Did you know that Ohio has the second-largestpopulation of Amish peoplein the USA?
So, if you’re planning a trip to Ohio, you’re bound to come across some of these people who still practice their traditional lifestyleunaffected by the hubbub of modern life.
You’re also in for a treat when you discover the delicious, authentic Amish food on offer amid the rolling hills of northeast Ohio. This part of the state is famous for its farm-fresh fare, including artisan cheeses, homemade pies, top-quality meats, and delectable pastries.
Keep reading to find out more about what’s on the menu when you visit Ohio’s Amish country.
What Is Traditional Amish Food?
Food plays a major role in Amish culture, with most families gathering around the table to dine together at least once a day. It’s also the main event wherever these hospitable and generous people get together.
Funerals, weddings, reunions, and even auctions always feature at least one full meal, often more. When guests arrive, the Amish ladies headto the kitchen to prepare a large meal of special dishes to celebrate the occasion.
Amish people are highly focused on farming and craftsmanship, taking a hands-on approach to anything they attempt. As such, most ingredients in Amish food come from their gardens or farms, and they take great care in preparing every dish they create.
The most important thing that Amish dining brings to the table is a sense of appreciation for family. In Amish culture, meal times center around catching up on the day’s events, sharing triumphs and relaxing with loved ones.
You can experience more of the Amish way of lifeat one of thefascinating museumsin Ohio dedicated to showcasing their culture.
Cooking is a major part of growing up for young ladies, as they help their female relatives in the kitchen. Thanks to this, the Amish have kept their culinary traditions alive for us to enjoy while visiting Ohio.
Although modern Amish peopleoccasionally enjoy regular meals such as tacos or lasagne, most of their foods comprise fresh farm-grown vegetables with a high focus on dairy, meat, and eggs, too.
Amish MealsTo Try on Your Trip to Ohio Country
Traditional Amish meals cater to the appetites of the farming community, where workers return from the field hungry after a hard day’s work. As a result, meals are often filling and hearty, flavored with an array of spices and seasonings like thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, and vanilla.
These are some of the classics you simply must try while visiting this part of the world:
Butter Noodles
The Amish love of carbohydrates includes noodles as a staple accompaniment to many meals.
They make their noodles from scratch using a mixture of flour, eggs, salt, and water. The next step is kneading the dough into a smooth consistency, cutting the noodle shapes, and leaving them to dry completely.
After that, it’s simply a matter of immersing the noodles in boiling water for a few minutes until they’re al dente, and then serving them with meat and vegetables.
Butter adds a whole new dimension to these simple noodles. This dish involves melting a cup of butter until it’s golden brown, adding broth and bouillon, and bringing this mixture to a boil before adding the noodles.
The browned butter adds a delicious nutty taste to the noodles.
Breakfast Casserole
Breakfast casserole appeals to a wider range of palates than scrapple does. It consists of eggs and diced or shredded ingredients like bacon, onion, hash brown potatoes, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and Swiss cheese.
Amish folks make this all-in-one meal by frying the bacon and onion until cooked and then mixing them in with the other ingredients before baking it in a casserole dish.
Shoofly Pie
Shoofly pie is a traditional sweet breakfast dish in Amish communities.
It’s made from molasses combined with water, baking soda, and flour poured into a pie shell and topped with a layer of crumb comprising flour, butter, sugar, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.
Once the ingredients are in place, the dish goes in the oven for 40 minutes and comes out with a delightful gooey inside and crispy crumb topping.
It’s usually enjoyed with a cup of black coffee to dampen down the sweetness a little.
Dutch Cabbage Rolls
Dutch cabbage rolls personify comfort food in a handy package.It’s a simple, hearty, and delicious dish, perfect for cold Ohio winter nights.
To make cabbage rolls, you simply combine ground beef with cooked rice, onion, stock, egg, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then, divide it up into appropriately sized portions and roll the meat in a cabbage leaf.
To cook the cabbage rolls, you layer them in a baking dish, cover them with a simple tomato-based sauce, and bake them for 50 minutes.The sauce contains onion, celery, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes,honey, and lemon juice boiled together.
Pickled Beets
If you think beets are boring, you haven’t tried the Amish pickled version of this vegetable. This combination of sweet, spicy, hot, and sour tastes is the perfect match for tacos, salads, and meat dishes.
The recipe is simple enough and involves combining the sliced or grated beets with a mix of sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and beet broth.
Chicken Corn Soup
This hearty soup epitomizes comfort cuisine. It’s wholesome, satisfying, and ever-so-delicious.
It’s created from scratch with freshly roasted chicken, sweet corn, and a flavorful broth. Other ingredients include onions, celery, carrots, parsley, and dough rivels.
Pot Pies
Another comfort-inducing meal in one, chicken pot pie is easy to make and supremely fulfilling to eat. It’s a simple blend of fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes combined with fresh chicken breasts and homemade noodles.
