1 GEOGRAPHIC SETTING AND ENVIRONMENT

The Amish make their homes in rural areas in twenty-two U.S. states and Ontario, Canada. The states with the largest Amish
populations are Ohio and Pennsylvania. The oldest Amish community (and the one most familiar to non-Amish) is made up of about
16,000 people living around Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Amish living there are primarily Pennsylvania Dutch (people of German
descent), but not all Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish. Deutsch is the German-language word for German, so the name Pennsylvania
Dutch comes from "Pennsylvania Deutsch." The food of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish are similar, due to their common German
heritage.

2 HISTORY AND FOOD

The Amish have their roots in a Swiss religious sect that was part of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s. It was called the
Anabaptist movement, and its members lived simply, rejecting material wealth. At the end of the 1600s, a small group led by Joseph
Ammann broke away from the Anabaptists. They migrated to France and later were called the Amish in honor of their founder. In the
early part of the 1700s, Amish families began arriving in North America. They founded large settlements in Pennsylvania. Gradually
Amish settlements spread to Ohio, Indiana, and other states. When they came to the New World (North America), the Amish brought
with them the cooking traditions of their homelands in Switzerland and the Rhine River area of Germany. This heritage can be seen in
the popularity of such traditional German foods as sauerkraut, and even in the Amish name for the evening meal, "Nachtesse" ("night
eating"). However, Amish cooking was also influenced by life in America. Many Amish settled in areas where wheat, rye, corn, and
barley flourished. Home-baked breads, desserts, and other grain-based foods came to play an important role in the Amish diet.
Products of the rural areas where they settled, including eggs and other dairy products, poultry, fresh vegetables, and apples, also
became Amish staples. The Amish have continued to live simply, without modern conveniences such as cars and electricity. They
also continue to prepare the simple, hearty dishes they learned from their ancestors.

3 FOODS OF THE AMISH

The Amish generally eat foods produced in their own gardens or on their farms. As a rule, they do not eat processed, store-bought
foods, such as corn flakes or potato chips. Homegrown fruits and vegetables, eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, play a very important part
in the Amish diet. Vegetables often found in Amish meals include peas, corn, zucchini, beets, beans, rhubarb, and many others.
Cabbage and potatoes are especially important. Sauerkraut—a type of pickled cabbage—appears at many Amish meals and is used in
everything from soups to cakes. Grain products like bread, cornmeal, and oatmeal are also staples of the Amish diet. Scrapple, a
popular breakfast food, is made with fried cornmeal mush prepared with sausage and liverwurst. Amish main meals are usually built
around hearty meat dishes, such as pork chops, ham, roast beef, or meatloaf. Dairy products, especially eggs and cheese, are also
important dietary staples. The Amish are known throughout the country for the quality of the cheese they produce and market. Most
Amish families keep at least a few chickens so they can eat freshly laid eggs all year round. In the wintertime, hearty soups are eaten
regularly. Amish women bake a great deal, preparing breads, cookies, pies, and cakes. The best-known Amish desserts include
shoofly pie, sugar cookies, and schnitz pie, which is made with dried apples. Favorite beverages include coffee, tea, milk, and
lemonade.

4 FOOD FOR RELIGIOUS AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Instead of going to church, the Amish hold religious services in different people's homes every Sunday morning. After the service,
there is a large Sunday lunch. A typical menu for this meal is homemade bread with butter, jelly or peanut butter; cheese cubes or a
type of homemade cottage cheese called schmierkase ; pickles; an apple pie called schnitz pie; and coffee or tea. The Amish are
known for their strong family ties. Large family reunions are important occasions that include a bountiful Amish meal, with everyone
bringing something. Like church services, Amish weddings are held at home. After the ceremony, a big festive meal is served on long
tables set up all over the first floor of the house. Special rectangular doughnuts called Fassnacht Kuche are baked on Shrove Tuesday,
a day before the beginning of Lent. Mashed potatoes are used in the batter, making the doughnuts moist and tender. They are served
with black coffee.

6 POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND NUTRITION

Amish families generally receive adequate nutrition from their diets, although some nutritionists report that their diet may be slightly
too high in sugar and carbohydrates. Because Amish rarely marry non–Amish, they have experienced a higher incidence of birth
defects caused by genetics. (In simple terms, some types of birth defects are more common when the mother and father have similar
genetic make-up.) To try to minimize these birth defects, Amish families have learned more than the average American families about
genetics. Also, because they have not often married outside their own cultural group, medical researchers have invited Amish people
to participate in research studies involving genetics and genetically transmitted diseases, such as diabetes.