a glass of pure water to go with it gives a distinct pleasant taste.

Meze platters are very popular in Turkey.

Meze are appetizers. I have decided to dedicate this column to meze platter items which are also popular in the original Macedonian Empire countries: Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus (I had meze in Cyprus), Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, etc. Meze or mezze are a compendium of all Macedonian foods. I think you will find them very interesting. I had a semi-Americanized meze platter party last year and everyone was anxious to try the dishes.

Turkish meze often consist of Beyaz Peynir (white cheese), Kavun (sliced ripe melon), Acili Ezme (hot pepper paste often with walnuts), Havdari (thick strained yogurt), Patlıcan Salatası (cold eggplant salad), Baba Ghanouse (mashed eggplant mixed with seasonings), Hummus (cooked, mashed chickpea dip), Kalamar (calamari or squid), Enginar (artichokes), Cacik (yogurt with cucumber and garlic), Dolma (vegetables like peppers or squash stuffed with rice, chopped mint, lemon juice, pepper, minced lamb) and Kofte (meatballs).

MORE MEZE (MEZZE): Kibbeh (bulgur wheat, chopped meat, and spices), Falafel (deep-fried ball or patty using ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both), Halloumi cheese (usually sliced and grilled or fried), Souvlaki (bite sized meat cubes, often lamb, grilled on a skewer over charcoal), Sarma (grape vine leaves, stuffed with rice, chopped mint, lemon juice, pepper, minced lamb), Shanklish (cow's milk or sheep's milk cheeses), Muhammara (a hot pepper dip with ground walnuts, breadcrumbs and seasonings), Pastirma (seasoned, air-dried cured beef meat), Tabbouleh (bulgur, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, spring onion, with lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings), Fattoush (salad made from several garden vegetables and toasted or fried pieces of pita bread), artichoke salad, Olives, Shepherd salad (Tomato, cucumber, pepper, parsley, onion or scallion) and Kisir (bulgur rice, tomatoes, scallions, parsley, olive oil, red pepper paste).

Turkish photos