Thursday, May 21, 2020

THE PA MELTING POT - Germany: German Sects: Part 3 Germany-Austria

AUSTRIAN AND GERMAN VIDEOS RECIPES INFORMATIONAL LINKS BELOW THE PHOTOS.


The Melting Pot: A look at the evolution of food in southwestern Pa.  German Sects:  Part 3 Germany-Austria

Due to their proximity/history the countries of 

Germany and Austria were and are tied together as is their  culture, food, beliefs, religions and more!!


Austrian Americans:  According to the 2000 US census bureau there were 50 million Americans (17% of US population) either born in Germany or of German ancestry (the largest ancestry group in America) and 735,138 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent. 


 However, again, due to the inaccuracies of the immigration records this is probably a low count as Austrians were often categorized as Germans because of their shared cultural-linguistic and ethnic origins and from where they immigrated to the US because of persecution (Austro-Hungary, Austria, etc.)

Prior to the 1850s, this Pittsburgh area was largely farmland, but was subdivided into residential lots, first for the growing German population and later for the Croats.  It was commonly referred to as "Deutschtown". Known Austrian communities in western Pennsylvania are Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills, suburbs of Pittsburgh, which sport a 2% Austrian population.  Known German communities in Pittsburgh are Troy Hill, Mt. Washington and East Allegheny (aka Deutschtown).  The word German will be will be used to refer to the Germans and Austrians.

In Pittsburgh/Allegheny County there are five large white ethnic groups of which German is the largest at 19.7% or more.  Fayette County boasts a 19.8 % German population.


Historic places:  The Tuetonia Mannerchor Hall 

in East Allegheny (Deutschtown) which was constructed in 1888, the 1852 St. Mary's German Catholic Church and The Penn Brewery which is housed in the old Eberhardt & Ober Brewery (1882-1906) buildings. Penn Brewery makes the award-winning Penn Pilsner and a number of other specialty beers. The "tied house” (brewery and restaurant under one roof) features a full German menu and live music.  Penn Brewery and the Greentree area hold an Oktoberfest every year in September/October.

German-Austrian cuisine is based on central 
European cuisine.  General foods are sweet-sour dishes,, aromatisoups, zestful sausages, delicious breads and coffee cakes, mouth-watering strudel, apple pancakes, dumplings and more!!

Suppen (soups) include: Erbsensuppe mit Saurer Sahne (Green peas & sour cream), Linsensuppe mit Wurstchen (Lentil and frankfurters), Gemusesuppe (Vegetable), Kartoffelsuppe (Potato) and Leberklosschen (Liver Dumplings).

Kuchen (Bread) include:  Coffee cakes:  Streuselkuchen mit Mandeln (Almond-Crumb), Pflaumenkuchen (Plum), Zimtkuchen (Cinnamon), Apfelkuchen (Apple) and Berliner Pfannkuchen (Filled Berlin Donuts).

Hauptgerichte (Main dishes) are made up of pork, veal, poultry and fish such as Gedampfter Rindsbratan (Beef Pot Roast with Wine), Sauerbraten (Marinated Beef), Ochsenschwanz-Eintopf (Oxtail Stew), Wiener Schnitzel (Breaded Veal Cutlets), Gewurzte Schweinsrippchen (Braised Spicy Spareribs) and Skampi auf Wienerische Art (Shrimp, Viennese-Style).

Beilagen (side dishes) are Reibekuchen (Potato Pancakes), Nudeln (Buttered Noodles) and Klosse (dumplings).

Gemuse (Vegetables) recipes include: Blumenkohl mit Senfsosse (Cauliflower and Mustard Sauce), Rotkohl (Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage), Sauerkraut mit Kummel (Sauerkraut, Caraway Seeds), and Kohlrabi in Rahmsosse (Kohlrabi, Sour Cream).

Torten und Desserts (Tortes and desserts):  Blitztorte (Vanilla Pudding), Walnusstorte (Walnut), Haselnusstorte (Hazelnut), and Schokoladentorte (Chocolate). Tortes and desserts are iced or filled with butter-cream, rum filling, sweetened whipped cream and more.

Getränke (Beverages) include Jagermeister (digestif made with 56 herbs and spices), Bier (beer), Wein (wine), Schnapps (distilled liquor not as sweet as liqueurs) and Kaffee or Mokka (coffee) among others.

