Schmeckfest: Food Traditions of the Germans from
One-hour videotape documentary produced by Prairie Public Television,
and North Dakota State University Libraries, Fargo, ND, copyright
Selig, Barbara. "Schmeckfest: Food Traditions of the Germans from
Russia." German Life, February/March, 2002,
Rezensionen - Reviews - Videos
Traditions of the Germans from Russia continues the story
of Russia-German immigrants begun in The
Germans from Russia: Children of the Steppe, Children of the Prairie
(see the December/January 2000/2001 issue of German
Life), this time highlighting the contributions of women
in the preservation of their cultural heritage and indeed their
very survival. As the German people migrated from their homeland
to Russia in the 18th century and to the United States and Canada
a century later, the women managed to maintain an important aspect
of their culture, namely their ways of preparing food.
In the cold and often forbidding lands of Russia, as well as on
the American and Canadian plains, the women had to use what was
at hand, often only flour, eggs, water, and salt, to create a myriad
of delicious foods that prove the truth of the saying that for the
Russia-Germans "food is love." One particularly touching
testimony of this spirit shown in the video is the story of a mother
who fashioned Easter birds for her children from a simple dough.
Her now-elderly daughter shows us how.
This video teaches the uninitiated viewer how to make other dishes
such as cheese buttons, spiced watermelon syrup bread, Fleischküchle,
and watermelon pickles. Younger women are still learning the traditions
though they are utilizing the conveniences of a modern kitchen.
In an age of homogeneity, especially in the area of food, it is
a delight to know that German ethnic foods are still flourishing.
It makes the viewer, even those who were raised on different fare,
want to get in a car, drive to the prairie and experience for himself
or herself a Kuchen, some Knöpfla soup or, better yet, some
Some recipes come with the video and others can be obtained at
the website: http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc.
To purchase a copy of the video call 1-800-359-6900 or visit the
Prairie Public website at: www.prairiepublic.org.
Reprinted with permission of German Life.
to use any images from the GRHC website may be requested
by contacting Michael