Feb 6, 2014 3 min read

In an earlier column, we discussed the Pennsylvania Dutch German. In this column, we will explore the German sects of Bavaria, Moravia, Holland and Switzerland.

There are 50 million German descendants living in the United States from all parts of Europe. There are pockets of German neighborhoods in Allegheny County (Reserve Township, which claims 50 percent German), and in Pittsburgh (Spring Garden, which claims 48 percent). Twenty-six percent of Allegheny County’s population is German, and 15 percent of Uniontown and 19 percent of Morgantown residents are of German descent.

Bavaria is a free state located in southeastern Germany. The Bavarians speak a Bavarian dialect and standard German. Common foods of Bavaria include Wurstsalat (sausage salad), Kartoffelsaladt (marinated boiled potatoes) and Leverspatzlesuppe (soup with pork liver and dumplings), Weisswurst (veal and bacon), Schweinsbraten, (pork with gravy and dumplings), Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut and Leberkäse (liver cheese) and is normally served with bread or Kartoffelsalat and mustard. Desserts include Apfelkrapfen (pastry with apples) and Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). And, of course, Bavaria is famous for its three types of beer: Weißbier (wheat beer), Helles (straw blond lager), and Dunkles (dark lager).

Moravia is a country in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, and due to the proximity of Germany and its history, the Moravian language formed its own dialect combining German and Czech. Common foods of Moravia are roast goose with dumplings and sauerkraut, pork knee (Moravian and Czech), roasted pork (“Moravian sparrow”) with stewed cabbage and dumplings, various dishes with savoy cabbage (like baked rabbit meat), sweet noodles with poppy seeds, pies with sweet cottage cheese and plum jam, Halušky (soft cooked noodles or dumplings), pickled gherkins, and their beverages are pivo (beer), wine and apricot brandy (slivovitz).

Holland is where they speak Dutch (“low” German). This dialect evolved due to the proximity of Holland to Germany. Dutch cuisine comes in three parts. Common foods of Holland are: Northeastern: Fish, game, Rookwurst (smoked sausage) served with hutspot (sauerkraut), pastries and cookies that are hard in nature and spiced with ginger such as Kruidkoek (spice cake), Fryske dumkes (cookies) and spekdikken (savory pancakes). They drink bitters and high proof liquors; Western: Kaas (cheeses such as Edam and Gouda), rich butters, buttermilk, Schaal-en schelpdieren (seafood) and pastries and cookies with lots of sugar. The traditional alcoholic beverages of this region are beer (strong pale lager), jenever (a high proof juniper-flavored spirit) and Advocaat (liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy); Southern: This area’s haute (high) cuisine is influenced by French and German cuisine. It is renowned for its many rich pastries, soups, stews and vegetable dishes. Moorkop and Bossche Bol are typical sweet pastries. These Dutch drink beer and wine.

Switzerland is bordered on the north by Germany so that fact affects the language, culture and cuisine of northern Switzerland. Common foods of Switzerland are Zurcher Geschnetzeltes (veal with mushrooms in a cream sauce), Swiss cheeses (Emmantal, Gruyère, Vacherin and Appenzeller), cheese dishes such as fondue and raclette (cheese melted over a fire, scraped onto bread or boiled potatoes and served with cornichons or baby pickles), Cervelat/cervelas (the national sausage), Rosti (potato dish Älplermagronen (Alpine herdsman’s macaroni), Tirggel (Christmas biscuits), Zopf (bread), and tarts and quiches (tarts are made with different toppings, from sweet apple to onion). Wine, beer, brandy and absinthe are popular.

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Christine Willard, a native of western Pennsylvania, researches and blogs about the food unique to western Pennsylvania. She currently resides in North Carolina.