“Kumme
esse”
~ Pennsylvania Dutch phrase for “Come eat”
The
Hamburg Diner advertises its Pennsylvania Dutch fare on its sign on a late June
afternoon in historic Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the diner closed
after 50 years in business in May 2018, a month before I shot this high
contrast monochrome image. Hopefully it will reopen!
The
Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking
immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The word “Dutch” does not
refer to Dutch people or language, but to the German settlers known as Deutsch
in standard German and Deitsch in the principal dialect they spoke, Palatine
German.
Most
emigrated to the Americas from Germany or Switzerland in the 17th
and 18th centuries. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these
immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German
or Pennsylvania “Dutch.” At one time, more than one third of Pennsylvania’s
population spoke this language.
Pennsylvania
Dutch specialties include Schnitz un knepp ( a dish of ham or pork shoulder
with dried apple and dumplings), apple butter, baked apple, chicken and
waffles, Chow-chow, cole slaw, corn fritters, Lebanon bologna, pork and
sauerkraut, potato filling, pot pie, fastnachts, funnel cake, funny cake, angel
food cake, whoopee pies, shoofly pie, sugar cookies, root beer and birch beer.
As
I am half Irish and half Pennsylvania German, I grew up with much of these
tasty offerings because my late grandmother was a wonderful baker and cook, and
fastnachts, shoofly pie and angel food cake were my favorites of hers.
Hamburg,
Pennsylvania, officially founded in 1787, was named after Hamburg, Germany.
The
phrase “Dutch Treat” refers to an outing, meal or other special occasion at
which each participant pays for their share of the expenses.
