Food in Pennsylvania
Food in Pennsylvania can be homey or it can be more sophisticated.
During the 1700s and early 1800s, many German immigrants, settled in Pennsylvania. They became known as the Pennsylvania "Deutsch," but eventually "Deutsch" was mispronounced so often that it became "Dutch." There are plenty of comforting dishes coming from Pennsylvania Dutch country: from chicken stews and cured ham, to fruit pies and candy. They brought with them a wide variety of distinctively German foods, such as sauerkraut, rye bread, apple butter, and pretzels.
On the streets of Philadelphia, you can buy big, warm, soft pretzels that make a great snack. People in Philadelphia eat their soft pretzels with mustard.
A popular Pennsylvania Dutch food is shoofly pie. Shoofly pie is made by baking a crumb-cake mixture sweetened with molasses into a pie shell. Supposedly, one had to shoo the flies away while the pie was cooling, hence the name.
Philadelphia is the birthplace of the ice cream soda. Sweet cream was used for a drink that also used syrup and carbonated water. Someone substituted ice cream for the sweet cream, and the first ice cream sodas were a big hit. Other Philadelphia foods include cheese steaks, water ice - flavored crushed ice - and tastycakes - baked snack foods.
Pancakes with syrup and preserves are a popular breakfast. However, there is a curious Pennsylvania breakfast called scrapple which is made with pork parts and cornmeal. Hoagies - a sub type sandwich - are a big item for lunch.
Dried sweet corn is a popular treat around Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania. Ice creams and candies can be flavored with teaberry, a plant similar to mint.
European influences, other than German, are patent in halupki, halushki and kielbosa - which can be found as kielbasa or kielabasa, as well. Try kielbasa and pierogies if you visit Pittsburgh, as well as the O fries - soft inside and crispy outside - with hot dogs, and wing, ribs and sandwiches served with beer.
Pennsylvania foods
Pennsylvania is the nation s leading producer of mushrooms. Dairy products and cattle are also important farm products, along with buckwheat, sweet corn, vegetables, grapes, and orchard fruits such as apples. Good primary food ingredients lead to an industry of food processing, famous Pennsylvania products include ketchup, chocolate, ice cream and potato chips.
Heinz ketchup started in Pittsburgh while Campbell Soup company is one the top employers in Philadelphia; mind, Philadelphia is probably better know for its cream cheese, now made all over the world.
…and food events
Bean Soup Festival, McClure, September - The Book and the Cook Festival Philadelphia, March
Recipes from Pennsylvania
Soft pretzels from Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania means "Penn's Forest" and it was the land given to William Penn by Charles II of England as payment of a debt owed to Penn's father, Admiral William Penn.
State animal: White tailed deer
State bird: Ruffed grouse
State insect: Firefly
State tree: Hemlock
State Flower: Mountain laurel
Other Pennsylvania facts
Hershey had sold his caramel factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and he had returned to his birthplace, Derry Church, to start a chocolate factory. The factory he set up would become the world's largest chocolate manufacturing plant. Today, Hershey's chocolate plant is surrounded by the town that bears its name, as well as a popular theme park.
Lancaster County is best known as the home of many Old Order Amish but there are actually more Amish at Holmes County.
Pennsylvania has the beaches of Lake Erie.
Visit
Hershey Park, including a tour of the chocolate plant, founded by Milton Hershey in 1903. All of Hershey is devoted to chocolate, kids find walking down Chocolate Avenue or Cocoa Street kind of cool.
In Philadelphia, see the outdoor Italian Market in the south side or the indoors Reading Terminal Market, downtown. One can find everything from an Amish baker to a Vietnamese fry coo at Reading Terminal Market, and it is very popular for lunchtime.When touring Philadelphia, have dinner in one of its world class restaurants or visit Manayunk, for food oriented night life - mind, it is very busy on Friday or Saturday nights.
On the same path
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York.
On your way back
Food in the Mid-Atlantic - Food in the U.S.A - Food in America