Today’s activity for the 21 Day Family History Connection Experiment states, “Experience what your ancestors’ country was like with food! Find a recipe from your ancestor’s home country and make it.” Oh we are right on top that one!!
Like most families, good times often involve food. Many families have long-standing traditions of specific foods served on certain occasions. Often, the foods have ethnic or religious connections.
In today’s post I’d like to share some of my family’s experiences related to food. In fact, I think I may do this over a few days. Food is important!
My sister Jeanne and her family honored our mother yesterday by making Palatschinken, which are basically Austria’s version of the crepe. Her son, Cliff gave me permission to post these terrific pics! Thanks, Cliff!!
I loved it when our Mom made Palatschinken for us. Often it was for dinner – probably a great choice for a budget conscious mother who had five kids to feed! My favorite was raspberry filling, but most often it was apricot or orange marmalade. Mom liked to fill hers with ground beef. Eh. I have a sweet tooth I guess!
So many of our favorite foods have their roots in Vienna. Our mom emigrated here with her mom in 1938. Her grandmother, also an Austrian, but with ties to Holland followed soon after. So, Mom had very vivid memories of foods from her homeland. Nöckerl (we murdered the correct pronounciation, calling them “nucken”), a doughy boiled dumpling, was another favorite, served with pot roast. And the cookies! Christmas would not be the same without Cream Cheese Crescents, Nut Crescents, and Linzer Cookies. Linzer Cookies are so much a part of our family that our daughter Meghan made over 100 of them to serve at her wedding!
Oy! I almost forgot about the Fruit Küchen!! My mother made two variations of this yummy treat, also known as Peach and Plum cake almost every September from 1963 through 2008. We carry the tradition on to this day!
How do I know how many years Mom made this cake? Because she wrote it down! She put the date in her cookbook each year.
Hmm… now that I’m looking at this page, I have an idea. Tomorrow, I will share what our family did to preserve and carry on our family food traditions. Hope it gives you some ideas!
Who We Are and How We Got This Way 