Bay leaf, parsley, salt, pepper, and butter are responsible for the homely flavors that pervade this dish.
Bologna
The Amish version of bologna, also known as Lebanon bologna, has a sweet, smoky, and sharp taste.
Beef is the only meat used in this type of bologna. It’s ground finely, mixed with salt, sugar, and spices, and then stuffed into sausage casings.
After that, the meat goes into a cold smoker for up to 8 days at 72°F with 85% humidity. The result is delicious lunch meat that’s great with pretzels, bread, and cheese.
Apple Butter
Apple butter is similar to apple sauce, except it has a longer cooking time. This means the mixture of sweet apples, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla boils down to a glossy caramelized spread.
It’s a delightful addition to your morning toast, and you can also use it as a glaze on roast meats.
Doughnuts
We’ve all enjoyed donuts before, but none of them involved the care and timededicated to creating these traditional sweet treats. When the Amish make doughnuts, they spend hours kneading and resting the dough and make every batch from scratch.
The result is a delicious, fresh, old-style donut topped with a simple glaze.
Chow-Chow
This tasty relish goes with almost anything. It adds a vinegary bit and a fresh taste, as well as some wholesome vegetable vitamins, to every dish.
Chow-show comes from adding vinegar brine to a mix of chopped fresh vegetables and leaving it to its own devices for a few hours. Some of the most popular ingredients include green and red tomatoes, beans, carrots, cauliflower, peas, and asparagus.
Chipped Beef Gravy
This unusually named gravy consists of white sauce with bits of dried beef mixed into it. This Amish staple pairs well with red bean salad, ham and cheese quiche, or scrambled eggs.
Where to Enjoy a Traditional Amish Dinner
By far the best way to enjoy Amish cuisine is by popping into one of the many restaurants that specialize in these foods.
Amish restaurants in Ohio feature many of these favorite meal items on their menus. These are some of the best ones to try during your trip to Ohio.
Boyd and Wurthmann
If you’re stayingnear Berlin, be sure to pop in to enjoy a meal at this home-style Amish eatery. The restaurant started as a grocery store during the 1930s and has since become one of the best-known places in town to enjoy this traditional food.
Here, you can enjoy breakfast favorites like donuts, cinnamon rolls, and fritters from early in the morning, or catch lunch and dinner later on.
Some menu favorites include salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts.
Der Dutchman
The name of this restaurant hints at the Dutch heritage of the Amish culture. Here you’ll find a dizzying array of wonderful traditional bakes as well as a huge buffet spread for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Apart from a range of pastries, cookies, donuts, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and pies, the restaurant also offers gluten-free foods as well as a healthy menu for weight watchers.
Der Dutchmanis in Walnut Creek, where you’ll still see horses and buggies passing by against the backdrop of rolling hills punctuated with white farmhouses and red barns.
Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen
Fried mush, roast beef, juicy chicken, and homemade sweet rolls are all on the menu at this Amish specialty restaurant. Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen offers authentic, delicious meals that pay tribute to Amish culture and traditions.
For dessert, you’ll find a range of pies made from a huge array of fruit as well as peanut butter, and custard. Mrs. Yoder’s kitchen occupies a prime spotacross the way from the livestock auctionin the small town of Mt. Hope.
This makesMrs. Yoder’s Kitchenan excellent place to meet some of the local farmers on auction days.
Farmstead Restaurant
Another Berlin favorite for local diners, theFarmstead Restaurantoffers wholesome breakfasts, lunches, and dinners featuring homestyle cooking.
All the meals incorporate fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and the vibe is homey and comfortable at this popular eatery. The meatloaf and chicken pot pie are particular favorites among diners at the Farmstead.
To wrap things up, you can tuck into a selection of homemade pudding, double-crust fruit pies, and smooth, rich cream pies.
Walnut Creek’s Markets
Those who preferself-catering accommodationin Ohio can benefit from creating their own culinary delights using authentic Amish ingredients.
It’s easy to come across these staples in Amish country, but it’s worth traveling to the Walnut Creek Market for the best cheese, jams, jellies, fresh farm chickens, and baked goods.
Don’t miss the chance to pop into Coblentz Chocolates to stock up on treats like peanut butter buckeyes, pecan snappers, and all the best types of truffles. These handmade gourmet bites will have everyone asking for more.
Enjoy a Taste of Ohio’s Best Attractions
The best way to find out about Amish food and experience the authentic tastes of Ohio is tovisit us in Amish country. We offer a range of high-endtreehouse, cabin, and farmhouse accommodations that place you at the heart of the action.
Our accommodations offer easy access to the area’s quaint towns, excellent museums, glorious natural attractions, and all the delicious farm-to-table fare you can eat.Get in touch tobook yourplaceright away.
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