Mid-Atlantic Cuisine Cultural Cuisine – USA Regions

Mid-Atlantic States and Capitals

• Delaware (Dover)

• Maryland (Annapolis)

• New Jersey (Trenton)

• New York (Albany)

• Pennsylvania (Harrisburg)

Geography

• Fertile farmland

• Mountains

• Forests

• Coastline

Climate

• Mild, short winters

• Warm summers

• Average yearly precipitation is 20’’-60’’ (depending on area)

Agriculture

• Large variety of fruits and vegetables are able to grow

• Best crops to grow in the area are crops that require a lot of moisture

• Occasional frosts can disrupt crop growth

Historical Cultural/Nationalities

• German (Germany)

• Swedish (Sweden)

• British (England)

• Dutch (Holland)

Common Foods• Molasses cake• Chesapeake blue crabs• Chicken• Corn soup• Scrapple (pork trimmings in “cake”)

• Pickled pigs feet• Coffee cake• Shoofly pie (molasses and brown sugar

filling)

• Pretzels with mustard• Olykoeks (doughnuts with Dutch

ancestry)

• Fresh corn• Fresh tomatoes • Fresh peaches

Delaware (Dover)

• Broiled Chicken

• Sour milk biscuits

• Steamed shrimp

Maryland (Annapolis)

• Shrimp

• Lobster

• Crab cakes

New Jersey (Trenton)

• Fruits and vegetables are commonly produced!

• Campbell’s Soup

▫ Camden, NJ

• Salt Water Taffy

▫ Atlantic City, NJ

▫ As the story goes, in 1883, a big storm made the ocean water surge into a local candy store.

▫ When taffy was discovered in the salty water

New York (Albany)

• Buffalo wings

▫ Originated in Buffalo, NY?

▫ Buffalo officially declared July 29, 1977, to be Chicken Wing Day

Pennsylvania (Harrisburg)

• Philly cheese steaks

• Hershey’s chocolate

▫ Hershey, PA

• Heinz products

▫ Pittsburg, PA

Early Mealtime Customs

• German settlers called themselves “Deutsch,” which is the German word for “German” which is where German settlers got their name Pennsylvania Dutch.

• Pennsylvania Dutch established most of the traditional food customs in this region.

▫ Meals contained “seven sweets and seven sours.” They used preserves, relishes, and jams to add flavors to their meals.

▫ The kaffeeklatsch, a mild morning snack of coffee and baked goods, was established by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

▫ To avoid food waste, they invented scrapple and bologna

Additional Information

• Amish and Mennonite settlers also came from Germany and settled in this area with traditions similar to Pennsylvania Dutch.

▫ Live without the common conveniences of electricity and other technology

Shoofly Pie

• 1 ½ cups flour• ½ cup dark brown sugar• 1 teaspoon cinnamon• ½ teaspoon nutmeg• ⅛ teaspoon salt• ¼ pound (1 stick) cold

unsalted butter• ¾ cup molasses• ¾ cup boiling water• ½ teaspoon baking soda• 1 single crust pie pastry,

rolled flat and placed in a 9-inch pie plate

Works Cited

• Regional and Foreign Foods Made Easy

▫ Judy Johnson

• http://www.getflavor.com/flavors-of-the-mid-atlantic/