The PA Melting Pot: herald-standard

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Friday, November 20, 2015

THE PA MELTING POT: Special Thanksgiving Edition 2015

The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in Southwestern Pa. SPECIAL COLUMN – THANKSGIVING CUSTOMS

The offering of thanks at harvest time is not unique to

America. Such observances are known to have been held by

the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.

GERMANY/AUSTRIA/SWITZERLAND:

Thanksgiving in German Europe has a long tradition, but it is different from ours. The German, Austrian or Swiss Thanksgiving is usually a rural harvest time observance with church services, a parade, music, and a country fair atmosphere. Typical Germanic dishes include Rouladen (beef rolls with gravy), Goulash (beef stew with vegetables), Geschnetzeltes (liver in a wine cream sauce), Leber und Zwiebeln (Liver and onions), Konisberger Klopse (meatballs with hollandaise sauce), sauerbraten (marinated cooked beef), Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, spatlze (noodles) and apfel strudel (apple pastry).

ITALY:

Italians living in Italy do not celebrate Thanksgiving as in Pennsylvania but the Italians that have emigrated to PA have embraced Thanksgiving. Italians love any holiday that brings together friends, family and food. Every Italian family has their own unique traditions. They may serve a Spinach and Prosciutto Stuffed Turkey Breast or a whole roasted turkey. The meal may also include antipasto: Foglie di Salvia Fritte (fried sage leaves), Ricotta Funghi Ripieni (ricotta stuffed mushrooms, D'oliva Aromatizzato al Forno (baked seasoned olives) and Italian meats sausages. A soup course could be Zuppa Alla Zucca con Pancetta (butternut squash soup with pancetta) accompanied by a side dish such as Polenta con Funghi (polenta with wild mushrooms). Of course, Dolci (desserts) such as: Panna Cotta with Expresso Cream, Tiramisu, Crostata (pie) and Torta di castagne al cioccolato (chocolate chestnut cake) are the highlight of the meal!

POLAND:

Święto Dziękczynienia (Thanksgiving Day) is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. While certainly not a traditional Polish-rooted holiday, it has been eagerly observed by Polonians and Americans of other ethnic backgrounds as far back as anyone can remember. There is something very universal and appealing in the notion of gathering with one’s nearest of kin, thanking God for our numerous blessings and sharing a festive holiday meal. In some ways, that “big Thanksgiving dinner” is closer in spirit to the Polish Wigilia than any other American gathering. The menu is structured: Indyczka (roast turkey), Słodkie Ziemniaki (sweet potatoes), Sos Zuawinowo (cranberry-currant sauce), Dynię Pie (pumpkin pie), etc. In addition to the turkey, some Polish-American families serve Bigos (meat and cabbage stew), Kiełbasa, Pierogi, Gołąbki (cabbage rolls) and other favorites. Besides the pumpkin pie, Szarlotka (apple cake), Babka (sweet yeast cake), Placek (sweet yeast-raised cake with a crumb topping) or Sernik (cheesecake) may also turn up on the holiday table.

GREECE:

Every autumn, the ancient Greeks enjoyed a three-day festival to honor Demeter, the goddess of corn and grains and they still do. A Greek-inspired Thanksgiving menu might include the following: Kolokythosoupa Me Meli, Moscocarido kai Strangisto Yiaourti (acorn and butternut squash soup with honey, nutmeg and yogurt), Psiti Galopoula Gemisti me Kima, Stafides, Koukounari kai Kastana, Glasarismeno me Rodi, Ouzo, kai Portokali (roasted turkey breast stuffed with classic Greek chestnut-pine-nut-raisin-ground meat, glazed with pomegranate, ouzo, and orange), Glykopatates sto tigani, opos tis kanoun stin Kerkira, me meli (Corfu style fried sweet potatoes drizzled with Greek honey) and ”Mouzo” (chocolate mousse spiked with ouzo).

Christine Willard, a native of western Pennsylvania, researches and blogs about the food unique to Western Pennsylvania. She currently resides in North Carolina.

Germany Austria Switzerland

Italy

POLAND

GREECE

AROUND THE WORLD

http://www.goabroad.com/blog/2011/11/23/giving-world-thanksgiving/

GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND

(I have combined the three countries recipe links under Germany)

GERMAN FOODS

http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/erntedank-traditions/

GERMAN-WAY

http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/thanksgiving-in-germany/

BAVARIAN KITCHEN

http://www.bavariankitchen.com/meats/wiener_schnitzel.aspx

ALLRECIPES

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sherrys-german-turkey/

VIDEO OF RECIPE ABOVE

http://allrecipes.com/video/4822/sherrys-german-turkey/detail.aspx?prop24=RD_VideoTipsTricks

