Amish Cooks Across America

Book excerpt: A culinary tour of Amish America with photos, stories, and recipes for Shoofly Pie and much more—from a wide range of unique communities. In this blend of recipe book and travelogue, the celebrated columnist and cookbook author known as The Amish Cook explores why one Amish community in the Northeast makes Shoofly Pie while another settlement in the South favors Muscadine Pie. Divided into chapters highlighting Amish groups in the North, South, East, West, and Midwest, with side trips to Canada and Central America, this it provides a sample of the cultural and culinary differences among Amish and Mennonite communities across the nation. The Amish are the original locavores. In this collection of fascinating recipes, you’ll find favorites from middle America, such as Scalloped Corn, alongside coastal specialties including Grilled Lime Fish Fillets and Avocado Egg Scramble, as well as Western staples like Elk Stew and Huckleberry Pancakes and Southern classics such as Sweet Potato Surprise Cake. This more-than-a-cookbook is filled with full-color photographs of food and the places visited, along with profiles that explore the origins and cooking traditions of each community. This is a book like no other—a delicious melting pot and a fascinating armchair tour of Amish America.