Amish Frogmore Stew

Last week's Amish Cook column featured Amish Frogmore Stew.  The unusual name had some people scratching their heads and others had said they saw the dish mentioned in an Amish novel.  So here are some interesting additional tidbits to this interesting dish:

LYDIA'S CHARM:  Amish fiction author Wanda Brunstetter has Frogmore Stew play a role in her book Lydia's Charm.  You can find the recipe for the dish mentioned in the book here.  So Ms. Brunstetter must have run into the recipe while poking around Charm, which would match up with where Gloria said she got the recipe. I find this sort of food folklore fascinating.

AMY MILLER: But here's something even more interesting. I found a blog by an Amy Miller who has a real-life account of Amish people eating and enjoying Frogmore Stew in Holmes County, complete with photos.  It does not appear that this blog has been updated in over 5 years, but it looks as if Amy herself is either Amish or maybe raised Amish but left and still keeps in touch with family. Would love to hear more of her story.  But click here for her fascinating post and photos regarding Frogmore Stew.

Frogmore Stew is a classic example of a recipe from another region or culture being "adopted" by the Amish and made their own. This dish is now is found on menus in Amish settlements across the USA and the Amish cooks add their own little regional variations and touches to it.  Frogmore has wonderful flavor and color and has quickly become a menu favorite.  Some Amish jokingly called it "Toadmore Stew" or "Tadpolemore Stew", but that doesn't sound so appetizing!  

Frogmore stew is great to make in an open kettle outside and that type of cooking is common in Amish settlements which is another reason this recipe is such a great fit in Plain communities.