Pennsylvania Foods

What foods are either unique to Pennsylvania or are, if not unique, are intimately associated with the Commonwealth and/or reach their perfect expression here?

For the purpose of this discussion, let's leave out pretzels and Philadelphia cheesesteaks.

[Chowrin]

Root Tea!

[charpa]

I lived in Collegeville from 1963 - 1973 and there was a fantastic little pizza shop that made the BEST stromboli! What was the name of that place? The secret was in the peppers they used!

[FriedClamFanatic]

In Giants today, I found something called Oh Ryan's Irish Potatoes....basically a confection of cocnut wrapped in cinnamon.very tasty. $4.99 for 15 each about the size of a large marble (7oz)

In 20 yrs of living in Pa (plus 2 back in the 70's) I had never heard of them. I'm sending them to my Siblings for St Pat's day even tho we aren't Irish. Obviously local (made in Philly) and very seasonal

[ithimis]

If you want to make them yourself, I use this recipe every year for St. Patrick's Day or whenever my DW craves them. Extremely simple

http://www.food.com/recipe/irish-pota...

[FriedClamFanatic]

Aw..bless you, my child!..........Next year my family gets them "home-made" I save a bundle, I'll bet these taste better, and i don't have to come up with another dumb idea to amuse my siblings!

[mistyday56]

Ok, I grew up in Scranton... so here are my favorites
Schiff's Kielbasi - I love the fresh. But they carry both fresh and smoked.
Texas Weiners @ Coney Island on Cedar Ave --- best weiners north of the Mason/Dixon line.
Gertrude Hawks Choclates...to die for!
Birchola (unfortunately this is no longer available)
French Fries with gravy (Glider Diner on Providence Rd)
Crab Bisque (Cooper's Seafood)
Cream soda (RED cream soda)

I also lived for almost 5 years in Hamburg, Pa...kinda half way between Reading and Allentown. These are my favorites from there.
SOS (creamed chipped beef)
Lebanon baloney
Pepper Cabbage
Clover Farms Icy Tea
Pretzel Splits

[mistyday56]

Ok back to make some additions to my list;

someone mentioned Kundla's BBQ in Hamlin...best ever!!!
Mannings Ice Cream

Also, I have 2 adult children who live out of state and this is their combined list when they come back to PA to visit

- tastycakes

- Schiff's kielbasi

- Bachman's Jax (cheese curls)

- Clover Farms Icy Tea

- Coney Island Texas Weiners (Cedar Ave, Scranton)

[clepro]

Ahhh!!! Texas weiners! Don't like beans on my weiners, but I loved the place. You sent me off into a fit of nostalgia, finally sated by this bit of history: http://www.texas-wiener.com/ourhistor...

Haven't had good kielbasa since I left PA. They just don't do it right in the west and midwest. We used to get ours from ...gosh, I can't remember the name. It was a tiny little shoe store at a junction out near...I want to say Gibson or Herrick Center? Ararat? Anyway, the owner or his relative also periodically took orders for what was the most fabulous kielbasa I've ever had. Very spicy and lean, and in a thin casing that cooked up crisp.

[Bigley9]

Clear or glass candy!

[shellbellc]

Cope's Corn!

[Delucacheesemonger]

Absolutely ! Baumann's apple butter as well.

[Chinon00]

Certainly not our invention but German pilsner beer from PA is the best in the US. Stoudt's, Victory, Troeg's, Penn, and Sly Fox all brew excellent versions both traditional and non-traditional.

[punkgirl107]

Ham BBQs. We had a potluck at work and our Texas transplant had no idea what they were. It seems to be a PA thing.

[vacationmomma]

That is funny Punkgirl! When I moved from central PA to Dallas in the 80s, we got invited for BBQ and I expected a sloppy joe! Didn't expect big beefy steaks! Now I am living in Pittsburgh, PA and love seeing the chipped ham BBQs!

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Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh, PA, Pittsburgh, PA

[brookquarry]

Chicken pot pie (or in dutch "bot bei"). On the Yelp review of the Dutch Eating Place at Reading Terminal Market,there are a number of out of area posters upset that when they ordered this, they got a stew with pot pie noodles, rather than what they were expecting -a Swanson style pastry enclosed "pie".

