7 Weirdly Named Amish and PA Dutch Foods You’ll Love

Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish food offerings are some of the heartiest dishes you’ll experience. The baked goods and desserts available in Lancaster County are hard to beat. The names of certain Dutch foods can be a bit odd, though.

When you stay at AmishView Inn & Suites, you’ll be in the heart of Lancaster’s Amish Country and have immediate access to some of these delicacies. You can find many of these at charming roadside stands. Also, nearby Miller’s Smorgasbord features locally made snacks, cheese, jams, and coffee so flavorful you won’t mind the morning’s alarm.

We encourage you to take a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for a culinary adventure and discover these tasty PA Dutch foods. We believe you’ll soon be a fan of these delicious Amish Country edibles despite their seemingly weird names.

• Shoofly pie: There is hardly a farmer’s market in Lancaster County that doesn’t offer this delicious, sweet treat. With a strong molasses flavor, shoofly pie comes in two varieties: wet-bottom and dry-bottom. A wet-bottom shoofly pie will have a syrupy bottom while the dry variety will have a more cake-like bottom. Both come covered with an amazing, sweet crumb topping. There are different stories behind the name of this delicious pie. One story explains that Amish bakers simply had to keep flies from landing in the sticky molasses, constantly stating, “Shoo, fly.” Another story explains the name by saying it comes from a 19^th-century brand of molasses called “Shoofly.”
• Scrapple: This breakfast meat (although you can eat it at any time of the day) is made of pork scraps, cornmeal, spices, and other ingredients. It’s formed into loaves and sliced. Slices are then fried in butter until golden crisp on the outside. Scrapple can be served with applesauce or maple syrup.
• Schnitz un Knepp: dried apples and dumplings are the main ingredients in this popular Amish food. It’s usually served as a savory meal, with pieces of cooked ham added.
• Spaetzle: an egg-based pasta that’s made from dropping the pasta mixture into boiling water, straining it, and then frying it in a skillet of butter.
• Fasnachts: These sweet treats are most popular on Shrove Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Lent. Fasnachts are like sugar doughnuts, although they’re usually smaller and they do not have holes in their center. “Fastnacht” is a German word meaning “to fast” and “night.” Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to use up all the fat and sugar in the house before Lent begins. Fasnachts are a tasty way to use up those fats and sugars.
• Ham Loaf or Ham Balls: Ham loaf and ham balls are two similar Amish-made meals of ground ham and pork, with apple cider, brown sugar, spices, and other ingredients added.
• Pot Pie: Amish pot pies are meat dishes covered in flaky pie crust and are usually served in three varieties: beef, chicken, or ham. Some Pennsylvania Dutch pot pies are more like stews and include homemade dough noodles and potatoes.

Learn about other traditional Amish foods in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and get ready to explore the farmer’s markets and nearby Amish dry goods stores through Lancaster County. While staying at AmishView Inn & Suites, you’ll be centrally located in Amish Country and have access to some of the best back-road tours and popular Lancaster attractions, including Sight & Sound Theatre and several craft breweries.