Food
Studying eating habits can be an excellent starting place for
discovering an ethnic or cultural group; Mennonites are no exception. As
they have moved from place to place, Mennonites have developed many
traditional foods. Since these traditions were greatly influenced by their
contact with different peoples and the availability of different foods,
Swiss and Russian Mennonite groups have distinct food traditions that
reflect their migrations.
Importance of Food
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Mennonite Women Prepare Fresh Bread at the MCC Relief
Auction in Saskatoon (1985): Mennonite Reporter photo |
One thing is certain, however; eating has been a very important part of
Mennonite culture. More than just the food, meals have been and continue
to be important community events. They provide chances for people to
interact, catch up on and discuss local events and news, celebrate and
recognize important happenings, and simply enjoy great food.
The importance of food in ethnic Mennonite culture tends to be
connected with its emphasis on community. Weddings,
funerals, economic crises, and holidays all affect the larger community.
Although especially true while Mennonites lived in mostly rural
areas, somewhat isolated from their non-Mennonite counterparts, community
remains an important part of this tradition for those in cities.
Fellowship meals continue to be held at weddings, funerals, meetings, and
other gatherings.
Popular Culinary Traditions
Many culinary favourites are seasonal traditions, with specific recipes
prepared for Christmas, New Year's, and Easter.
Nonetheless, perhaps the most famous Mennonite culinary tradition is
the potluck. Often held as congregational
gatherings at church, each family brings enough food for their own family
and more. Some people bring main course, others salads, drinks,
vegetables, fruit, and desserts. There is a great assortment, and plenty
to go around.
Sometimes recipes themselves reflect the importance of community. In
the back of The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes, for example, there
is a whole section of recipes for 100 people or more. The following recipe
from The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals is for
"Borscht," a type of soup commonly found in the Ukraine which
was adopted by Russian Mennonites during their time there.
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T-shirts Designed by Edith Krause Sold Well at MCC
Relief Sale, BC (1983): Mennonite Reporter photo |
Chicken Borscht (70-75 servings)
- 23 lbs. chicken
- 14 quarts water
- 12 tsp. salt
- 24 cups diced potatoes
- 24 cups diced carrots
- 7 medium onions, diced
- 7 cups cooked tomatoes
- 5 heads cabbage, shredded
- 12-15 peppercorns
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 12-15 whole allspice
- chicken bouillon to taste
(Paul Isaak in Good, p.34)
Perhaps the most telling is the fact that literally hundreds of
cookbooks with "Traditional Mennonite" recipes have been
published. Since cooking has been an area dominated by women, old
cookbooks can often give us a unique perspective into Mennonite culture.
New Traditions
The Mennonite church welcomes people of many cultures and backgrounds.
As you will see in The Church Today, and The
World Church, this increasing diversity has brought many changes.
Rice, beans, and tortillas have joined shoofly pie, vereniki,
and summer sausage as "Mennonite food."
The picture below was taken during a meal break at the World Conference
in India (1997), where people had "Mennonite food" Indian-style!
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Mennonite World Conference in Calcutta,
India (1997): MWC photo |
Created 1998 by Derek Suderman
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