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Dutch Eating Place
12th Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19102

[vacationmomma]

When I make PA Dutch style Pot Pie, I always have to preface it with an explanation that you are getting Southern style chicken and dumplings! I call that "Swanson style thing "Meat Pie". lol I get a lot of requests for Pot Pie....whenever anyone from my central PA family come for a visit, I have to make it. It is my all time fav comfort food!

[terrierboy]

I can completely relate to your story. When I first relocated from southeastern PA to NJ, then to southern NY, I had to laugh at what others called pot pie. Whenever I tried to explain the difference, they looked at me as though I were the crazy one. Scrapple also leaves them in the dark. I've also tried to explain their version of smoked sausage just doesn't cut it for me. And I nearly forgot about corn pie! Yum! We also had a family dish that came from my grandmother's junior high school (Reading): corn a la Southern, which consisted of chopped bacon to which you add leftover corn cut from the cob (later, we added chopped onions). Saute them together for awhile, then pour whisked eggs over the top. Stir gently to scramble and distribute the egg. Add salt and pepper to taste. My family also fried sliced tomatoes every summer, but I'm not sure of the dish's origins.

[Bacchus101]

Interesting question: I have read most of the posts which offer answers to this question. I think the "associated with" is the more viable part of the question. Unique to PA is a tough one because so much of our food is based on countires from which PA received its initial European population. It is quite easy to find like foods in other regions where those same Europeans settled and of course in their home countries. A Philadelphia cheesesteak, well sure with the modifier it is certainly a sandwich associated with PA, Philadlephia Style Ice Cream well yes for the same reason. But pretzels, although PA does it well these snacks go back to the fatherland. Smalll cakes are found in all of Europe, so TastyKates as a unique item of baking are that only because of brand name. Beer ahh certainly not. Again perhaps a brand name is associated with PA as was Rolling Rock before InBev purchased it. Can anyone really think of a food originated and created here? Not just a PA version of something else! I think history works against us here as other civilizations were form where we got our population and foods.

[Chowrin]

root tea and philly ice cream are both native. The french liked eggs in their ice cream -- our milk was good enough that it didn't need no eggs!

[Passadumkeg]

Schmidts of Philladelphia, Horlacker's of Allentown, Stegmeir and Gibbons Ale of Wilksberre; all great Pennsy beers, killed by corporate crap.
I'n so glad Schaffer in Lehigh Valley is gone!

[Chowrin]

Philadelphia style ice cream. DAMN, but it's good!

[Burghfeeder]

What is "Philadelphia style" when it comes to ice cream? I'll bet I'd like it!

http://burghfeeding.blogspot.com/

[Chowrin]

penn state creamery wins awards for theirs.
yinz can get some good stuff from gegal -- Turkey Hill's is all phily style.
(Philadelphia style is eggless, and known for pairing well with fresh fruit, esp.peaches -- compare to french-style, which is custardy).

[Passadumkeg]

Go Peach Paterno ice cream!!!!

[Bacchus101]

I am familiar with the Philadelphia Style Ice Cream once offered by Turkey Hill, but is ALL Turkey Hill ice cream Philadelphia Stype????? If so then why the special packaging and designation of that special ice cream once offered as Philadelphia Style??? And is the only difference the lack of eggs? Often the high egg content items are defined, especially ion other areas, as Custards. Actually bigger in other states than here. Just curious as you seem to have some knowledge of the subject.

[Chowrin]

almost all turkey hill is phily style. eggnog and french vanilla excepted. Philly style doesn't need to be cooked before freezing, so you preserve much more of the milk flavor.
i think they pulled "philadelphia style" when they figured out that people didn't know what they meant. also, distroing out to da burgh now. maybe not so popular claiming philly style, ya?

[Bacchus101]

Don't mean to "beat a dead horse", but the Black Box with the Philadelphia Style is available so according to Turkey Hill that is the true to the original Philadelphia Ice Cream product. Based in the country's founding days Philadelphia was the place where these products originated in the states. Companies like Dolly Madison, Breyers and Bassets( only local) established Philadelphia and its style of ice cream as the nations first and best in colonial days.