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 is www.ThePAMeltingPot.com


Other comments:  


Since the First World War and until the end of the Great Depression, Austrian immigration was low until it slowed to a trickle during the years of the Depression. During the postwar period of 1919 to 1924, fewer than 20,000 Austrians arrived in the United States, most of them from Burgenland. Also, laws restricting immigration to the U.S. imposed by the Austrian government limited Austrian emigration, further reducing it to only 1,413 persons per year. However, in the late 1930s, a new Austrian wave of immigrants began arriving in the United States. Most of them were Jews fleeing the Nazi persecution which culminated in the Annexation of Austria in 1938. In 1941, some 29,000 Jewish Austrians had emigrated to the United States. Most of them were doctors, lawyers, architects and artists (such as composers and stage and film directors).
Much later, between 1945–1960, some 40,000 Austrians entered the United States. Since the 60s, however, Austrian immigration has been negligible, mostly because Austria is nowadays a developed nation where poverty and political oppression is scarce. According to the 1990 U.S. census, 948,558 people claimed be of Austrian descent, only 0.4 percent of the total population, when in the 19th century, a total of 4,2 million Austrians had immigrated to the United States.

Photos of Germany

  








Photos of German Food











 Photos of Austria








Flag of Austria
  
  

  Photos of Austrian Food









(Note:  I have chosen older videos that don't have so many ads!!!!!!!!!)

Austrian Food Links






Austrian Informational Links




Austrian Food Videos

       Food from Vienna        


Food and Drink in Vienna  
   

A whirl around Vienna's coffee houses      

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

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German food links






German Informational Links




German Food Videos

  Spaetzle  (German noodles)
                             

Top Ten German Foods         


Top Ten German Chocolates 


Austrian and German Food Video




Tuesday, December 10, 2019

THE PA MELTING POT - Part 9-1 - SE Europe - Italy - Sicily - Videos too




(Recipes and other links about Sicily below Generic Food Photos)

The PA Melting Pot

A look at the evolution of food in southwestern Pennsylvania – 
Part 9 – Southern Europeans - Italians – Sicilians

13% of western Pennsylvania’s population is Italian third only to the Germans and Irish.  The immigrants who came to western Pennsylvania from 1880 up to the breakout of World War I came from southern Italy: Sicily, Calabria, Abruzzi and Campagna.  In this part we will cover the Sicilians who had a large impact on foods in the area.  

Sicily (an autonomous island) is located in the central Mediterranean therefore has a Mediterranean climate (thus growth of citrus fruits, olives, etc.)   Mt Etna, a world famous, still active volcano, provides some of the best wines due to the soil content from the volcanic ash.  

Sicily has a rich culture due to the many peoples who settled there over the years:  Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Spanish and English (Bourbons).  All of these cultures affected the unique Sicilian cuisine. 

INFLUENCES: Arab influences on the cuisine are apricotssugarcitrus,  sweet melonsricesaffronraisinsnutmegcloves
pepperpine nuts, and cinnamon (along with fried preparations).  Influences of German cuisine: meat dishes. The Spanish Influences include cocoa, maize, peppers, turkey, tomatoes, etc. Greek influences are fish, olives, broad beans, pistachios, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and fresh vegetables. North African influence is couscous.

Antipasti (or starters) are very important in Italian and Sicilian cuisine. Two very Sicilian antipasti are caponata (eggplant relish) and Gato di patate (cheese and potato pie).  Also unique are Arancine (popular street food) which are fried or baked bread crumb coated rice balls usually filled with meat sauce, tomato sauce, peas, or mozzarella.

Cheeses: Italy has over 300 cheeses 2nd rival to France with over 400. Some Sicilian cheeses are Pecorino (sheep’s milk), Caciocavalla (aged cow’s milk cheese good with stronger red wines), Canestrato (similar to pecorino & served with wine and fruit), Piacentinu (Mt. Etna area sheep’s milk cheese flavored with saffron), Provola (more than one variety made from cow’s milk and comes in bulb shape; has a sharp flavor), Tumo (flavored with peppercorns or other spices & good with ham, wines and fruits) and others.

Fruits: Citrus fruits such as oranges (blood, blonde, ovale, bitter, bell-shaped, Moro, mandarin and others), lemons and limes are plentiful.

Pasta, of course, includes spaghetti ai ricci (spaghetti prepared with sea urchin), Pasta alle sarde (anchovies), Manicotti and the most famous signature dish is Pasta alla Norma (eggplant, oregano, red chili, garlic, basil, herb vinegar, plum tomatoes, pasta, grated cheese).

Secondi or main dish is mainly seafood based opon the availability of seasonal Mediterranean seafood.

Sweets are another specialty; examples include: Cassatas (cake with ricotta icing layered with candied fruit), Frutta Martorana (fruit shaped marzipan), Pignolata (is a Sicilian pastry covered in chocolate & lemon flavored syrup which hardens the pastry), Granita (semi-frozen dessert with flavorings), Sorbet and Italian Ice.

Wines:  reds and whites are top quality because of the Mt. Etna soil and accompany dinner. Dessert wines such as Marsala are popular.  Limoncello (a lemon liqueur) and Amaro Siciliano (herbal drink) are other Sicilian drinks.

The next column will deal with Part 10 – North Central Europeans - Poland

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.
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Below photos are informational and recipe links

  

 









 
Sicilian Foods' Photos











SICILY
VIDEOS

Meat Pies

Garlic and Oil Spaghetti