Category Archives: Regional/Traditional

Lebkuchen (German Christmas Cookies)

Name: Deborah Wild
Class Year: 1997
Country of Residence: Tbilisi, Georgia (German, married to a Dane)

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Christmas is a big deal in our house. I used to Christmas elf/or nisse (how the Danes would say) my friends at MHC, played Krampus for the German language club, and shared the German tradition of advent with my friends. When I met my Danish husband and he told me he was atheist, my reply was, him not believing in God was not an issue, but Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, I’m afraid, were non-negotiable (both not traditions in his family). Continue reading Lebkuchen (German Christmas Cookies)

Swedish-American Meatballs

Name: Dorcy Erlandson
Class Year: 1962
Country of Residence: France

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This is my US family’s favorite meal for holiday gatherings.   My Grandma, Elsa Landquist, immigrated to New York from Sweden when she was a young child and she grew up in Brooklyn.  This is the recipe passed around in the Swedish-American community in Brooklyn around 1900, using the ingredients that they could find easily.  (Swedish recipes always call for ground pork). This is why I have named the recipe “Swedish-American Meatballs.”  Thanks to the nutmeg you will find that they do have that authentic Swedish flavor!

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Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce (Be Celeng Base Manis)

Name: Silvia Maulini*
Class Year: 1980
Country of Residence: The Netherlands

* Silvia is one of this competition’s judges, so this recipe will not be considered – it’s simply delicious, and needs to be shared!

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

For the past decade I have been spending a month a year on the wonderful island of Bali, in Indonesia.  Local food is absolutely amazing and after following a few cooking classes there and buying several cookbooks I started experimenting at home. The house smells wonderful when I cook Indonesian and I feel I am back in Bali, at least for a few hours. This recipe is easy and very satisfying. I tasted this stew for the first time at “Bumbu Bali”, a fantastic restaurant owned by Swiss chef Heinz van Holzen, who has been living on the island for four decades and who is considered a master of Balinese cuisine. 

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Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen (Christmas Stollen/Cake) (German)

Name: Deborah Wild
Class Year: 1997
Country of Residence: Tbilisi, Georgia (German, married to a Dane)

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Christmas is a big deal in our house. Apart from MHC elfing tradition I used to play Christmas elf (or nisse as one would call it in Denmark) for my friends in College, I loved playing Krampus for the German club and shared the German tradition of advent with my friends.

When I met my Danish husband and he told me he was atheist, my reply was, him not believing in God was not an issue, but Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, I’m afraid, were non-negotiable (both not traditions in his family).

Continue reading Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen (Christmas Stollen/Cake) (German)

Turkish Eggs or çilbir

Name: Delia Youssef
Class Year: 2015
Country of Residence: Germany

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

It is super simple, super delicious, and super customisable. This dish was one of a series of many egg dishes I grew up eating when it was a lazy Saturday or Sunday with my family. It reminds me of home and if I have the chance, I make it for anyone staying with me or visiting me. Double and triple the portion for more guests. 🙂

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Yorkshire Puddings

Name: Kay Achenbach
Class Year: 2003
Country of Residence: United Kingdom

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Yorkshire Puddings truly exemplify the British tendency to call all sorts of different things “puddings”—they’re really more like an airy muffin.  Originally a way to bulk up a Sunday dinner with cheap and tasty ingredients, they’re traditionally eaten with gravy drizzled over them as an accompaniment to roast meat, but to me they’re a highlight, not a filler! Leftovers (if there are any!) are also great as a breakfast food with some butter and jam.

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Bulgarian Meatballs

Name: Vennie Muenzen
Class Year: 2010
Country of Residence: USA

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Growing up in Bulgaria, I eagerly anticipated summers in the countryside with my grandparents once the school year was over. I loved helping my grandma in the garden and enjoyed learning about the herbs and spices we grew and the bees we kept. My grandpa had eclectic interests and experience. A war veteran who worked as wholesaler of textiles, he also took pride in his beehives, garden, orchard, and vineyard. He was knowledgeable about plants and shared with me his books. Our Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, published in 1949, was one of my favorite books. 

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Onion Quiche

Name: Marcia Mead Lèbre
Class Year: 1971
Country of Residence: France

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

My husband Gérard loves anything with onions and kept after me to make him this quiche from Alsace Region in France. We both liked the result and now make it often. Few ingredients and fast to make. Peeling and slicing the onions bring tears to my eyes!

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Fasolada (White Bean Soup)

Name: Joann Ryding
Class Year: 1976
Country of Residence: Greece

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Fasolada (white bean soup) was the first local recipe I learned to make when I moved to Greece 30 years ago and my Greek husband still says I make the best fasolada he’s ever eaten. Fasolada is Greece’s emblematic national dish, served through the millennia, and it continues to  be a weekly family staple from Fall through Spring. Although it used to be known as the ‘poor man’s meat,’ sustaining Greek families in times of hardship, it was always recognized as a delicious and healthy source of protein and is as popular today as it’s ever been. 

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Szarlotka (Polish apple pie)

Name: Aniela White Staszewska
Class Year: 2005
Country of Residence: Bialystok, Poland

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

In Poland, apples have been grown since the seventh century, and since then they have become a core component of its cuisine. Today, Poland is one of the largest exporters of apples in the world. There’s even a children’s rhyme written by Jan Brzechwa (1898 – 1966) entitled Entliczek-Pentliczek, which tells a story of a little worm living inside an apple who goes to the city to find something else to eat, but when the waiter hands him a menu, there are only apple-based foods like szarlotka, stewed apples, and baked apples!

Continue reading Szarlotka (Polish apple pie)