Lest we forget the Pennsylvania Dutch contribution to the Maryland culinary tapestry, it was high time I tackled that old classic: Shoofly Pie.
This crumb-topped molasses pie most likely gained its folksy name from a brand of molasses, according to historian William Woys Weaver. He wrote about the pie in his 1993 book “Pennsylvania Dutch Country Cooking”:
“Shoofly pie is a breakfast cake meant to be eaten early in the morning with plenty of hot coffee. It first appeared in 1876 at the Centennial [International Exposition] in Philadelphia under the name Centennial Cake.”
Reading (PA) Times, 1921
My database has 6 recipes for Shoofly pie. The oldest one was contributed to by Mrs. George H. Birnie to “Eat, Drink & Be Merry In Maryland” in 1932.
Born Elizabeth E. Zollickoffer in 1852, Mrs. Birnie’s father Alfred was a Carroll County farmer. In the 1860s and 1870s, Alfred Zollickoffer’s ads can be found in Westminster-area newspapers advertising such things as cider vinegar, livestock, and “peerless potatoes.” Elizabeth married banker George H. Birnie in 1882. The bank that Mr. Birnie founded in 1884, the Birnie Trust Company, existed until the 1960s before merging with Taneytown Bank and Trust, which was itself merged with a larger bank in 1998 and the local names swallowed up for good.
one of Alfred Zollickoffer’s ads in the Westminster (MD) Democratic Advocate, 1869
Eleanor died in 1937. Her daughter Eleanor also contributed recipes to Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland.
I parbaked my pie crust. I now believe that was a mistake as it took much longer than I expected for the pie filling to thicken in the oven. Once it finally did it turned out alright, but the suggestion that it should be served with strong black coffee is a wise one. The molasses flavor is otherwise kind of bitter for modern tastes.
In the Baltimore area at least, autumn is ripe for enjoying & romanticizing Pennsylvania Dutch culture and foodways. People flock to orchards to pick pumpkins and apples, breathe in the scent of apple butter simmering, and get decorative hay all over their pantlegs. I can see the appeal.
It seems like a good time for me to finally check out William Woys Weaver’s “As American as Shoofly Pie: The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine,” wherein he celebrates and debunks Pennsylvania Dutch cookery and culture. Apparently a lot of the foods marketed as Pennsylvania Dutch specialties have their origins in commerce more than homegrown tradition.
I like to temper my enjoyment of things with a dose of distrust.
Recipe:
- 1 Cup molasses
- 1 Cup boiling water
- 1 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1 Cup sugar
- 1 Cup flour
- 2 tb butter
- cinnamon
“Mix water, molasses and soda. Pour into pie crust, mix sugar, flour and butter into crumbs. Put on top of pie. Season with cinnamon if liked. Makes one pie.”
Recipe from “Eat, Drink & Be Merry in Maryland“