The Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church of Baltimore was founded in June of 1979, with a parish made up of seven families. “Everyone was on the same boat, sometimes literally,” pastor Billy Park told the Sun in 2003. By then, more than 1700 people were attending Sunday services at the church.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed quotas that had been a barrier for many Asian people looking to immigrate into the United States. In the 1970s, Korea was one of the top countries of origin for immigrants into the U.S.
A 1978 article in the Baltimore Sun estimated that the population of Korean immigrants in the city numbered between 7000 and 14,000. Many members of the Korean community had been in the United States for five years or less. The article chronicled some of the issues Korean-Americans were facing: xenophobia and isolation, struggles with starting businesses in a troubled city, and planning educations for their children’s futures. Many of the issues remain the same today for immigrants from all over the world.
“Strawberry Pretzel Salad” is the stuff of potluck legend. Fruit; Jell-o; creamy whipped filling; and then – surprise! – a crunchy salty bottom-crust. It requires just enough assembly to be special. It’s quirky enough to be memorable. It’s the kind of “Suzie Homemaker” recipe that gets frequently requested from newspapers, and that people love to claim is of their own inspired invention.
Pretzels used as a crumb crust for pies may not be as ubiquitous as graham crackers, but the idea is not unheard of. 1950s recipe columns encouraged home cooks to give pretzel crust a try. “Sounds dizzy but tastes great,” the Orlando Sentinel declared in 1953. The Warren County Observer in Pennsylvania promised readers that they would “say it has a crunchiness and toasty taste that’s perfect for a lemon meringue pie” in 1954. Pretzel crust lemon chiffon pie became a new twist on lemon pie and other desserts.
Many online sources incorrectly state that the salad originated with the 1963 “Joys of Jell-o” cookbook. L.M. Zoller of the “I’ll Make It Myself” food blog wrote a great little zine on the topic and debunked this. L.M. noted that the earliest known (as of this post) instance of the dish in the 1960 “Brentwood Civic Club Cookbook” from Brentwood Pennsylvania, contributed by Gerry Franz Sullivan, a daughter of second-generation German immigrants in the Pittsburgh area.
Some sources also refer to this as a “Southern” dish for whatever reason, but we won’t bother with that. I believe that the layered strawberry concept may have appeared in Jell-o recipe books – but the pivotal flourish- the pretzel crust – was not included. Without that it’s just a Jell-o fruit salad.
The first newspaper appearance of Strawberry Pretzel Salad that I found was in 1972, in the Chicago Tribune, as “Pretzel-Crust Strawberry Dessert,” attributed to Mrs. Paul Meiners. I can’t identify Mrs. Meiners for certain, but I found a Paul Meiners in the Chicago area, the son of German immigrants.
In June 1974 the recipe appeared in the Bemidji, Minnesota Pioneer “Cooking with Candace” column under the more fetching name “Strawberry Pretzel Surprise.”
Easter was almost two months ago, but the fat from the stuffed ham I made has been living on in my kitchen. After rendering lots of lard of varying purity, I’ve learned just how much flavor it can impart when used for sautéing, and how the very faint meatiness actually adds welcome complexity to a flaky tender pie crust. My allegiance to butter is in question – at least until I’ve worked my way through the last of my home-rendered lard.
The rendering process left me with a bowlful of finely-ground pork cracklings, too small to snack on but suitable for cornbread.
The recipe I chose comes from a typewritten manuscript found at the American Antiquarian Society, and available digitally, entitled “Cookbook of Maryland and Virginia Recipes.” This mysterious manuscript contains some recipes that appear in other collections like “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland,” plus others that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Culinary Historian Karen Hess took a look at the manuscript and wrote some notes about its possible date of creation, but she did not recognize the book as anything that had seen publication. That was in 1981 – the year I was born. I’m no Karen Hess but I have the advantage of the digital age. I’ll save my research into this interesting little book for another post.
I chose this recipe primarily because it had a huge ratio of cracklings – maybe impractical for other uses, but this cornbread was for topping chili.
Cookbook of Maryland and Virginia Recipes, American Antiquarian Society
