Mecklenburg Sour Cream Potatoes: Schmandkartoffeln

This is a potato dish from the Mecklenburg region of Germany. Mecklenburg lies just east of Hamburg and vicinity, and after World War Two it was part of the Communist-dominated "German Democratic Republic" (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, abbreviated as "DDR," and don't be fooled by the "Democratic" part of the name, as it was a Communist dictatorship, with strong ties to the Soviet Union). As such, it was part of the state of "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (Vorpommern is literally "Fore Pomerania," but is more commonly called "West(ern) Pomerania," in English), a state that continued with the reunification of Germany. Within the Mecklenburg region itself, the best known city is Rostock. I had a German friend who lived in Rostock for a while as a child after World War Two, but fortunately, he and his family were able to make it to West Germany; then later, he emigrated to the U.S. 
    
This is an easy dish to prepare. I use beef stock to make it, but you can use vegetable stock, which will make the sauce somewhat lighter in color. The potatoes are often served with Rügenwalder Teewurst* and dill pickles (German: "Salzgurken" (literally, "salt gherkins"), also called "saure Gurken," literally, "sour gherkins"). "Teewurst" is a spreadable sausage available in some German delis, or online from sellers with German or German-style food products. If you don't have Teewust, you can try some ham salad or potted meat. By the way, the standard German word for "sour cream" is "Sauersahne," but in a number of regional dialects, the word "Schmand" is used.  

Ingredients:

2 pounds small to medium potatoes, cook with skins on
1/2 cup chopped smoked bacon
1 large (baseball size) onion, chopped
1 2/3 cups beef (or vegetable) stock
1/2 cup sour cream 
1/3 cup flour (or a little more, if you like the sauce thicker)
1 heaping teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons marjoram leaves (or oregano)
1 teaspoon salt (if your beef or vegetable stock has a good deal of salt, you can omit this)

Wash the potatoes well, cook them, skins on, in lightly salted water, until cooked, but still firm. Rinse the potatoes in cold water and peel them while they are still warm, set them aside for a little while. In a skillet over medium heat, saute the diced bacon for about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the chopped onion and cook until the onion softens. Sprinkle the flour over the bacon/onion mixture, then stir to mix in the flour, and let cook for just a minute or two. Gradually add the beef stock, stirring constantly, until the stock is all added and the sauce begins to thicken. Add the marjoram (or oregano), the salt (if using) and the white pepper, stir to mix in the seasonings. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure heat is turned low, then stir in the sour cream. Slice the potatoes and gently fold them into the sauce. Let the potatoes warm up over low heat, then remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with rye, whole wheat or multi-grain bread, slices of Teewurst and sliced pickles.

* "Teewurst" literally means "tea sausage," as it was often served with afternoon tea.

Schmandkartoffeln (Sour Cream Potatoes) with multi-grain bread, sliced pickles and Teewurst

WORD HISTORY: 
Cannon-This word is closely related to "cannoli," a word English borrowed from Italian, and also to "canon" (church law, standard or guideline for doing something, clergyman), also a borrowing by English. "Cannon" has a bit of a shaky distant history, but it "seems" to go back to transliterated Sumerian "ginah,"^ which meant "reed," which seems to have been taken by transliterated Akkadian as "qanuh," with the same meaning. This gave Hebrew "qaneh" (same meaning). This was borrowed by Ancient Greek from Hebrew as transliterated "kánna," and also meant "reed." Latin took the word as "canna," also meaning "reed," but also used for other "large woody plant stems;" thus also, "tube." This passed into Italian as "cannone," with the meaning "tube," which came to be applied to the barrel of artillery pieces when these weapons came into common use, but then this began to be used for the entire gun in general. This was borrowed by French (1300s?) as "canon," and English borrowed the word, also as "canon," in the early 1400s. The modern spelling "cannon" dates from the early 1800s. (Note: German borrowed the word as "Kanone" in the 1500s, but "perhaps" more so directly from Italian, and with reinforcement from French?)   

^ Sumerian was an ancient language of Mesopotamia in the Middle East from thousands of years ago. It has not been connected to any particular language family, although it came into much contact with elements of  the Semitic languages, especially Akkadian. 

Mecklenburg Dumplings & Spiced Pears

This is a dessert dish from the region of Mecklenburg, part of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a large state that runs along the Baltic Sea. In German the dish is often referred to as, "Mecklenburger Klöße mit Birnen" ("Mecklenburg Dumplings with Pears").

Ingredients:

For the pears:
3 or 4 ripe, but firm, pears, peeled, cored and quartered
water to cover
1 cinnamon stick
lemon peel from one lemon
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water
pinch of salt

For the dumplings:
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons cream
2 large eggs or 1 jumbo egg
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup (more or less) finely ground breadcrumbs

Put the peeled, cored and cut pears, the cinnamon stick, the lemon peel, the sugar and the salt in a pan and add just enough water to cover. Simmer the pears until they have softened, but not so that they are mushy. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and continue to stir until the liquid thickens a bit. It is not supposed to be super thick, however. In the meantime, bring a pan with about 5 to 6 inches of water to a gentle boil. Beat together the butter, eggs, sugar and cream until foamy, mix in the nutmeg and salt. Gradually add the breadcrumbs until a dough forms. If a good dough forms by using less than 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, that is okay. Likewise, if you need more than 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, add an extra tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms. A "good dough" should be able to hold its shape when put into simmering water. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the dough to form the dumplings and put them into the boiling water. Cook about 5 to 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings. 

