When I was growing up my mother loved planning road trips. She kept promising that one day we'd go to Pennsylvania Dutch country and sample the famous seven sweets and seven sours. She talked about it so often that I was sure when we finally got there it would be a disappointment.
It wasn't. I remember that trip - I must have been about 11 - as one of the real delights of my childhood. And to this day I'm always surprised that when people talk about the regional cuisines of America, the unique food of this corner of our country is so often overlooked.
The Dutch here is a bastardization of "Deutsch"; most Pennsylvania Dutch came from Southwestern Germany, hundreds of years ago. And contrary to popular belief, they're not all Amish. The cookery they brought with them has evolved into its own cuisine, that frankly feels as American as - well, shoofly pie.
Leafing through this wonderful 1950 cookbook, I rediscovered some old favorites: whoppie pies, potato rolls, scrapple, strudels of all varieties. And then there were these soups. This cider soup sounds particularly intriguing.
