The Tradition of “Seven Sweets and Seven Sours” Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, Amish, Mennonite and Moravians
The community we call “Pennsylvania Dutch” are actual descendants of German-speaking settlers. Since early settlers arrived in about 1683, the word “Dutch” became a corruption by English-speakers of the word “Deutsch,” which means “German”. The traditions and cuisine of these Pennsylvania Dutch has long held a fascination with outsiders. One of these fascinating traditions is the centuries-old emphasis on the seven sweets and seven sours. The core of Pennsylvania Dutch food strongly reflects their Germanic roots. This rich heritage has evolved into a distinctly different cuisine over the centuries since they have migrated to America. The Pennsylvania Dutch gastronomy has had a considerable influence on the areas in which they originally settled, particularly in Central and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
One of the Pennsylvania Dutch groups, the Amish, has a diet considered to be considerably low in processed foods. Although influences have crept in based on the various regional and religious backgrounds (predominantly the Amish, Mennonite, Moravians, etc.) of each of the Pennsylvania Dutch communities, the tables and cupboards of a typical home are loaded with the resources of the agricultural lifestyle they cultivated in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
Bringing little with them except salt and a few spices, these early Pennsylvania Dutch cooks were highly ingenious in their methods of food preservation. Using methods like smoking, drying, brining, pickling and even dried fruits in their cooking, they made their larder full. The philosophy of balance was achieved with the salty pickling and the sweet treats creating the seven sweets and seven sours meal.
True to their beliefs in not wasting resources, the Pennsylvania Dutch cooks often made use of food parts otherwise discarded. Like the Shakers the Pennsylvania Dutch were green before green was fashionable, honoring God and their world by using their assets in a responsible and accountable fashion. From pig organs to watermelon rind, nothing is wasted in the home of a Pennsylvania Dutch family.
Especially maintained by Amish families today, is the idea of seven sweets and seven sours, which stems from an ancient European custom based on the belief that everything should be properly balanced. Usually served in large families, and especially when serving company, seven various pickled foods, relishes, and spreads are laid out on the table. Because of the lack of of refrigeration these are often preserved in the summer for winter consumption. Alongside these are served the heartier starchy, and more filling dishes as part of the evening meal. These delicacies can be accompaniments or served by themselves.
The traditional sweet and savory or sweet and sour foods can be mixed all in the same dish as long as “seven sweets and seven sours” should be represented. The traditional “sweets” are usually based on locally-grown fruits such as apples, berries, or even candied watermelon rind. The “sours” are pickled onion, cauliflower, beets, tomato relish, spiced cucumbers and even more specialties that grew from definite German Old World influences. Their spicy flavors and their endless variety fill many an Amish themed country store. Spicy, pickled, preserved and cured, the Pennsylvania Dutch woman has always known how to present a spread for large families and groups from spiced peaches to pickled chow chow.
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