ITALY

ITALIAN FOOD FOREVER

http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2013/10/celebrating-an-italian-thanksgiving/

FOOD AND WINE

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/tom-valentis-italian-influenced-thanksgiving-dinner

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

http://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/menu/thanksgiving-menu-italian-thanksgiving-recipes/

MANGIABENEPASTA

http://www.mangiabenepasta.com/thanksgiving_dinner.html

POLAND

EAST EUROPEAN FOOD

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/holidaysfestivals/tp/thanksgiving.htm

POLISH PLATE

http://polishplate.com/articles/polish-thanksgiving,2.html

PWWA

http://www.pwaa.org/thanksgiving_polish_recipes.htm

FOOD NETWORK ON POLISH RECIPES

http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/polish.html

GREECE

ABOUT THANKSGIVING IN GREECE

http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/gpr/gpr06.htm

12 THANKSGIVING RECIPES

http://greekfood.about.com/od/tipsnutritionmenus/tp/tgiving.htm

ALL RECIPES TURKEY RECIPE

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-traditional-turkey-with-chestnut-and-pine-nut-stuffing/

GRECIAN DELIGHT

http://www.greciandelight.com/blog/post/Make-your-Thanksgiving-a-Greek-Thanksgiving.aspx

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The PA Melting Pot: THE PA MELTING POT - Special HALLOWEEN Post: Colum...

The PA Melting Pot: THE PA MELTING POT - Special HALLOWEEN Post: Colum...: Below is the column I authored for the Herald-Standard newspaper which appeared on 10 30 2014. Below the column are photos and links r...

THE PA MELTING POT - Special HALLOWEEN Post: Column, photos, links and videos!!

Below is the column I authored for the Herald-Standard newspaper which will appear on 10 30 2014. Below the column are photos and links referring to this column/blog.

The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in Southwestern PA – SPECIAL HALLOWEEN COLUMN

Halloween originated as a pagan festival in parts of Northern Europe and is a time when magic is most potent and spirits can make contact with the physical world. Immigrants from Scotland and Ireland brought the holiday to the United States.

Halloween commercialization began the US in the 1900’s when postcards and die-cut paper decorations were produced. Halloween costumes appeared around the 1930,s and the custom of 'trick-or-treat' appeared in the 1950's.

Modern day Halloween is more popular today with the youth in the countries below because of the influence and commercialization by the US. In this column Halloween customs of the top seven ethnic groups in western PA will be addressed.

GERMANY

Süßes Oder Saures (trick or treating) is very popular. Germans seems to indulge much more in scary dress-ups than their American counterparts, even for kids when it comes to Halloween. By mid-October, you’ll see some carved out pumpkins on peoples’ doorsteps in the streets of Germany and Austria, though not as much as in North America. Kürbis (pumpkin) and jack-o'lantern decorations are very popular.

IRISH/SCOTCH-IRISH

In the old days children and poor people would sing and say prayers for the dead in return for cakes. Guising (Scottish trick or treat) occurred when children disguised in costumes went from door to door for food and coins and then the custom became known as Trick no a choireail (Irish trick or treat). In Scotland in 1895 masqueraders would carry lanterns made out of scooped out turnips & visit homes to be rewarded with cakes, fruit and money. While going from door to door in disguise has remained popular among Scots and Irish and the custom of saying "trick or treat" has recently become common.

ITALY

These days among the younger generations Halloween has become more popular than Italy's very own Carnevale. Like the Germans and Americans Italians get crazy about dressing up and playing tricks on their friends. Dolcetto o scherzetto” (trick or treat) is also popular. During the night of All Dead, the souls of the departed come back from beyond the graves in a long line, walking around the streets of the towns. That is why we carve a pumpkin and place it on the window with a candle inside it to use as a lantern.

POLAND/CROATIA/UKRAINE

Pennsylvania is fourth in the US with Polish-American population with estimated figures of a million and 9% in Pittsburgh. Today, Pennsylvania's Croatian population of nearly a quarter million is the largest in the country and they even have their own consulate in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has the nation’s fifth largest Ukrainian community. These three countries are a large population contingent in western Pa. However, they don’t celebrate Halloween per se but All Saints’ Day (Hallowmas - a Christian feast in honor of all the saints) and All Souls’ Day (a day of prayer for the dead, particularly but not exclusively one's relatives). The annual celebration is now held on 2 November and is associated with All Saints' Day (1 November) and its vigil, Hallowe'en (31 October) which is a combined Catholic custom.

For recipes from 1700s to 1960s and modern day links visit www.ThePAMeltingPot.com. Christine Willard, a native of western Pennsylvania, researches and blogs about the food unique to Western Pennsylvania. She currently resides in North Carolina. Her blog can be found at www.ThePAMeltingPot.com.

German photos