Click to enlarge... I've left the cinnamon stick and a piece of lemon peel on the pears purely for the photo

WORD HISTORY: 
Pear-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to Latin "pirum," meaning, "pear," the plural of which was "pira," apparently mistakenly thought of as a singular when borrowed by Germanic, giving Old English "pere," with the ending "e" pronounced as "eh/ah." The term also spread throughout the other Germanic dialects, giving the modern Germanic languages: German "Birne," ^ Low German Saxon "Beer," Dutch "peer," West Frisian "par," Danish and Norwegian "pære," Icelandic "pera" and Swedish "päron."

^ German too spelled the word with a "p" long ago, but the "b" variation came about and became the dominant form. I wonder if some Germans confused the word with "beri," the forerunner of modern "Beere," the close relative of English "berry?" The "n" seems to have appeared in the 1200s.

German Kloppschinken: Encrusted Ham

This dish is from the German region of Mecklenburg, which borders on the Baltic Sea (German: "Ostsee;" that is, "East Sea"). Mecklenburg is part of the German state of "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," with the latter literally being "Fore Pommerania;" that is, "forward part of Pomerania," but often rendered as, "West(ern) Pommerania," in English. About 900 years ago, "Pomerania" was populated ("perhaps" sparsely so?) by Slavic people, who later "mixed" with the incoming Germans, who then took control of the area, with many of the Slavic elements thus losing their Slavic identity, although in the eastern part (near Poland), Slavic dialects and identity persisted. Pomerania is located along a stretch of coast of the Baltic Sea and during the period of Napoleon, the western part was under Swedish rule, with the larger part being part of the (then) German state of Prussia. After World War Two, most of Pomerania was ceded to the newly reformed Poland, with the exception of Vorpommern. The area fell within the Soviet occupation zone, and thus, it became part of the German Democratic Republic, most commonly called "East Germany" in Britain and the U.S. The Germans who settled there 900 years ago were Low German speakers; thus, the area remained so until the last century or two, as standard German was taught in schools, although Low German continued to be frequently spoken in every day life there until more recent times, and the number of inhabitants who are actually fluent in Low German has declined. So the "Klopp" part of name of the dish for this article is actually Low German, but it is "Klopfschinken" in standard German; that is, "knock or tap ham" (the German verb "klopfen" means "to knock, to tap, to rap") from the notion of "knocking or tapping on the crust to break it to get to the ham." Low German "Klopp" and standard German "Klopfen" are related to English "clap," as these words initially developed from the idea of the sound produced, rather than the action; thus the usage, "clap of thunder" (as a noun).

Ingredients:

1 pound smoked ham, cut into 4 slices (1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick)
1 cup milk (more if needed)
2/3 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs (not panko style)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
oil or clarified butter for frying
1 tablespoon oil (for batter)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak the ham slices in milk for about 2 hours. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Combine the other ingredients, except oil or clarified butter, into a thick batter. Pat ham slices dry and dip into the thick batter, coat well all over. Fry ham slices on both sides until golden brown. When tapping the ham with a fork or spoon, there should be a sound similar to the sound of tapping a loaf of freshly baked bread.   

Mustard greens are delicious, with a horseradish flavor, especially when uncooked. They are available in many produce sections of supermarkets, often sold in bags with the large stems already removed and with the mustard greens chopped, or you can also buy mustard greens in individual bunches that you must trim and chop yourself (this is what I buy). My grandmother used spinach for a similar dish (she used no chili pepper).

Braised Mustard Greens

2 pounds mustard greens, trimmed from any big stems
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeño chili, chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a heavy bottom skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and fry about two minutes, then add the garlic and the chili pepper. Cook until the onion softens a good deal. Add the beef stock, then about a minute later, add the sugar, then the vinegar. Stir well. Add the mustard greens, which will cook down. Season with salt and pepper and stir. When the greens cook down, remove the skillet from the heat. I prefer the greens themselves to cook only a couple of minutes; just until they cook down, but still have a little "life" in them.

"Kloppschinken" with braised mustard greens

WORD HISTORY: 
Shank-This word goes back to Indo European "skeng," which had the notion of "crooked, bent." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "skankon," which continued the general meaning, but also developed the more specific meaning "leg," from the notion of "the part that bends." In some Germanic dialects the meaning "awry, askew" developed from the "crooked, bent" idea. The Old Germanic form gave Old English "sceanca," which meant "leg." This later became "shanke," before the modern form, and the meaning tended to be applied to the "upper part of the leg." Related forms in other Germanic languages are: German "Schenkel" = thigh, leg;^ Dutch "schenkel" =knuckle, leg; West Frisian "shonk" =leg; Low German "Schanke" (now archaic); Icelandic "shakkur" ="mistaken, awry;" ^^ Norwegian "skank" =shank, calf of leg; I could not find a modern word in Swedish or Danish.

^ Typically modern German uses "Oberschenkel" (literally translated into English as "over /upper shank") for "upper leg," and "Unterschenkel" (literally "under shank") for "lower leg," but "Schenkel" is still in use. "Schinken," the German word for "ham," developed from the same Germanic form that produced English "shank" and German "Schenkel;" so, "the meat from the 'Schenkel'. "

^^ Old Norse, the forerunner of Icelandic, had "skakkr," with similar meaning, and it "may" have originally been "skankr," but the "n" sound died out.