THE PA MELTING POT: New Year's in Greece, The Balkans, The Ukraine and Croatia

Generic Eastern European New Year's Site

Column for The Uniontown Herald-Standard which appeared on 1/8/2015

The Melting Pot:  A SPECIAL NEW YEAR’S COLUMN

Hope everyone enjoyed your New Year’s celebration.  Many other countries also celebrated the New Year’s holiday. 

GREECE

According to the 2000 US Census there were approximately 15,000-20,000 Greek Americans in western Pa in the suburban areas.  New Year’s Day (or the Feast of Saint Basil) is a mix of traditional rites and modern fun.  On the morning of the New Year the children go from door to door singing kalanta (carols) and they are rewarded with a coin in return. Foods served during the holiday are:   Vassilopita (a sweet and savory bread baked with a gold or silver coin in it which will bring about good luck), Domatosoupa me Lathi (tomato and pasta soup), Tiropitakia (small feta cheese pies), Lahanosalata (winter cabbage salad), Galopoula Yemisti (stuffed turkey with chestnut and raisin stuffing),  Makaronia Ograten (meatless baked pasta), Meze (cheeses and olives), Horiatiko Psomi (crusty country bread) and epidórpia (desserts).

THE BALKANS

We don’t know how many Balkan Sea area descendants there are in western Pa. but numbers vary from 1 million to over 3 million in the United States.  Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and other former Yugoslavian countries celebrate New Year’s Day on January 13-14 according to the Julian calendar by decorating the Christmas tree on New Year’s Eve and exchanging presents at that time.  They also bake a bread similar to the coined Greek bread (Vassilopita) called Cesnica.   Some foods (Serbian terms) served were Pita Sa Sirom (cheese pies), Cevapcici (miniature kebabs stuffed into lepinja bread), Svinjetina Poroku (pork tenderloin), Sarma (stuffed cabbage), Pecenje (split-roasted pig), Tortes (tarts), Povitica (nutrolls), and Prijatnol (strudels) and desserts galore. Rakia (a powerful drink of grape brandy sometimes blended with whiskey and spices) is traditional at this time of year.

THE UKRAINE

The Pittsburgh area (also including Harmony Twp., Baden and Ambridge) is home to the fourth largest Ukrainian population in the United States, with most settling in the South Side, Carnegie, and McKees Rocks. Feasting on Ryba (fish), Salo (pork), Ovochi (legumes), Holubtsi (cabbage rolls), Pampushki (potato dumplings stuffed usually with cheese), Borshch (a basic stir-fry of grated beet root with tomatoes and vegetables), Varenyky (dough stuffed with anything: mashed potatoes with mushrooms and fried onions, pickled cabbage, minced meat and even cherries!) and Torty (cakes) and other confections are a big part of Ukrainian New Year's Eve and Day festivities celebrated on Jan. 13-14. Families gather to reflect on the past year, make toasts and predictions about the coming year, and presents are exchanged.

CROATIA

Pennsylvania is home to the largest population of Croatians in the country with approximately 50,000 residents in the state. That’s down from the 200,000 that were living in the Pittsburgh area in the early 1900’s.  It is difficult to estimate just how many Pittsburgh area residents are of Croatian descent today because "Croatia" included other nationalities.  In Croatia, New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties in houses, hotels, discos and public squares. Lucky foods eaten include Sarma (stuffed cabbage), Pecenka (spit-roasted pig), Cevapcici (minced meat kebab), Ajvar (spicy relish), Burek (special bread with cheese), Za Nareske (cold cuts), Strudels, Savijaca Od Oraha (nut rolls) and so much more are also eaten on New Year's Day, according to the family's preferences. 

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 .

GREECE

GREECE

Greek Traditions
http://www.123newyear.com/newyear-traditions/greece.html

Living in Greece

http://livingingreece.gr/2007/12/31/new-years-greece/

Explore Crete

http://www.explorecrete.com/traditions/christmas-
newyear.htm

RECIPES

Recipes from fathertimes

http://www.fathertimes.net/greeknewyear.htm

Greek New Year's Customs

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/01/01/greek-customs-to-welcome-the-new-year/

GREEK NEW YEAR’S CAKE RECIPE

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vaselopita---greek-new-years-cake/

THE BALKANS

THE BALKAN PENINSULA

(FORMER YUGOSLAVIA)

Balkan Flags

Traditional Serbian:

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/beginner-s-guide-to-the-traditional-serbian-christmas

The Balkans PDF link:  

https://www.academia.edu/230398/Cuisine_and_cultural_identity_in_the_Balkans

About the Balkans from WIKI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkans

About The Balkans

https://www.academia.edu/230398/Cuisine_and_cultural_identity_in_the_Balkans

Albanian Music VIDEO

http://www.peacefare.net/?p=21885

Balkan sausage recipe

http://www.food.com/recipe/cevapcici-cevapi-balkan-sausage-sandwiches-361035

New Year’s Eastern European food

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/newyears/a/new-year_2.htm  

Feel the Balkans

http://www.feelthebalkans.com/new-year-bg.html

THE UKRAINE

(If you recall last year Russia raided The Ukraine and took over Crimea because it has a port and a large Russian population. The area is still occupied)

The Ukraine Links

5 Best Ukrainian traditional foods

http://www.activeukraine.com/five-best-ukraine-traditional-foods/

Timetable for Ukrainian New Year’s Day

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/ukraine/new-year-day

Encyclopedia of Traditional Ukrainian Foods

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CT%5CR%5CTraditionalfoods.htm

Celebrating New Years and Christmas in the Ukraine

http://unona.net/articles_45_celebrating-new-year-and-christmas-in-ukraine.aspx

UKRAINIAN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS

http://www.brama.com/art/christmas.html

Christmas Kutya Recipe

http://www.food.com/recipe/ukrainian-christmas-kutya-77525

Top Five Ukrainian Christmas and New Year’s Dishes

http://discover-ukraine.info/articles/all/all/2880

All of Ukrainian holidays

http://www.kiev.info/about/holidays.htm

Carol of the Bells VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7DPHdrmsXc&list=PLLSnm86ifoZjQarAOjhwRYOpQINIzw8n9

Link to Ukrainian Christmas Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7DPHdrmsXc&list=PLLSnm86ifoZjQarAOjhwRYOpQINIzw8n9

First Ukrainian Concert Video of 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqyb9dx67JQ

CROATIA

Croatian links

Celebrating Croat New Years

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/newyears/a/new-year.htm

Croatian Food

http://www.love-croatia.com/Croatian-food.html

Pork and Sauerkraut

http://livepretty.com/2010/12/30/sretna-nova-godina-croatian-happy-new-year/

Zagreb New Year’s

http://www.secret-zagreb.com/2011/12/happy-new-year.html

Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/kbelllopez/new-years/

Sarma or Croatian Sauerkraut Rolls

http://www.food.com/recipe/sarma-croatian-sauerkraut-rolls-255049

Grandmas Povitisa (nut bread)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmas-povitisa-po-vuh-teet-zuh-povitica-croatian-nut-bread/Detail.aspx

Croatian VIDEO and links to Croatian Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZkwAerZU9kCroatian links

THE PA MELTING POT: 7-2 B SPECIAL COLUMN - ODE TO SLOVAK FOLK CRAFTS IN SW PA.

The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in 

southwestern Pa.:

 Special Column:  Ode to the Slovak Folk Crafts Shoppe in Grove City, PA

I received a letter in December of 2014  because I had been a previous customer of this establishment where I had purchased an ethnic cook book and a CD-ROM of the LARGE animated woodcarving (which filled a room – 17 feet across) from Slovakia.  The Shoppe opened in 2000 and closed in 2014 “to help the people of Slovakia (Czechoslovakia and Slovakia) in the difficult transition from a communist to a free-market economy”.

The Shoppe had offered handcrafts made by artisans in over 30 other countries including the US.  Customers from all 50 states, most of the Canadian provinces and 23 other countries have purchased over 32,000 decorated eggs.  

The Slovaks settled in three western PA counties (Allegheny, Fayette and Westmoreland) to build better lives & to escape oppression under Austro-Hungarian rule.  They became miners (in 1891 18,000 Slovak miners went on strike in Connellsville protesting exploitation and a cut in wages) and steel workers.  In Pittsburgh the Slovak-Americans were the 5th largest group after the Germans, Italians, Irishmen, and Poles. Hazelwood, North Braddock, West Mifflin, and Duquesne had 24% – 54% residents with Slovak ancestry in 1990.  According to the 2000 U.S. census (nationalities not addressed in 2010 census) there were 797,764 people of Slovak heritage living in the United States. Pennsylvania ranks first of the 50 states with 30.5% of these residents. Pittsburgh has 105,525, making it the #1 city in the world for people of Slovak heritage outside of Slovakia itself.   

