Food is a powerful thing. Making certain food brings back memories of childhood or loved ones, and it can create new memories. Gathering together over food brings people closer together, and a specific food can create a sense of home in a foreign land. Family history is kept alive when recipes are passed down from one generation to the next.
Making traditional foods was a way for new Luxembourg immigrants to connect to their homeland and family history while living in America. Fortunately, America had many of the same ingredients that they were familiar with from the homeland. This made it easy for traditional recipes to continue to be used by immigrants and their descendants.
A lot of these traditional recipes included pork, potatoes, and common garden vegetables. This exhibit will focus on a selection of traditional recipes with these ingredients and how they came to be staples in Luxembourgish food in both the homeland and America.
Lithograph postcard of the flower and vegetable market in Place Guillaume square in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Circa 1910. LACS Archives. 2014.1.686
POTATOES
During the 1700s, many new foods were introduced to European cuisine because of European colonization of the Americas. One of these new foods was the potato, which was native to South America. This was a big innovation in European food, especially for those who worked on farms. Unlike other foods, potatoes were always thought of as a food for the lower classes. However the potato was not popular with the lower classes until the 1770s. This was because of the famines across Europe in the late 1700s, which were caused by crop failures and overuse of farmland.
When Luxembourgers immigrated to America in the early 1800s, potatoes were already well-established in the American diet and Luxembourgers began making their traditional recipes. Potatoes were very adaptable for any recipe, which was why they became so popular both in the homeland and with immigrants.
Checking potatoes on a potato sorting machine at Luxembourg Fest of Belgium, WI. From left to right: Nick Depies, Clem Birenbaum, Oliver Depies. Vern Arendt Photograph Collection, LACS. 2013.9.276
Gromperekichelcher
Potato Pancakes
A lot of cultures have their own version of a potato pancake, and the Luxembourgish version does not disappoint. This recipe has been passed down in many families. Gromperekichelcher is especially popular around Christmas time, and is often sold in Christmas markets in Luxembourg. In America, it is popular around Christmas time, as well as throughout the year. Traditionally, the Gromperekichelcher is served with an apple compote or applesauce.
GARDEN VEGETABLES
In the 1800s, many of the Luxembourgish immigrants to America were farmers or had a farming background. Because of this, a lot of the immigrants were used to having a vegetable garden that would provide more nutrition in their diets. These vegetables would have to thrive in the general climate and soil of Luxembourg. These gardens usually included beans, leaks, onions, carrots, and other vegetables.
Fortunately for those who immigrated to the Upper Midwest in America, a lot of the vegetables they were familiar with were already a part of American gardens. This allowed them to cook traditional recipes, using the same ingredients from their homeland.
Immigrants would also preserve vegetables for use during the winter months in much the same way as they did in their homeland. Usually, the vegetables would need to be canned, pickled, or stored in a cool, dry place.
Making vegetable baskets. Ozaukee County, WI. Left to right: Gloria Schmit, Nancy (Kraus) Theisen, Joanne (Blick) Schueller. Vern Arendt Photograph Collection, LACS. 2016.1.1031
Bouneschlupp
Green Bean Soup
One recipe that is still made and eaten today is Bouneschlupp. This is a green bean soup, often made with carrots, onions, leeks, celery, potatoes, milk or cream, and smoked bacon. This recipe uses vegetables and ingredients that would have been easily grown in home gardens in both Luxembourg and America. Bouneschlupp is another recipe that is still passed down from generation to generation, and continues to be popular today.
PORK
The Luxembourgers who immigrated to America were mostly peasants and farmers. They did not have easy access to different types of food, and only grew enough food to feed their families. Pork was one of the main kinds of meat that they ate in their homeland, because it was easier to get and less expensive. The pork was usually boiled and paired with a variety of side dishes. This was a common way for peasants to prepare meat in the 1700s and 1800s. Boiling the meat and serving it with the water and fat was a way to get more calories and necessary energy for the hard work of their jobs.
Pork plays a big role in two well-known traditional recipes, Traipen and Judd mat Gaardebounen. Both recipes are still enjoyed by modern Luxembourgers and Luxembourg Americans.
Belgium Lions Club preparing mustreipen at their Palm Sunday Pancake and Mustreipen Breakfast. April 13, 1978. From left to right: Norman Wester (back to camera), Louie Tackes, Al "Blicky" Blick. Vern Arendt Photograph Collection, LACS. 2013.9.295
Judd mat Gaardebounen
Neck of Pork with Broad Beans
Another recipe that is still popular today in Luxembourg is Judd mat Gaardebounen. The recipe begins with soaking the meat for 24 hours before boiling the pork. This dish is served with broad beans and often a side of potatoes. This recipe with peasant origins hails from the village of Gostingen, and is now regarded as the National Dish of Luxembourg.
Träipen
Fried Blood Sausage
This is the Luxembourgish version of black pudding. It is more commonly known as “Mustreipen” in America. Traipen is made by thoroughly cooking the head, lungs, kidney, and tongue of a pig. The recipe also calls for pigs blood, a few vegetables, and a variety of seasonings. This recipe is a good example of how peasants and immigrants used as much of the animal as possible. Raising animals for food was a big investment for poor farmers because it required a great deal of work. It was unlikely that a farmer would own more than a few animals at a time. This meant that when it came time to slaughter the animal, it was important to use every part.
WHAT IS YOUR RECIPE?
Do you have a Luxembourgish recipe that has been passed down in your family? Would you like to share it with the Luxembourg American Cultural Society Research Center? Please fill out the downloadable form below, and send it to Serena Stuettgen at sstuettgen@lacs.lu or mail to:
Luxembourg American Cultural Society
PO Box 157
Belgium, WI 53004-0157
Holy Name Society Mustreipen Breakfast, St. Nicholas Catholic Church. Circa 1980. Left to Right: Arlene Gregorius and Kenneth Schueller. Vern Arendt Photograph Collection, LACS. 2014.2.631