I understand your comment about the "burg" . I wonder if "burgers" have the same narrow interputation of Harvard Beets, Navy Beans, Boston Lettace?? Could narrow ones food choices significantly to only Heinz foods or poached penguin.

[Davecli]

Having lived in Philly for several years and now in Pittsburgh, I can assure you that Pittsburgh's problem with "narrow interputation" is a drop in the bucket in comparison.

[Bacchus101]

Thanks for your assurance based on your own personal interpretation( seem neither of us can spell that correctly). Hard to cast a valid characterization of an entire Metro Area wether Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. My point was limited only to the suggestion of Chowrin that Philadelphia Ice Cream might be avoided in Pittsburgh because of the name; which I understand, as misguided and trite as it is.

However , given the subject is food: What food is it that Philadelphians may avoid because of its Pittsburgh origins??????

[Chowrin]

not when they put in in steelers colors. Turkey Hill sells Blitzburgh Crunch. Gotta admit, they knows yinz.

[Burghfeeder]

Huh. I never knew that. The funny thing is that I never go through Central PA without stopping at the Creamery for some Penn State ice cream and I also really like Turker Hill. I guess I'm a fan of Philly style ice cream!

http://burghfeeding.blogspot.com/

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Penn State
215 Innovation Blvd, State College, PA 16803

[tonyslunch]

"Screamers" and "Growlers" Schuylkill Co, and Columbia Co.

[fatbob]

Don't know if it's strictly PA food but a client in York PA drags me to a local place and forces me to eat Hogmaw. I can only explain it as a kind of Haggis, bad Haggis.....

[centralpadiner]

Hog maw is a cleaned pig's stomach used as a casing for pork, pork sausage and potatoes that is then roasted.

Haggis is a sheep's stomach used to hold chopped up sheep offal - heart, kidney, liver, etc. combined with oats as a binding then boiled.

Hogmaw, when good, should just taste like roasted sausage and potatoes in a denser casing then typical sausage casing. I've never had haggis.

[iamzorba]

Hogmaw rocks! It's traditional on New Year's symbolizing the hog rooting out the old in search of the new. The best hog maw I ever had was in southern York County.

[melpy]

Just had Hog maw for the first time at my fiancé's grandparents house. I think they were waiting for me not to like it because they kept telling me that it was ok if I didn't and I could always eat something else. It was delicious though. Potato, sausage, cabbage all stuffed in the pig stomach and cooked in the oven. They serves with some corn and bread with jelly or apple butter.

[cleobeach]

I wonder if it is pig stomach season because I saw two signs for it just this weekend. (at the Elk's and a fire company dining hall)

I have had it in my younger years. I liked the stuffing. My husband will pester for it on occasion but it is not something I will attempt at home, he can go to the Elk's this week!

[melpy]

After hearing how easy it is I am planning on attempting one in the future. Literally just choppin up everything raw and stuffing it into a well-cleaned stomach bought at the grocer or butcher. Then you bake it in the oven for a few hours.

I agree it seems like a cold weather meal to me! Haven't found many hot weather PA Dutch meals yet though.

[Passadumkeg]

Posties Beverages, McAdoo, great soda.
Wos Wit Pennsylvania Dutch Food, Wild Grouse Farms, Tamaqua
Pitz, Hazelton
And kolbasi in the Hazleton-Wilkes-Barre area.
Pickled eggs and sausage in rural bars.
Hot bacon dressing.
Peach butter and, of course, apple butter
chow chow

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Pennsylvania Dutch
Boothwyn PA, Boothwyn, PA

[dberg1313]

Boova Shenkel! PA German thing like a big pierogie -- potpie dough (slippery, not fluffy) filled with potato filling (sometimes a little meat), boiled like a ravioli, then browned in butter. Oh yummm. Also corn pie! Fresh corn, chopped hardboiled egg, salt and pepper, sprinkle on some parsley, toss with flour and pour milk over all. Bake with a top crust = best summer thing ever!

