COLUMN: Village News – Culture through food recipes

One of the bestselling books at Village Books and Gifts is ‘The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes’ published by Derksen Printers many decades ago. For generations, this book has been given as a housewarming gift or a wedding gift, passing on the favourite recipes from one family member to another. Recipe sharing is a community activity that helps to solidify aspects of our culture. And when members of a community incorporate foods from the region they live in, it doesn’t take long until those foods are considered part of their culture.

Many of the recipes in ‘The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes’ come from different parts of Europe, where the Mennonites spent generations establishing their communities. Some have Dutch origins, or Prussian origins, and many have Ukrainian roots. So, when we speak about the traditional Mennonite foods of the Mennonites in southern Manitoba, we are talking about acquired foods from the various places that Mennonites have lived including New Year’s Cookies which have origins in The Netherlands and Cabbage Borscht or Beet Borscht originating from Ukraine.

Anyone who pages through ‘The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes’ will notice that Canadian foods have been included as well, like Pizza, Moose Stew, Chop Suey, and Swedish Meat Balls. This demonstrates the fact that recipe sharing within the community as well as between various communities has continued in Canada. Today, families have their favourite lasagna or stir-fry which are prepared for special family meals along with traditional zwieback buns or rhubarb plautz.

On Sept. 1, Mennonite Heritage Village is celebrating our ‘end of summer’ Fall On The Farm: Cultural Showcase. There will be many harvesting demonstrations and activities, re-enacting the life of early Mennonite communities in Manitoba. You will experience horses plowing in the field, the steam engine threshing grain, seed saving tips at the garden, hog butchering demonstrations, and many other pioneer activities. And food will be a big part of the celebration. Waffles with white sauce, rollkuchen with watermelon, cabbage borscht with fresh bread, and perogies with farmer sausage will highlight some of our favourite traditional Mennonite foods. In partnership with Eastman Immigrant Services, we are also welcoming food vendors who will be offering tastes from around the world, including Asian spring rolls, Paraguayan barbecue, and African foods. Along with a full day of music and dance entertainment from many cultures, we are embracing the diversity of our community as we enjoy our rich heritage and welcome the food and culture of our friends and neighbours.

Heritage and culture wouldn’t be complete without great food to share with each other. We welcome you to join us on Monday, Sept. 1 for a full day of heritage activities, engaging entertainment, and a delicious offering of traditional foods from our past and new foods shared with new friends.

Upcoming Events:

September 1 – Fall On The Farm: Cultural Showcase – Watch harvest demonstrations throughout the day and enjoy food from many cultures represented in our community, as we highlight the multi-cultural aspects of our community.

September 6 – Tractor Drive: Our annual antique tractor fundraising drive including a 50 km countryside ride through several local communities.

September 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – ‘Writing Your Story’ Workshop – A workshop for new writers. Join celebrated local authors MaryLou Driedger, Betty Barkman, Doris Penner, and Sheila Braun as you create your story.

September 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A day to reflect on our relationships with Indigenous friends and neighbours. Free Admission.

May to September – The museum, the Livery Barn Restaurant, the General Store, and Village Books and Gifts are open seven days per week.