THE PA MELTING POT: 12 A - Scandinavian Americans - Recipes, Photos and Videos

This is the column that till appear in the Uniontown Herald-Standard on September 19, 2014.  

Below the column are photos, informational and food links!!

A look at the evolution of food in southwestern Pennsylvania – SCANDINAVIANS:  12 A

There are over 12 million Scandinavian-Americans in the US. Several counties in western PA have multiple traces of Scandinavian populations: Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, Somerset, Warren, Erie, Crawford, Jefferson, Mercer and Allegheny.  Although there is no actual count of the amount of Scandinavian-Americans in southwestern Pa, there is evidence that the first to arrive were the Finns that settled in the Monessen/Charleroi area. They came to work in the mining and steel industry as did the Swedes who settled in the Braddock/Swissvale area. There are two active Scandinavian organizations in Pittsburgh.  The following is just a sampling:

DENMARK: 

Cheeses:

Danish Blue and Havarti

Beverages:

TEHO (energy drink)

Alcohol:

Akvavit (caraway or dill flavor), Absolut vodka, beer and wines (Cabernet grapes)

Sausage:

Medisterpolse (spicy sausage made of pork seasoned with allspice, cloves, etc.)

Meats, Fish and Veggies:

Millionbøf (stir fried beef dish with onions and pepper served with potatoes/pasta)

Sweets:

Pfeffernusse or pebernodder (tiny spice cookies served as holiday treat)

Confectionary:  

Lontoon rakeet (Lemon drops) and liquorice candy

FINLAND:

Cheeses:

Aura (blue cheese), Leipajuusto (curdled bread cheese) and Oltermanni (similar to Havarti)

Beverages:

TEHO (energy drink)

Alcohol:

Vodkas, whiskeys, beer, mead and Lakka (liqueur made from the cloudberry fruit)

Sausage:

Mustamakkara (Finnish blood sausage eaten with lingonberry jam)

Meats, Fish and Veggies:  

Cabbage rolls with a variety of fillings

Sweets:

Wiernerbrod (similar to puff pastry)

Confectionary:

Licorice wheels, Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats, London drops (liquorice candy)

ICELAND:

Cheeses:

Hofoingi (creamy-soft, semi-runny cheese with a white rind and a smooth, mild flavor)

Beverages: 

Engifermjolk (ginger milk), Kumenkaffi (caraway coffee) and Heitt sukkulaoi (hot chocolate)

Alcohol:

Beer, Brennivín (clear, unsweetened schnapps flavored with caraway and is Iceland's signature distilled beverage)

Sausage:

Slátur (blood pudding and/or liver sausage)

Meats, Fish and Veggies:

Whale, seal, shark meat and seafood

Sweets:

Kleina (a fried pastry)

Confectionary:

Liquorice, hazelnut and chocolate candies

NORWAY:

Cheeses:

Most known in this country: Jarlsberg (mild and buttery cheese with a yellow-wax rind and a semi-firm yellow)

Beverages: 

Farris (mineral water), Julebrus and Solo (soft drinks)

Alcohol:  

Beer, Vodkas and Akvavit (caraway or dill flavor)  

Meats, Fish and Veggies:  

Sautéed reindeer, smoked salmon, Lapskaus (leftover meat and vegetable stew)

Sweets:  

Krumkake (waffle cookie rolled into small cones & filled with whipped cream or other fillings)

Confectionary:

Nugatti (chocolate spread made from hazelnuts and nougat) and Lingonberry jam (served with pancakes served as a relish meatballs beef stew or liver dishes)

SWEDEN:

Cheeses:

Grevé (cow's milk cheese, similar to Emmenthal), Moose cheese (created from moose milk) and Hushållsost (a semi-hard cheese, with small granular holes)

Beverages: 

Pepsi Cola, Fruktsoda (lemon-lime soda) and Julmust (soda made with malt and hops)

Alcohol:

Beer, wine, vodkas, whiskeys and Akvavit (caraway or dill flavor) and Bäsk (like absinthe)  

Sausage:

Falukorv (large cooked sausage) and Swedish meatballs with Lingonberry sauce

Meats, Fish and Veggies:

Reindeer which is thinly sliced, sautéed, spiced with pepper and then cream or beer is added

Sweets:

Hallongrotta (thumb print cookies) and apple pie (like our double crusted lattice woven)

Confectionary:

Ischoklad (Christmas candy made of chocolate and coconut oil) and Knäck (a traditional Christmas toffee).

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 .

PHOTOS (below photos are LINKS)

FOOD PHOTOS

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

LINKS:

Scandinavian Society of Western Pennsylvania: (http://www.pittsburghscandinavians.org/)
Representing the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, it promotes cultural and social activities in the Pittsburgh area.
324 Thompson Run Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone: 412-531-2609

§  Finlandian Foundation, Pittsburgh Chapter: (http://www.pittsburghfinns.org/)
The Finlandian Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support and preservation of Finnish culture. The Pittsburgh chapter sponsors regular meetings, and annual holiday party, a newsletter and other cultural or social events. Membership is open to anyone interested in our purpose and events.

