5 Old Brethren Recipes

Apple butter and pickle sandwiches are staples of German Baptist Brethren gatherings...

By Kevin Williams

I love exploring the culinary pathways of the Plain people. In some cases, recipes can reflect the history and culture better than any written or oral histories. And, often, among the Amish, written histories are sparse, yet recipes are often written and passed down and they serve as a sort of history. Another closely related church to the Amish is the Old German Baptist Brethren Church. Members dress plainly and some groups, like the Old Order German Baptist Brethren, still use horse-and-buggy as their main mode of transport. Their recipes provide a window into their culture, so I wanted to give you three recipes here.