Amish cuisine — German base + American ingredients + 300 years on the farm. Caloric, hearty, delicious.
Signature Dishes
Shoofly pie: molasses and crumb pie. Name: flies (shoo fly!) swarmed the molasses while it cooled. Scrapple: pork scraps + cornmeal, formed into a loaf, sliced, fried. Breakfast. Chow-chow: pickled vegetables (beans, corn, pepper, cauliflower) — side dish for everything. Whoopie pie: two chocolate 'cookies' with cream between. Children's happiness.
Daily
Breakfast: eggs, bacon/sausage, pancakes, bread with butter, porridge. Lunch: soup, bread, meat, vegetables. Dinner: heavy — fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, 2-3 pies. A farmer burns 4,000-5,000 calories daily — food matches.
Canning
500-1,000 jars per year per family. Tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, apple butter, jams, pickles, meat. Cellar = supermarket. Don't go to store in winter — everything's there.
Traditions
Prayer before meals (silent, not spoken). Everyone at one table. Children don't complain — eat what's given. Seconds — always. Leaving the table hungry = shame for the hostess.