FOOD LINKS:

Danish food link from About.com

Danish

Finnish food link from About.com

Finish

Icelandic food link from About.com

Icelandic

Norwegian food link from About.com

Norwegian

Swedish food link from About.com

Swedish

FOOD AND WINE

Trendspotting Nordic Food

United Kingdom TV

Scandinavian from from UKTV

AllRecipes.com

All recipes - over 200 Scandinavian recipes

VIDEOS

NEW NORDIC CUISINE

NEW SCANDINAVIAN COOKING

Planet Food - Scandinavia NOTE: full screen blurry

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

UKRAINE: Ukrainian Festival in Pittsburgh August 24 2014 - QUIK LINK

LINK

  

   

  

THE PA MELTING POT: Part 9 - 3 ITALY: Campania

The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in Southwestern Pa. Part 9 

SOUTHERN Europeans: Italy: Part 3 – CAMPANIA

Western PA’s Italian population is 15.4%/13.2% in Allegheny/Fayette counties respectively.  Every June Fayette County holds The Heart of Italy Italian Festival. Pittsburgh has one of the largest Italian-American communities in the nation.

From 1900 until the outbreak of the Great War (World War I) in 1914, an astonishing 2 million Italians immigrated to the US. All told, from 1876 until 1924, a total of about 4.5 million Italians immigrated to the United States.

After 1890, Italians began to predominate in several of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, such as Oakland, East Liberty, the Lower Hill, the Bluff, and Bloomfield. A number of these neighborhoods, such as Bloomfield, had formerly been home to German and Irish families.

In western PA there are enclaves of Italians in every community from New Castle to Monaca, Aliquippa and Ambridge to Coraopolis, McKees Rocks, Oakland and Morningside to New Kensington and Vandergrift to Canonsburg and Cecil to Erie. In the Pittsburgh district, the official “Little Italy” is located in Bloomfield!

Some of the Italian Immigrants from the 1870’s to 1924 were from Campania (southern Italy). Included are the cities of Naples, Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno, Capri and Ischia.

Campania mainly produces fruits, vegetables, fifty % of Italy’s nuts and is a leader in production of tomatoes.  

Common cheeses produced in the area are: Burrini (cheese with butter filling), Caciocavallo (like spicy provolone), Mozzarella, Ricotta, Provolone and Scamorza (made with cow’s milk). Wine production has increased, together with the quality of the wine. Olive trees produce olive oils.

The cuisine of Campania has been influenced by the Greeks, 

Romans, Spanish and French over the centuries. 

CAMPANIAN  FOODS: Appetizers include: 

Peperoni Imbottiti (Pimentos stuffed with bread crumbs, garlic, anchovies,

and capers),

Insalata di rinforzo (cauliflower, olive and caper salad) and of 

course Antipasti.

Beverages: Aperitivo (Aperitif) are enjoyed as an appetizer 

before a large meal: Campari, Cinzano, Prosecco, Aperol, Spritz 

and Vermouth and Digestivo (Digestives) are served after the 

meal: Grappa, Amaro, Limoncello and Sambuca. And of course wine.

Regional main dishes include: Bistecca alla pizzaiola (a piece of steak served with a hot tomato sauce spiced up with herbs and peppers), Calzoni alla napoletana (tubular or square pasta stuffed with cottage & mozzarella cheeses, egg and tomato paste), Canelloni ripieni (stuffing includes beef, egg, onion, mozzarella and Pecorino cheese covered with a tomato puree, pancetta, and pecorino sauce), Fritto de pesce (mixed fish fry) and Lasagne Imbottite (pasta with ricotta cheese, meat sauce, pork, ham, hard boiled eggs and sausage).

Traditional desserts (cookies, cakes, fritters, holiday breads, pastries, pies and tarts): include: Pastiera (pastry filled with ricotta cheese and candied peel), Sfogliatella (flaky pastry filled with ricotta, sugar, and mixed candied orange/lemon bits/cinnamon), Amaretti (almond cookies), Biancomangiare (lemon flavored cream or pudding), Budino di Mascarpone (mascarpone cheese sweet pudding flavored with amaretti cookies), Coviglie al caffe (Neapolitan pudding flavored with espresso coffee), Pompelmi e arance in insalata (orange and grapefruit salad flavored with liqueur) and Scazzetta (sponge cake stuffed with pastry cream and strawberries).

  

  

    

LINK to 50 Most Popular Foods in Campania

LINK to Wiki on Campania

LINK to Pennsylvania Campanians

LINK to Jovinacooks on western PA little Italies

LINK to Jovinacooks Italian about West Virginian Campanians

LINK to southern Campania familiar names

LINK to Everyculture on Italian Americans

LINK to Campanian Dishes and Desserts

LINK to Campania recipes

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