Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook

Nation's Restaurant News, July 30, 1990 by Michael Schrader

BETTY GROFF'S PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH COOKBOOK

Groff and her husband own Groff's Farm restaurant, in Mount Joy, Pa. She is a 10th-generation Mennonite and has written several cookbooks.

The term Pennsylvania Dutch refers, not to Holland, but to the people who immigrated to the Redding-Lancaster area from Germany. The cooking of this region has its roots in that country but is similar to Southern cooking in its large portions, richness in eggs and cream, meats and starches, and staples of fresh fruits and vegetables.

For the Pennsylvania Dutch, food is closely linked to their day-to-day events and celebrations. Groff explains the traditions and illustrates them with 200 recipes grouped as appetizers and beverages; soups and salads; cheeses, doughs and batters; vegetables and side dishes; poultry and wild game; meats; seafood; sauces, dressings and stuffings; breads, biscuits, buns and muffins; cobblers, pies, cakes and icings; puddings, cookies and candies; and preserves, relishes, pickles and vinegars.

There are many surprises for those who venture into Groff's verdant world: pot pie squares, apple fritters, paprika chicken (paprika is a highly valued spice among the Pennsylvania Dutch), scrapple (ground pork coated with seasonings), shoofly pie (the bestknown pie of the Pennsylvania Dutch, which resembles a yoyo), Moravian sugar cake and fastnachts (potato doughnuts).

What emerges is a fare that, though derived from European traditions, is a unique product of an American region. Though some of the recipes might stand further clarification, there is much food for thought here.