Mennonite Food Culture By Madison Hofer

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1 Madison Hofer, daughter of Wayne and Kristi Hofer, will be a 7 th grader this fall at Freeman Public School, she enjoys reading, playing softball, raising her 4-H chickens and goats, genealogy, learning hutterish language from her dad, and hanging out with friends. Future plans include attending SDSU to become a veterinarian. Mennonite Food Culture By Madison Hofer Mennonite food is connected to the people's historical relationship to the land. Food is tied to their values and traditions of faith, family, and community. One example of this continued relationship is Schmeckfest which is a collaboration of three local ethnic groups: Swiss, Low German, and Hutters. These groups provide examples of traditional Mennonite foods and crafts by uniting together during this special event to celebrate their combined heritages. This allows their community to continue to experience their Mennonite history and culture. Traditional Mennonite foods only included foods that they could grow, raise, or find locally. They needed to preserve fruits and vegetables for use over the winter months. Only earthen cellars were available to store potatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, beets, and dried fruits so these foods are predominant in Mennonite recipes. Dill, parsley, and chives were readily available as well to add flavoring. Meat was served at most meals as the men and women worked hard on their farms. There were cows to milk, gardens to tend, and fields to plow. They

2 were a very physically active group. Even the children were put to work early. They needed food that provided energy for these activities. Mennonites became innovators in agriculture to provide for their people. Because of religious persecution, they were uprooted many times over the years. They moved from Germany and Austria to Poland where they drained swamps and lowlands to form productive farmland. They learned how to maintain high quality dairy herds and learned the art of cheese-making. Because of their agricultural successes, Catherine the Great of Russia invited them to South Russia to begin farming the area. The steppes were a vast stretch of grassy land with very few trees, extremely cold weather in winter and scorching heat in summer. This didn't deter the Mennonites. They developed a type of wheat called "Turkey Hard Winter Wheat" which was well adapted to the weather extremes. This wheat was the forerunner of winter wheat now grown in the United States. They developed shelter belts to provide protection from harsh winds and wind mills to grind the wheat. They also improved fruit traits and grew more desirable fruit varieties. They bred their East Frisian cattle with local Ukrainian grey cattle and Kalmuk cattle. This red cattle breed became known as the Mennonite Cow or German Red Cow. One cow could produce 580 gallons of milk per year with a fat content of 3.8-4%. These developments are reflected in the traditional foods of the Mennonites. The hard winter wheat that they developed is high in protein. This made it an excellent choice for bread. One of these breads is Zwieback. In the 1870's, the Mennonites again had to move. The Mennonites have a pacifist culture.

3 They believe that Jesus forbade all of his followers from using violence and forbade taking part in wars. Catherine the Great allowed the Mennonites exemption from military service, but Tzar Alexander II changed that agreement. As they no longer could live in Russia, they needed to find a new area to call home. In preparation for the long voyage to America, the women spent weeks making a bread called zwieback. They then made geraschta zwieback (roasted zwieback) where they would take day old buns, cut then in half and place in the oven on low heat to roast until dry. They packed this and dried fruits to eat on the long journey. Zwieback 2 packages yeast 3/4 cups water 5 tablespoons, divided 1/2 cup vegetable oil 4 teaspoons salt 2 cups warm milk 8 cups flour Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoons sugar in warm water. Sift 3 cups of flour in a bowl. Add the salt and 4 tablespoons sugar and stir. Add oil, milk, and yeast mixture. Mix well. Add 5 cups flour or enough to make a soft dough. Knead well. Let rise until doubled. Pinch off dough into balls the size of a walnut and slightly larger. Place large balls on greased pan and push smaller balls into larger ones. Let rise, about an hour. Bake 350 degrees for min or until golden brown. This bread continues to be featured on the Schmeckfest menu. It is a popular item sold at the bake sale and is still made often in local homes. Another food that played an important role in Mennonite homes is dried fruits. Again, it was portable for their long ocean crossing journey. It also exemplifies Mennonite farming innovation. The fruit growers selected fruits

4 that had qualities that they wished to continue and replanted those seeds. Typical Mennonite fruits included plums, apples, and grapes. They used the fruits in a number of traditional recipes including kuchen and pluma moos. Pluma Moos (Dried Fruit Sauce) 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 1/2 cups prunes 1 1/2 cups water 5 cups whole milk 6 whole cloves (optional) 1 cup cream 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt Cook raisins and prunes in 1 1/2 cups of water until soft. Mix together milk, cloves, and cream and heat to the boiling point. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, flour, and salt. To this add a small amount of boiling liquid and mix to a smooth paste. then stir into the milk mixture. Bring to a full boil. Cool at ones in a pan of cold water, stirring often. When cool, add the cooked fruit mixture. This is another example of a traditional food highlighted at Schmeckfest and enjoyed by many. It might be judged as "unhealthy" in our society that would question the fat content and calories contained in this recipe. The Mennonites needed these calories because of their physical farming work. They also needed a way to have vitamins in their diet throughout the winter and the dried fruit provided this. Through their travels while seeking a safe refuge for their religious beliefs, the Mennonites learned of the art of cheese-making. They combined their high fat milk from their Mennonite Cow and flour from their excellent wheat strain to make cheese pockets.

5 Varaniky or Shooten Kropflen (Cottage Cheese Pockets) 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 1 cup milk Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and butter. Combine egg and milk and add to flour mixture. Mix well. Knead dough until smooth. Shape dough in a long round piece, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut of 3/4 inch pieces and flatten with rolling pin to about 4 inches in diameter. Cottage Cheese Filling 4 cups dry cottage cheese 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs Combine ingredients using enough egg to hold mixture together. Place a rounded tablespoon of filling on the 4-inch circle of dough. Fold over and seal tight. Cook slowly in salt water about 15 min. Cook about 12 at a time in 3 quarts of water. Remove with slotted spoon. This recipe is not only served at Schmeckfest, but is also part of the live demonstrations. This tradition is carried on in the taste as well as the preparation involved. Schmeckfest provides a time to sample these culturally significant foods which are products of the Mennonite journey through Europe to South Dakota. Schmeckfest loosely translates to "Festival of Tastes" and while it does that, it also provides a preservation of traditions that developed from their agricultural achievements. These foods are no longer made daily in most homes but Schmeckfest provides an opportunity, even if only a once a year event, to teach the community about the Mennonite food culture.

6 Bibliography Dyck, Cornelius J., editor, An Introduction to Mennonite History, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, Hofer, Arnold, and Norman Hofer, compilers, Hutterite Roots, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, Hostetler, John A., Hutterite Society, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, Hostetler, John, A., Mennonite Life, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, Johnson, Jan, and June Pullman, compliers, Seasoned with Love, Kearney, NE: Morris Press, 1996.

2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons shortening. Filling: 1.5 lbs ground beef 1 medium onion, grated fine salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons shortening. Filling: 1.5 lbs ground beef 1 medium onion, grated fine salt and pepper to taste Germans from Russia Recipes 150309 Many Germans from Russia live in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado. Some of their recipes are not common in Germany or Russia. Are these German