Mid Atlantic Glossary

Applejack – apple brandy

Baked Alaska – originally called Alaska-Florida, the baked Alaska contains a core of ice cream placed on a foundation of cake, and then covered with meringue. The cake and meringue insulate the ice cream while the meringue cooks in a hot oven. Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City served the first baked Alaska to celebrate the purchase of Alaska

Blintzes – cheese-filled crepes

Chicken à la king – creamed chicken and vegetables served over toast points, also from the Delmonico’s menu

Eggs Benedict – English muffins topped with Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce

Estuary – partially enclosed body of water that forms when fresh water sources meet with salt water

Foie gras – the enlarged liver from goose or duck; to enlarge the liver, the birds are fed large amounts of food

Gefilte fish – a fish dumpling

Hutspot – meaning hodgepodge, a hearth Dutch stew made in colonial American containing cornmeal porridge, corned beef, and winter vegetables from the root cellar

Kasha – buckwheat groats

Knishes – potato- or meat-filled potato pastry

Koolslaa – the Dutch word for Coleslaw, this salad consisted of shredded cabbage and a dressing prepared in the winter months since cabbage stored well in the root cellar

Kugel – noodle or potato pudding

Latkes – potato pancakes

Lobster Newburg – a rich mixture of lobster, cream, sherry, and eggs, created and served at Delmonico’s Restaurant

Olykoeks – oil cakes, prepared by the Dutch settlers in New York by dropping rolled balls of dough, “dough nuts”, into hot fat. In the late 1700’s, they shaped the dough into a circle and removed the center (creating a hole) to expedite the cooking, resulting in the modern doughnut

Rivels – made with flour and eggs, they resemble German Spaetzel, which is a cross between a nodle and a dumpling

Reuben – sautéed sandwich filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing

Sauerbraten – sweet and sour marinated beef originally from Germany

Sauerkraut dumplings – dumplings cooked in sauerkraut

Schnitz un knepp – Pennsylvania Dutch dish consisting of smoked ham boiled with dried apples and topped with dumplings

Souvlaki – Greek preparation of marinated lamb or chicken, usually served in pita bread and accompanied by sour cream, garlic and mint sauce

CHEESES OF THE MID ATLANTIC STATES

Liederkranz – an American cheese developed in Monroe, New York; soft texture; strong flavor and odor

Cheddar -- one of the first cheeses produced in the United States; riem texture; ranges from mild to extra sharp flavor