Apr 17, 2014 3 min read

Due to their proximity and history, the countries of Germany and Austria were tied together as is their culture, food, beliefs and religions.

According to the 2000 United States Census, there were 50 million Americans (17 percent of U.S. population) either born in Germany or of German ancestry (largest ancestry group in America) and 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent. However, due to the inaccuracies of the immigration records this is probably a low count as Austrians were often categorized as Germans because of their shared cultural-linguistic and ethnic origins and from where they immigrated to the U.S. because of persecution (Austro-Hungary, Austria, etc.)

Prior to the 1850s, the Pittsburgh area was largely farmland, but was subdivided into residential lots, first for the growing German population and later for the Croats.

This agricultural area was commonly referred to as “Deutschtown.”

Known Austrian communities in western Pennsylvania are Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills, suburbs of Pittsburgh, which sport a 2 percent Austrian population.

Known German communities in Pittsburgh are Troy Hill, Mount Washington and East Allegheny (aka Deutschtown).

The word German will be will be used to refer to the Germans and Austrians.

In Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, there are five large white ethnic groups of which German is the largest at 19.7 percent or more.

Fayette County boasts a 19.8 percent German population.

Historic places in the region include the Tuetonia Mannerchor Hall in East Allegheny (Deutschtown), which was constructed in 1888; the 1852 St. Mary’s German Catholic Church; and The Penn Brewery, which is housed in the old Eberhardt & Ober Brewery (1882-1906) buildings.

Penn Brewery makes the award-winning Penn Pilsner and a number of other specialty beers.

The “tied house” (brewery and restaurant under one roof) features a full German menu and live music.

Penn Brewery and the Greentree area hold an Oktoberfest every year in September/October.

German-Austrian cuisine is based on central European cuisine.

General foods are sweet-sour dishes, aromatic soups, zestful sausages, delicious breads and coffee cakes, mouth-watering strudel, apple pancakes, dumplings and others.

Suppen (soups) include: Erbsensuppe mit Saurer Sahne (green peas and sour cream), Linsensuppe mit Wurstchen (lentil and frankfurters), G elkuchen (apple) and Berliner Pfannkuchen (filled Berlin donuts).

Hauptgerichte (main dishes) are made up of pork, veal, poultry and fish such as Gedampfter Rindsbratan (beef pot roast with wine), Sauerbraten (marinated beef), Ochsenschwanz-Eintopf (oxtail stew), Wiener Schnitzel (vreaded veal cutlets), Gewurzte Schweinsrippchen (braised spicy spareribs) and Skampi auf Wienerische Art (shrimp, Viennese-style).

Beilagen (side dishes) are Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), Nudeln (buttered noodles) and Klosse (dumplings).

Gemuse (vegetables) recipes include: Blumenkohl mit Senfsosse (cauliflower and mustard sauce), Rotkohl (sweet-sour red cabbage), Sauerkraut mit Kummel (sauerkraut, caraway seeds), and Kohlrabi in Rahmsosse (kohlrabi, sour cream).

Torten and desserts (tortes and desserts): Blitztorte (vanilla pudding), Walnusstorte (walnut), Haselnusstorte (hazelnut), and Schokoladentorte (chocolate).

Tortes and desserts are iced or filled with butter-cream, rum filling, sweetened whipped cream and more.

Getränke (beverages) include Jagermeister (digestif made with 56 herbs and spices), Bier (beer), Wein (wine), Schnapps (distilled liquor not as sweet as liqueurs) and Kaffee or Mokka (coffee) among others.

Christine Willard, a native of western Pennsylvania, researches and blogs about the food unique to western Pennsylvania.

She currently resides in North Carolina.

Her blog is www.ThePAMeltingPot.com.