Mennonite cuisine

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Russian Mennonite zwieback Mennonite-Zwieback.jpg
Russian Mennonite zwieback

Mennonite cuisine is food that is unique to and/or commonly associated with Mennonites, a Christian denomination that came out of sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation in Switzerland and the Netherlands. Because of persecution, they lived in community and fled to Prussia, Russia, North America, and Latin America. Groups like the Russian Mennonites developed a sense of ethnicity, which included cuisine adapted from the countries where they lived; thus, the term "Mennonite cuisine" does not apply to all, or even most Mennonites today, especially those outside of the traditional ethnic Mennonite groups. [2] Nor is the food necessarily unique to Mennonites, most of the dishes being variations on recipes common to the countries (Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Latin America) where they reside or resided in the past. [3]

Contents

Mennonites do not have any dietary restrictions as exist in some other religious groups. Some conservative Mennonites abstain from alcohol, but other Mennonites do not, with Mennonite distilleries existing as early as the late 16th century. [4]

Types of Russian Mennonite foods

Mennonite farmer sausage in a smoke shack Farmersausage.jpg
Mennonite farmer sausage in a smoke shack

Russian Mennonite cuisine combines features of various countries due to the history of migrations and most dishes would generally fall under the umbrella of Dutch, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian cuisine. Mennonites in Latin America also adopted local dishes to their cuisine. The result of all these influences is a particular cuisine unique to Russian Mennonites and not synonymous to cuisines of any of their host countries. Common ingredients in Russian Mennonite dishes include cabbage, potatoes, sausage, and a range of dairy products.

Common Dishes

Common dishes for Russian Mennonites include:

Seasonal Specialties

Dishes typically served once per year are:

  • paska, a sweet Easter bread
  • porzelke/portzelky or New Year's Cookies, a deep-fried sweet dumpling similar to oliebol

Cheese

Mennonite-style cheese is also famous worldwide. Queso Chihuahua or queso Chester are produced by Mennonites in northern Mexico and Bothwell Cheese is created by Mennonites in Manitoba, Canada.

Faspa

Russian Mennonites also commonly participate in a late-afternoon lunch called faspa, which usually consists of zwieback, deli meat, raisin buns, pickles, and cheese (especially cheese curds). This meal is easy to prepare and intended to give farmers a mid-afternoon lunch and Mennonite women a rest on Sunday. [8]

Types of Swiss Mennonite foods

Pfeffernusse, small spice cookies popular among ethnic Mennonites Pfeffernusse cocoa.jpg
Pfeffernüsse, small spice cookies popular among ethnic Mennonites

Because they immigrated to North America much sooner than the Russian Mennonites, there are fewer identifiable dishes associated with the Swiss Mennonites or Pennsylvania Dutch. German beer sausage, schoofly pie, apple fritters, and Amish glazed donuts are a few notable dishes. [10]

Cookbooks

A variety of cookbooks have recorded and preserved Swiss and Russian Mennonite recipes. First published in 1960 by Steinbach, Manitoba's Derksen Printers, The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes (commonly called The Mennonite Treasury) popularized Russian Mennonite cuisine and is the third-best-selling Mennonite book of all time, surpassed only recently by the writings of best-selling novelist Miriam Toews. [11] The "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" series also popularized Russian Mennonite dishes, [12] and the More-with-Less Cookbook is found in many Mennonite kitchens. The Mennonite Community Cookbook by Mary Emma Showalter was originally published in 1950 and features Swiss-German Mennonite recipes.

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Russian Mennonite zwieback, called Tweebak in Plautdietsch, is a yeast bread roll formed from two pieces of dough that are pulled apart when eaten. Placing the two balls of dough one on top of the other so that the top one does not fall off during the baking process is part of the art and challenge that must be mastered by the baker. Traditionally, this type of zwieback is baked Saturday and eaten Sunday morning and for afternoon Faspa, a light meal.

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References

  1. Voth, Norma Jost, "Mennonite Foods & Folkways from South Russia, Volumes I", pp. 35-55. Good Books, 1990. ISBN   0-934672-89-X
  2. "A celebration of food and faith". Canadian Mennonite. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  3. Andrew J. Bergman. "The Mennonite Obsession with Yerba Mate". MateOver Matter. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  4. "Ontario Mennonites and the Production and Use of Alcohol". Ontario Mennonite History. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  5. Gareth Brandt. "Mennonite food". Mennonite World Review. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  6. Andrew J. Bergman (6 November 2017). "The Mennonite Obsession with Yerba Mate". MateOverMatter. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  7. Norma Jost Voth. "Fragrant, golden zwieback comes from Russian Mennonite kitchens". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  8. "What is Faspa?". Goessel Museum. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  9. "Pfeffernuesse (Peppernuts)". Mennonitegirlscancook.ca. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  10. "Types of Food". New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  11. "How a meeting of Mennonites resulted in an all-time bestselling book" . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  12. "Mennonite Girls Can Cook becomes a live comedy". The Mennonite. Retrieved July 24, 2020.