Food Traditions

[Mark Blatter]

I was reading an article today about how four different food traditions were started. It reminded me of one from my own childhood.

Sometime in the early 60's, my Dad and his siblings were sitting around playing games and snacking. They had made popcorn then made a batch of fudge, but the fudge did not set up. Sitting around talking and playing, someone started dipping the popcorn in the fudge, and thus a new tradition was born. Every year after that my Grandmother would send every one of her kids and their families a large box of chocolate covered popcorn. Almost all of the kids moved away from Chinook, MT over the years, but us grand kids could always count on that large box of popcorn arriving the first part of December every year. I miss that treat even today some 40 years later.

What sort of traditions do you remember or still have?

[Mike Null]

Our fudge was made with Hershey's cocoa. What else--with peanut butter and I don't know what all but it was good. The big battle among the kids was over who grabbed the pan first and got to scrape out the fudge that had set up in the pan. My Grandma also made candied sweet potatoes in an old cast iron skillet. Good stuff.

[Jim Koepke]

My wife makes fruit cakes almost every year.

She includes spiced gumdrops. Some of the cakes get soaked in rum and some in a rum flavoring.

Last night while we were each enjoying a piece she commented about using a touch too much rum. I just licked my plate.

jtk

[Ole Anderson]

Ah, fruitcake, the most maligned of the Christmas gifts/traditions. Personally I love a good fruitcake.

[Brian Elfert]

My mom makes fruitcakes every year and people love them. She makes them in November so they age for a month or more in the fridge. I personally don't like fruitcake so I don't eat any.

[Mark Godlesky]

Homemade lasagna with home-cooked meat sauce Christmas Eve. Turkey and Grandma's dressing (made with eight eggs in addition to bread, celery, etc.) Christmas day. Tens of dozens of cookies. And kolbassi and pirogi New Years Eve. I love the holidays for the family, friends, and food.

[Jim Koepke]

How about a "Boxing Day" turkey sandwich? One of my favorite parts about a turkey dinner is the leftovers. First sandwiches and then soup.

jtk

[Shawn Pixley]

Our family's tradition is oyster stew for New Years Eve.

[Bruce Wrenn]

New years will be standard Southern fare: pork, collard greens, black eyed peas, and sweet potato pie, with some corn bread thrown in for good measure.

[Matt Marsh]

Many of the holiday foods common within my family have Norwegian origins. Lefse, Lutefisk (yuck!), Krumkake, Klub, Oyster Stew, rossetes, Fatigmann, Sandbakkelse.

[Dick Latshaw]

Lutefisk (yuck!)

Can't imagine why you don't like Lutefisk. :D

Back in the day, my mom used to get Julekaga from one of the bakeries in downtown Minneapolis. Now my wife makes a really good version.

[Matt Marsh]

Can't imagine why you don't like Lutefisk. :D

Back in the day, my mom used to get Julekaga from one of the bakeries in downtown Minneapolis. Now my wife makes a really good version.

I have to laugh about this. Throughout my entire life, whenever I voiced my dislike of Lutefisk to the Norskies that claimed they like it (I think they're lying and just being bull-headed), they would tell me "well you should taste it when it's done better". After being around it for over 58 years now, I can honestly say a dog lifting his leg on it would make it taste better!

[Ole Anderson]

Lutefisk = fish jello.

[mike holden]

Coming from a Polish Catholic family, our Christmas dinner tradition included "oplatke". Think of a book-sized and shaped communion wafer, formed in a mold with a religious image on it. The oplatke was passed around the table with each person breaking off a piece and offering a prayer for the upcoming year.
Hard to find nowadays.
Mike

[Matt Marsh]

Lutefisk = fish jello.

I would add foul smelling, disgusting tasting, and snot-like texture in front of the term "fish jello". Anything that has had any contact with lye, should never be consumed!

[Larry Browning]

We have a food tradition in my family that is not tied to a holiday, but I know of no one that makes these outside of my family. We call them turtles. Take a hot dog slice it length ways but not all the way through and lay it open. Slap on a big glob of mashed potatoes. Top that with some shredded cheese. Stick it in a 350 deg. oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts and the tips of the potatoes start to turn brown. If you use your imagination they sort of look like turtles. Yum Yum! I can eat a whole package of hot dogs all by myself!