They arrived during the Industrial Revolution and by 1907 almost 57 % of Pittsburgh steel workers were Slovaks who settled in Homestead and Munhall.  With wages so low for unskilled workers they chose poor housing and took in boarders to afford food.  Most of the foods served were meats and breads since the women didn’t have time to prepare expensive vegetables while taking care of their families, their homes and boarders. They spent 46 % of their income on food!  Most of their activities were centered around weddings, the church, holidays and their families. Food was a crucial part of Slovak life and key in this environment.

As they assimilated into their new country they got reputations as hard workers, reliable, patriotic and honest.  The Slovaks keep tradition alive and participate in the Pittsburgh Folk Festival every year in May.  There are three Slovakian societies in Pittsburgh also.

Common foods were and are:  Staromodny Zemiakova Polievka (old fashioned potato soup), Sladky Dezert Polievka (sweet dessert soup), Pulnina (veal loaf), Viancne Bean Jedlo (Christmas bean dish), Matice Vojne (nut rolls), Cirek (Easter cheese), Nove Matky Jacmen Polievka (new mother’s barley soup), Vianocne Kysla Hubova Polievka (Christmas sour mushroom soup), Ciberja (potato soup), Rasca Polievka (caraway seed soup), Bundurcov Halusky (potato dumplings), Kolbassa (pork sausage), Pirohy (pastries filled with cottage cheese, sauerkraut or potatoes), Halubky (stuffed cabbage), Goulash (stew), Kapusta Ochutenie, (sauerkraut relish), Brusnica Maline Kyslou Smotanu Forma (cranberry/raspberry/sour cream mold), Palancinky (crepes), Cheregie (deep fried pastries), Bublana (cherry or blueberry squares) and Kolachky (prune filled cookies).

For recipes from 1700s to 1960s and modern day links versions, 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.

 LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RECIPES BELOW PHOTOS!!

LINK FROM GLOBALPITTSBURGH.ORG

Slovakian

The first wave of Slovak immigrants came to the Pittsburgh region in the 1890s. It is estimated that close to 100,000 came to this area looking for work and a chance for a better life. The National Slovak Society, the first fraternal benefit organization in America, was found in Pittsburgh in 1890, to help these new citizens financially and socially. Churches and schools were built in each neighborhood were Slovaks lived. It is estimated that by 1920, there were 28 Catholic Slovak churches many with adjoining schools and social halls. The Slovak Lutherans also founded their own churches and organizations. The Byzantine or Greek Catholics from Slovakia also established their own places of worship.

Even though the neighborhood churches are gone, the young American Slovaks look to the Slovak fraternal societies and the cultural organizations to keep their heritage alive. The University of Pittsburgh has a permanently endowed Slovak Program within the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature. This was established and funded by the Slovak Fraternal organization.

According to the 2000 U.S. census, there are 797,764 people of Slovak heritage living in the United States. Pennsylvania ranks first of the 50 states with 243,009 (30.5%) of these residents. Metropolitan Pittsburgh has 105,525, making it the #1 city in the world for people of Slovak heritage outside of Slovakia itself.

• Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association: (http://wpsca.org/)
  One of the goals of WPSCA is to acquaint the general public with the geography, history and culture of the Slovak Republic.
   
• National Slovak Society of the USA: (http://www.nsslife.org/)
  Its mission is to unite persons of Slovak and Slavic ancestry and their non-Slav friends and relatives in a fraternal benefit society.
  351 Valley Brook Road
  McMurray, PA 15317-3337
   

SLOVAKIAN ODE TO SLOVAK CRAFTS SPECIAL COLUMN LINKS

LINK FROM EVERY CULTURE ON SLOVAKIA

http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Slovakia.html

TRADITIONS

http://referaty.aktuality.sk/slovak-traditions/referat-20410

CHRISTMAS IN SLOVAKIA

http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/slovakia.shtml

LINK TO SLOVAKIAN VIDEOS 
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlovakTB

RECIPES 1

http://www.slovak-republic.org/food/

RECIPES 2

http://www.slovakcooking.com/

RECIPES 3

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,slovak_food,FF.html

RECIPES 4

http://www.pinterest.com/explore/slovak-recipes/