Schmeckfest: Food Traditions of Germans from Russia

Schmeckfest: Food Traditions of Germans From Russia The people and culture of the Germans From Russia was shaped not only by the lands in which they settled, but also by the recipes passed on from one generation to the next — recipes which turned the simplest of ingredients into the grandest of meals. Flour, eggs, milk, butter; starting with these simple ingredients, a bare table in a typical German Russian household could be transformed into a banquet of amazingly diverse and delicious dishes.Bread of all kinds is the centerpiece of German Russian cuisine: hearty loaves of pepper bread fresh from brick ovens; rich, yeasty dinner rolls slathered in butter; or light flaky fry bread sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Pickles graced the table. There were dumplings and knoepfle, savory meats and hearty stews. And entwined with every meals are the memories of the grandmothers, mothers, and aunts who worked in kitchens to prepare these meals and whose legacy lives on in the food their descendents still prepare.To celebrate these proud food ways, Prairie Public Television presents Schmeckfest: Food Traditions of Germans From Russia, a documentary showcase of a people and culture shaped not only by the lands in which they settled and the hardships they endured, but also by the recipes passed on from one generation to the next — recipes which turned the simplest of ingredients into the grandest of meals.