[Gkush]

I am surprised that no one has mentioned chicken and waffles---the PA version with pulled chicken in gravy, not the fried chicken version. A diner near me has an all-you-can-eat chicken n waffles night, and it's pretty popular.

Also, there's chicken corn soup---preferably with rivels and some hard-boiled egg.

[Veggo]

A shot of Jacquin's Rock and Rye, beer back, and 3 pickled eggs, all for 2 bucks. The Scranton breakfast of champions.

[gfweb1]

Duh...Tastykakes!

[bjclark]

Water Ice eaten with mustard topped Philly Soft Pretzels (the Franklin bakery ones are the best). Almost forgot - Black Cherry Soda.

[Seeker19104]

Chicken salad with oysters. A most excellent combination!

[pamd]

Seems as though tomato pie is a local thing. None of my friends outside PA have ever heard of it. And Utz chips (although sold in DE & MD too)

[shellbellc]

What about Herr's chips? They are local, as well as Snyder's pretzels. Anyone remember King Chips? Reading area they also have a Diefenbach potato chip..

[terrierboy]

I remember King Chips, as well as Gibbles, Good's, Zerbe's, and Diefenbach. We used to get lots of our chips in bulk at the farm markets in Reading.

[writergeek313]

I could get Utz chips when I lived in Binghamton, NY. I've moved only about an hour north to Ithaca and can't find them anymore, so I always bring back a few bags when I go to visit my parents.

I grew up eating a lot of different PA chips--Bickel's, Herr's, Diefenbach especially--but Utz are still my favorites.

[phillyjazz]

GRANDMA Utz are still good. I always liked the lard-cooked chips. Gibble and Bickel's were when I was a kid, but they may have jumped on the no-Trans-fat bandwagon.

I don't eat them every day, but they are a guilty pleasure (as is anything cooked in lard these days.)

[barryg]

Grandma Utz chips are amazing. They are the only lard-cooked potato chips I've ever seen in a store. And lard has NO trans-fat; only hydroginated vegetable oils, the man-made substitute for lard, do. Lard also has less saturated fat and cholesterol than butter, I don't why it gets such a bad rap.

[Bacchus101]

Blue bag Good's are lard cooked. I have seen them North and West/SouthWest of Philadelphia but I have not seen them in the Philadelphia Metro Area.

[Mer_Made]

Gobs! Peanut butter meltaways!

[phillyjazz]

Marshmallow peeps !

[shellbellc]

PA Dutch!!! shoofly pie, funnel cake, fastnachts, whoopie pies, apple dumplings, lemon sponge pie, sour cherry pudding, scrapple, chicken pot pie (no crust version), hot bacon dressing, sweet sour green beans, potato filling, apple butter, pickled red beets, pepper cabbage, PA Dutch birch beer, a treat soda, green beans & ham....

[givemecarbs]

Love the fastnachts!

[Passadumkeg]

I got to this thread late. Yeungling's, mentioned above, is America's OLDEST BREWERY!
What hasn't been mentioned is Pitz, the very special and specific Hazleton cold bakery style "pizza".
Yacco's hot dogs mor memorable that Lee Iacco's Chrystler bail out.
Finally, the only place I know where it is impossible to buy 3 six packs of beer in one trip. One can get 2 at a bar, 4 at a distributor, but not 3!
Where was the Liberty Bell hidden during the Revolutionary War?
Who was the first speaker of the House of Representatives?
Said, " There is a time to pray and a time to fight and now is the time to fight."?
Founded Franklin & Marshall College?

[PearlRabbit]

Turkey Hill Iced Tea. Many a kidney stone has formed thanks to this delicious addiction. I used to take gallons to friends out of the area before all this airline rule stupidity.

And I too love the Lebanon bologna. the sweet kind. mmmm.

[jme90]

Let's not forget Martin's potato rolls and Gibble's chips -- both from Franklin County. Way back in the day (almost 40 years ago -- yikes!), Martin's used to have a restaurant in Chambersburg. They would serve skinny burgers on those buns and it was pure heaven!

