Foods of Our Ancestors

This speech presented by horticulturist Daniel Boehlke on "Foods of Our Ancestors" was a popular topic. So a Verein member simply recorded parts of the presentation on a phone. The links on this page will share that speech.

Ancestor's Foods Segment 1
Ancestor's Foods Segment 2
Ancestor's Foods Segment 3
Ancestor's Foods Segment 4
Ancestor's Foods Segment 5

Feuerzangebowle (Fire Tongue Bowl)

In large pot, add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, allspice, and anise to wine. Cut oranges and lemons, and stud pieces with cloves.  Crush pieces to release juices and add to punch. Warm to a steaming mixture. Do not boil.
Note: Use a minimum of 2 liters of wine. 6 liters is sufficient to serve 150 people.

Don't try this at home, but here is how it was traditionally done.
Prior to serving, cross swords on top of pot and place sugar cube - soaked in 151-proof rum and ignite. Remove before serving.

Souse (Pickled Pigs' Feet) 

Scrape and clean feet well and place in pot with salt watered (to cover). Bring to boil and skim off the foam. Simmer about 3 - 4 hours, or until meat separates from the bone.

Remove the meat and mix stock in which meat was cooked with vinegar, salt, and spices. 
If you have too much liquid, boil it down a little. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

 Pommerscher Gansebraten (Pomeranian Roast Goose with Stuffing)

Wash and dry goose. Remove giblets and place in 1-quart saucepan with 1 teaspoon salt and onion. Simmer, partially covered, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Strain and reserve stock.

Sprinkle goose inside and out with remaining salt. Combine prunes, apples, rye bread, and sugar; fill cavity of goose. Skewer openings together.  Place on rack in shallow roasting pan with breast side down. Roast in 400° oven for 45 minutes.  Drain fat from pan and reduce oven temperature to 325°. Roast until tender (when pierced with fork and juices are light yellow - about 1 hour). Drain fat from pan; turn goose breast side up; brown until golden, about 30 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and keep warm. Let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Skim off remaining fat. Stir flour in 2 cups reserved stock; add to drippings in pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping browned bits until thickened. Serve with goose. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

   Rotkohl mit Apfeln (Red Cabbage with Apples)

1 head red cabbage (about 2 pounds)        
3 apples, pared, quartered, cored, and chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Remove and discard wilted outer leaves of cabbage. Rinse, cut into quarters (discarding core) and coarsely shred (about 8 cups shredded). Place cabbage into 3-quart heavy saucepan and add boiling salted water to cover (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Add apples, brown sugar, allspice, and cloves. Cover loosely and boil at moderate rate for 8 to 12 minutes, or until cabbage and apples are just tender. Remove from heat and drain. Add vinegar and butter to cabbage. Toss lightly to mix. Makes 6 servings. 

          Pommern Blutwurst (Pomeranian Blood Sausage)

Cut half the fat pork and all lean pork into small pieces. Add onion. Cook over moderate heat until fat is flowing. Lower heat and cook 45 minutes. Add seasoning and mix. Grind coarsely. Stir the fresh pork blood gradually into the meat mixture. Dice remaining fat pork finely and add to mixture. Stuff into casings and tie. Place in kettle and cover with water.  Bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Serves 8 or more.

Kopfkäse (Head Cheese)

1 hog's head
1 hog's tongue
salt and pepper
sage or chili pepper

Clean and scrape hog's head and wash thoroughly. Wash and trim hog's tongue. Cover head and tongue with slightly salted water. Simmer until meat falls from the bone. Drain meat, shred, and season. Pack tightly in bowl, cover, and weigh it down. Let stand 3 days in a cold place. Slice. Makes 6 to 8 pounds. 

Kock Käse mit Schwartzbrot  (Cooked Cheese Spread with Dark Bread)

Mix cheese and baking soda together and let the mixture stand about 1 hour - until it  becomes bubbly and nearly doubles in size. Add flour and butter. Cook a few minutes, until the mixture resembles warm fresh cheese.    
Serve with small slices of dark bread, such as rye.

Heringe Nach Haustrauenart (Pickled Creamed Herring)

Wash and paper-dry herring and place in bowl. Top with onions, pickles, and capers. Combine yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, dry mustard, and pepper. Add to Herring mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving: add apples and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with crackers. Makes about 3 cups.

Kirschsuppe (Cherry Soup with Dumplings)

Boil water with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice. Add cherries and cook until soft - about 15 minutes. Check sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary. Keep at simmer.

Meanwhile, mix egg, baking powder, flour, and milk together. Drop dumpling mix by teaspoons into soup. Continue to cook; this will take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 6 serving

Kartoffel Klöße (Potato Dumplings) 

Cook potatoes in water until tender. Drain, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Peel and mash the cooked potatoes thoroughly. In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, flour, eggs, salt, and nutmeg. Form a firm, but light paste. If mixture is too moist, add flour. This will keep the dumplings from falling apart during cooking. Melt margarine in large skillet. Add bread cubes and sauté until gold brown. Working with floured hands, form potato paste into a roll about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Cut roll in 8 to 10 pieces. Form pieces into dumplings - enclosing a few sautéed bread cubes in the center of each dumpling. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dumplings, one at a time, and simmer about 15 minutes. Dumplings are done when they float on top. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and drain well.

Schokolate Pudding (Steamed Chocolate Pudding)

1 square chocolate, melted (or 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa power)
hard sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 300°. Grease 9" x 9" pan. Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Place butter in prepared pan (pan depth about 1"). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in preheated over and bake about 45 minutes. Do not remove foil until the 45 minutes are over as this will stop the steaming process. Remove from oven, remove foil and place on rack. Pudding should be firm like a cake. 
Serve pudding topped with sauce.  Makes about 9 servings.

Hard Sauce

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolk, well beaten. Cook over hot water until thickened. Add rum gradually, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; pour gradually over stiffly beaten egg whites.

Reisbrei (Rice Porridge)

Cook rice in milk with salt and butter, very slowly until kernels are tender, but have not lost their shape. If you have the patience, do this in the top of a double boiler. It will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours, but it will be worth it. The mixture should be very thick and can be stirred several times during cooking. When done, flavor with sugar, cinnamon and add raisons. This may be served hot or cold.