A Culinary Journey from Germany to Pennsylvania
July 21 2023–May 12, 2024
From sausage to scrapple, discover Pennsylvania Dutch foods through historic objects, photos, and art in this special double exhibit in the Dolloff Local History Gallery. We are hosting the exhibit Culinary Customs: A Taste of Germany from the German-American Heritage Center in Davenport, Iowa, to give our visitors an overview of our Pennsylvania German food origins. To accompany this exhibit, we will feature our own exhibit that will focus on favorite Pennsylvania Dutch foods—from chicken pot pie and scrapple to schnitz un knepp and pie of all varieties—and much, much more! It will be a light-hearted approach to the evolution of the best-known and loved Pennsylvania Dutch foods from the time of European settlement in the 1700s to the use of convenience foods in the 1900s.
The exhibit is available during museum hours with free admission. We thank John H. Weber for his support of this exhibit. For information on exhibit-related programs, see below. You can register for programs by clicking on the program’s date on the calendar.
Painting: Grandma’s Kitchen, Jeff Marks, Collection of the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
Celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas with Pennsylvania German traditional foods
Enjoy this old tune with new lyrics thanks to the talented Douglas Madenford. Each day features an old-time favorite food from the Nancy Roan Archive based upon how many recipes exist in the archive for that food. For example, there are ten versions of Apeas Cake!
On each of the twelve days of Christmas (December 25 through January 5), we will post a recipe on Facebook following along with the song lyrics. Here on the website, you can find all of the recipes for each day. (Days 1–7, 8–10, and 11–12)
Happy cooking and eating!
In 2023 and 2024, we have been featuring recipes from the Nancy Roan Archive to complement the exhibit A Culinary Journey from Germany to Philadelphia. [hyper link] In the mid-1900s, Nancy interviewed older people, many of whom grew up in the late 1800s, about the food their family made and ate. We discovered that there were multiple versions of many favorites—and so the idea of a “12 Days of Christmas” was born. Recipe cards for some of these foods as well as others are available for free at the exhibit’s interactive table. Much thanks to Alice Wolfgang for her inspiration and time as she transcribed the recipes, and thanks to Doug Madenford for setting it to music for us.
Exhibit-related programs
February 8 Hands-On Heritage Family Activity: Soup Mix Jars - 5–7pm
Ingredients provided to bottle soup mix into jars to make at home. Free of charge but please register by calling 215-679-3103 or emailing Meredith Reinhart at meredith@schwenkfelder.org.*Make sure to register for this event so we don’t run out of ingredients.
February 14 Heritage Poultry Breeds Brown Bag Lecture - Noon
Many heritage poultry breeds raised by our farming ancestors are in danger of extinction because they aren't favored by modern agriculture. They are slower growing but often are more hearty and longer lived than commercial strains. 4-H Youth development educator and small flock poultry grower and expert Emily Shoup will discuss the breeds and how you can help conserve these old poultry breeds by raising them yourself. Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. Free.
March 9 Moravian Sugar Cake Workshop – 9–11am
Brought to Bethlehem by the early Moravian settlers and handed down from mother to daughter through successive generations, the Moravian Sugar Cake has remained a local favorite for centuries. Learn how to make this buttery yeasty cake in this workshop taught by Alice Wolfgang and go home with one ready for the oven! Participants will also enjoy a brief presentation that explains how the Moravian cake is related to the Schwenkfelder cake and provides 6 different variations of the recipe. Preregistration is required and the workshop fee is $20 plus a $10 fee for the baking supplies. Participants should bring a 9X13 cake pan, mixing bowl (3 quarts or larger), mixing spoon, small plastic tub with lid (2 c), dry measuring cups, Pyrex measuring cups, and measuring spoons. Register at https://www.schwenkfelder.org/calendar/moravian-sugar-cake-workshop or call 215-679-3103.
March 13 Fashnachts and Fish Fridays: Eating Our Way Through Carnival and Lent Brown Bag Lecture - Noon
Join Heritage Center Curator Candace Perry for a fun illustrated lecture about foods you should probably give up for Lent because they are secretly (or not so secretly) delicious and decadent! This program will examine Lenten culinary traditions in Europe and the United States, focusing, of course, on German-speaking countries and the Pennsylvania Germans. Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. Free.
March 17 Heirloom Vegetables Talk with William Woys Weaver – 2pm
Dr. William Woys Weaver, an internationally known food historian and author of “Heirloom Vegetable Gardening” and numerous other titles lecture will survey what we know about kitchen gardens based on surviving documentation as well as horticultural genealogies that trace back into Mennonite seed exchanges with Holland. Dr. Weaver will discuss the 18th century varieties that form the basis for Pennsylvania Dutch foodways and the connections with Europe, like the Dutch Mennonite subventions paid for by Mennonite Agnes Block (1629-1704). Dr. Weaver will have his books and a selection of his heirloom vegetable seeds available for purchase at the program. Admission to the program is $5. Register at https://www.schwenkfelder.org/calendar/the-pennsylvania-dutch-kitchen-garden or by calling 215-679-3103.
April 10 Development of the Kitchen Cook Stove Brown Bag Lecture – Noon
Historian Bob Wood traces the development of coal and wood fired kitchen stoves and the transition from hearth cooking to kitchen stoves by the end of the nineteenth century. Some will fondly remember how the wood burning kitchen cook stove served not only for doing the family’s cooking and baking but also for warming up after sledding and drying wet mittens. Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. Free.
April 18 Hands-On Heritage Family Activity: American Girl Springtime Tea – 5–7pm
An American Girl springtime tea with your friends and favorite doll or stuffed animal. We will learn about a female historical figure, engage in crafts and activities, socialize with friends and enjoy refreshments. Everyone will receive a journal to use and keep. Free of charge but please register by calling 215-679-3103 or emailing Meredith Reinhart at meredith@schwenkfelder.org to ensure supplies.
Special Post Exhibit Program
July 10 – “Pie, Glorious Pie” Brown Bag Lecture - Noon
”Pie, Glorious Pie” will provide us not only with the rich history of Pa German pie-making, but also over 25 traditional and contemporary recipes accompanied by mouth-watering visuals for both savory and dessert pies. Learn how both the bake oven and the wood cookstove were used. Potato pie, onion pie, green tomato pie, peach custard.......there is bound to be one you will want to try when you get home! Program in-person or via Zoom. Register by emailing info@schwenkfelder.org or calling 215-679-3103. Free.