Amish and mennonite cooking

Although the Amish and Mennonites are two separate Christian fellowships, one thing definitely ties the two communities together--food. Within the context of the Cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch, these two groups have established and developed an identifiable food tradition. Although the Amish are perceived as being "plain", they have distinguished themselves with flair in two particular areas--quilts and food.. The Amish and Mennonites have many specialty dishes that are learned by "feel" rather than by following a prescribed recipe. Their communities, particularly the Amish, support the continuation of these "handed-down" food traditions at gathered times such as barn raisings, sisters' day or funerals.. The Amish, and many Mennonites, grow and tend to their own fields and gardens. They engage in "pickling", preserving the food they grow in sweet and sour syrups.. It is interesting to note that in collections of Amish and Mennonite recipes, pronoun references to the cook are consistently female. In these societies, gender roles are pretty clearly defined, with women being solely responsible for food preparation.

Breads

One of the essential pieces of equipment in the Mennonite kitchen was the dough tray..

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