The Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of German immigrants who settled primarily in northeastern Pennsylvania. There is a little confusion in that some folks think this refers to the Amish and other religious/spiritual groups that live within their own community and prefer not to mix with the rest of society.

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The Pennsylvania Dutch are Americans, strong Americans with strong religious beliefs, but aside from that they are just like anyone else.  

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The Pennsylvania Dutch culture includes a unique German-dialect language.  They have a strong sense of humor and delicious unique foods and customs, all of which bind them together as a cultural group.

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Many people who visit Pennsylvania Dutch "country" identify "hex" signs on barns and other buildings as part of the culture and to some degree that is true.  But the hex signs - although they incorporate designs that you will find on old Pennsylvania Dutch marriage licenses and property deeds - are more a tourist device started in 1942.

But they are interesting & fun to learn about.

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A tastier tradition is Fasnacht Day.
Fasnacht Day is an annual Pennsylvania Dutch celebration that falls on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The word translates to "Fasting Night" in English. The tradition is to eat the very best foods, which are part of the German tradition, and lots of it, before the Lenten fast. Fasnachts (pronounced fost-nokts in German) are doughnuts. There are three types of Fasnachts, one made with yeast, one made with baking powder, and one made with potatoes and yeast. All are slightly crispy on the outside, but not as sweet as standard doughnuts.

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A scary tradition is the Snallygaster.
A Snallygaster is part reptile and part bird, coming out in the middle of the night and stealing children and chickens.

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Favorite Comfort Foods-

 

Apple Butter - a sweet thick spread to put on bread

 

Apple Dumplings - apples stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and butter and wrapped in a blanket of biscuit crust

 

Brown Butter Noodles - egg noodles drenched in browned butter with a side of cottage cheese

 

Chicken Pot Pie - do I really have to explain this?

 

Chow Chow - pickled vegetable salad made at harvest time

 

Hog Maw - pig's stomach stuffed with potatoes & sausage

 

Funnel Cake - now a staple at carnivals & fairs everywhere

 

Pork & Sauerkraut - for good luck in the New Year

 

Scrapple - in most diners they will ask bacon, sausage or scrapple (boiled butchered animal scraps, blended with broth and cornmeal and cooled in loaf pans & sliced

 

Shoo-Fly Pie - wet bottom or dry bottom, a molasses-based dessert sweeter than sweet

 

Whoopie Pies - a "smore" on steroids...big glob of frosting between two mound-shaped slices of cake

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By the way, if you want to impress the locals, here is a simple bit of dialogue in Pennsylvania Dutch:

Wass duens Sie Doe? - what are they doing?

Ich Wais net? - I don't know.

My final word on this is a mention of the fraternal Pennsylvania Dutch organization - the Grundsau Lodsch (Pennsylvania Dutch Groundhog Lodge).  This is a patriotic, religion-respecting group that meet on a regular basis to enjoy each other's company in a fun-loving way. 

 

Pull out of the parking lot and make a right onto Kunkletown Road.  Continue until you see on the left a public building (18.2m), you can pull into their driveway. Over the doorway of the building you will see signage “Eldred Township Elementary School”.   On top of this sign, partially blocking it, is a sign now identifying it as the Community Center.

 

  If you have kids with you, you may want to let them use the playground equipment in the back of the building.  There is also a picnic table. Please note, the parking lot has a dedicated entrance and separate dedicated exit.  The next parking lot that you will go to, of the Town Hall, has the same arrangement.