[Bigley9]

I'll add pepper hash, snapper soup and Chicken salad with fried oysters

Bob, this is such a great thread. It brings back memories and churns up desire for some of these rare and goofy items.
Thanks!

Don't forget southeastern PA's Potato Chip Belt.

http://www.esquire.com/features/artic...

I prefer Herr's Ridges.

Pork roll! I can't believe no one has mentioned pork roll. I have yet to meet someone outside of this area who's even heard of it.

While pork roll is consumed in SE Pennslvania, we must not steal the credit for this sweet and savory use of pig: Trenton Makes, The World Takes! So, not a Pennsylvania food product in spirit or origin.

Many have mentioned PA Dutch foods so I would like to add my favorites. Pot Pie. 2 kinds of these are available. One is like a traditional pie with a top and bottom crust filled with chicken or some form of meat and baked in the oven. The other is a chicken (or other protien based broth) with the addition of homemade squares (2"x2")of flour and egg noodles. This is left to simmer and the broth becomes very thick. Delicious! Another food item is the stuffed pig's stomach. Yes, that's right. A pig stomach is stuffed with sauted onions and sausage with pieces of potato, then baked in the oven. Another favorite is similar to the second potpie. It is made by boiling a whole chicken, shredding the meat and adding it back into the pot, add "store bought" egg noodles allow to simmer, then serve over mashed potatoes. Carb heaven! Various cabbage dishes, like cooking cabbage in broth with tomatoes, carrots, celery, etc. then serving over egg noodles. Wonderful comfort food I seldom eat any more.

My favorite - Goldenbergs Peanut Chews.

I'd suggest you'd have to wash down all of the food selections with a Yuengling Lager or a Frank's Soda.

For dessert, some Bassett's Ice Cream with JIMMIES!

yes, JIMMIES! i thought i was the only one who said that, besides my mom and sister. "sprinkles" makes me cringe. sometimes when i ask for "jimmies" in an ice cream place all i get is a blank stare(sigh).........

[vacationmomma]

I got the same looks when I said Jimmies in SC. Sprinkles or shots! I still call them Jimmies

[terrierboy]

I received the same bizarre looks about Jimmies in NJ/NY. I can't believe I forgot about Wilbur's chocolate, which were always so much better than Hershey's. We had a local company (West Reading) owned by some friends of my parents, Schotts. They made gorgeous hand-dipped chocolates, as did a tiny local store a block from where I grew up, Early's (in Reading), which also made small batch chocolates with incredible ingredients. When I was kid, I remember eating in the Whitner's Department Store restaurant, which featured excellent chicken salad and coconut custard.

[Passadumkeg]

Do they still make Posti's soda?

[ClockworkOrange]

FYI, it's Postie's : ) and unfortunately, I believe all they make nowadays is their birch beer in kegs. I used to love their lime (green, NOT lemon-lime, though that was tasty), cherry smash, grape, orange, pineapple, cream, etc. There is a place in Catawissa, PA near Bloomsburg: http://www.catawissabottlingco.com/ that still makes most of those olde timey sodas in a variety of package sizes. Made with cane sugar too BTW.

Has anyone mentioned TastyCakes? My cousins from Florida and California always buy bunches of them to take back. They can't get them there!

ChowChow (corn relish). Scrapple. Shoo-fly pie. Primanti sandwiches. Old Forge style pizza. Halupki, pierogies. Kielbasi. Cheesesteaks. Pretzels.

Tom

Pierogies and kielbasa are well-loved in many areas with large Polish populations, including Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore...

Isaly's chipped ham and Klondikes(Ohio also), Heinz pickles, Primanti's sandwiches, Hershey's chocolate, scrapple, birch beer...

Oh and Clark Bars

Clark Bars left Picksburgh and went to Massachusettes when they were bought by Necco :(

Eskimo pie used to be a 'burgh thing too until they were bought out.

K

And Wilbur Buds (dark). Try one, and you'll understand what a Hershey's kiss isn't.

Yes Wilbur chocolate is good stuff!I occasionaly visit Lititz Pa,the home of Wilburs.They have a store and museum directly below the factory.Yum.

I can't leave out pretzels, Pennsylvania's contribution to world cuisine. I'm from Erie and we eat hard pretzels there, large ones that are cut in half, so one can put in cold cuts and cheese to make a pretzel sandwich. If you ever get to Pennsylvania's winter wonderland, try a pretzel sandwich, you'll love it!

I know my hubby would say Boscov's Coconut Cream pie. It is the pie against which all coconut cream ies are measured, and inevitably fall short.

I remember Jim Leff saying something about a ginger cookie that rocks his world and is only available in central PA.

The cookie admired by the head chowhound, is, if I'm not mistaken, a spiced ginger wafer, made by Sweetzels of Skippack, PA. I have enjoyed them every autumn since childhood and didn't realize until reading it on this site that they're not available outside of this area. They're a delicious harbinger of fall for me and are packed, fittingly, in a Halloween-colored box.

stop and shop supermarket in nj sells sweetzels' ginger wafer as its house brand. also, i saw the ginger wafer being sold near sandy hook, nj in a dollar tree store. the ginger ones are great, but i like the "spice" ones even better. i have seen the spice ones for sale at shop-rite, not consistently though.

I was hoping somebody would get this thread into some spice! Those cookies are wonderful!
I posted something (from Florida) on the Pennsylvania Chowhound board last August, to gear up for the Fall season. My wife and I had visited Valley Forge area in the Fall about 6 or 7 years ago and the locals said we had to try these spiced wafers. We did, and they were great...but available only in the Philadelphia area! So, in August, 2003,I got the name of the cookie from friends on the Chowhound boards, and thought I was off and running with a mail order.
Nope. The prevailing brand is apparently Ivins Famous Spiced Wafers, sold only in Philadelphia Acme Markets in the Fall of the year. I had several pleasant (and frustrating) long distance phone conversations with managers of Acme's in the Philly area who promised me the world, but would never get me a final order price. Then, out of the blue, I found the Sweetzels Spiced Wafers (the brand Jim Leff likes!)on the shelf at my local Publix--this is Florida!!! On the spot, I bought all 15 boxes, and gave a box to each person in the office. And next August, I'll just hook up with my local Publix manager to re-stock, and not bother the Acme managers who stock the other brand for the locals up in Philadelphia! Win-win!
The cookies are great in their own right, but a large part of their appeal is their association with Autumn, the crisp change in the weather, the special availability only once a year...

[gourmetlouie]

My wife and I came across an online store Aruntx Premium Shopping Marketplace and have been very happy with ordering, they packed our shipment of spiced wafers very carefully and they arrived within a few days.
Hopefully this will help you. http://aruntx.com/

[Displaced California Foodie]

Boscov's has coconut cream pie? I see this post is from 2004.
Is the Boscov's department store? Is the pie still sold there?

[Chris VR]

Yes, Boscov's the department store. It's been a long time since I posted that, and I don't live in PA, but I'm fairly sure the Boscov's he brought me to in order to try it was in/near Reading. It was one of those old fashioned cafe in a department store kind of things.

[Displaced California Foodie]

Thank you--I really hope they don't have it at my Boscov's which is only 2 minutes from my house.....I don't need to be that close to an unlimited supply of coconut cream pie. I gained too much weight eating Ben and Jerry's coconut cream pie ice cream (lowfat!) when I was expecting! But of course I will call Boscov's to inquire.

How about Lebanon Bologna? I guess scrapple is around in other areas but I think of it as a PA thing. Lots of PA Dutch things I guess. Chow-Chow, pepper cabbage, shoo fly pie and many others

For PA, I'd have to say scrapple is definitely unique. As for Philly, nobody does sammiches better.

Roast pork sandwich?
Defintely, the hoagie.

Not a grinder, not a sub, not a hero.
No mayo, no mustard, no sprouts, no avocado.

Good meat, sharp provolone. Thinly sliced onions and hot peppers, preferably of the cherry variety.

You know you can hardly find hot cherry peppers (diced or whole) in California? I used to bring them back on trips when I lived in SF.