7 Weirdly Named Amish and PA Dutch Foods You’ll Love

Key Takeaways: Exploring PA Dutch Culinary Classics

• Quirky Names, Hearty Flavors: Dive into Lancaster County’s rich culinary heritage with seven traditional Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish dishes that sound a little weird but taste incredible.
• Sweet & Savory Staples: Discover the ingredients and local folklore behind regional favorites—ranging from molasses-rich Shoofly Pie and traditional Fasnachts to crispy Scrapple and hearty, handmade Pot Pie.
• Your Culinary Home Base: Stay centrally located in the heart of Amish Country at AmishView Inn & Suites for immediate access to authentic roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and local dining landmarks like Miller’s Smorgasbord.

Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch food offerings are some of the heartiest dishes you’ll experience. The baked goods and desserts available in Lancaster County are hard to beat. The names of certain PA Dutch foods can be a bit odd, though.

When you stay at AmishView Inn & Suites, you’ll be in the heart of Lancaster’s Amish Country and have immediate access to some of these delicacies. You can find many of these at charming roadside stands. Also, nearby Miller’s Smorgasbord has a full selection of PA Dutch food and since it is buffet you can just try a little of everything! We also suggest stopping by Locally Made Food Shop, right next to Miller’s, featuring Miller’s Bakery items and other locally made foods including pretzels, cheese, jams, preserves, honey and coffee so flavorful you won’t mind the morning’s alarm.

So come to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for a culinary adventure and discover these tasty PA Dutch foods. We believe you’ll soon be a fan of these delicious Amish Country edibles despite their seemingly weird names.

7 Fun PA Dutch Foods to Try

• Shoofly pie: There is hardly a farmer’s market in Lancaster County that doesn’t offer this delicious, sweet treat. With a strong molasses flavor, shoofly pie comes in two varieties: wet-bottom and dry-bottom. A wet-bottom shoofly pie will have a syrupy bottom while the dry variety will have a more cake-like bottom. Both come covered with an amazing, sweet crumb topping. There are different stories behind the name of this delicious pie. One story explains that Amish bakers simply had to keep flies from landing in the sticky molasses, constantly stating, “Shoo, fly.” Another story explains the name by saying it comes from a 19^th-century brand of molasses called “Shoofly.” We recommend stopping by Locally Made Food Shop to pick up a fresh shoofly pie. Not booking your trip to Lancaster soon enough? Order a Miller’s Bakery Shoofly pie online here and have it shipped to you.
• Scrapple: This breakfast meat (although you can eat it at any time of the day) is made of pork scraps, cornmeal, spices, and other ingredients. It’s formed into loaves and sliced. Slices are then fried in butter until golden crisp on the outside. Scrapple can be served with applesauce or maple syrup.
• Schnitz un Knepp: dried apples and dumplings are the main ingredients in this popular Amish food. It’s usually served as a savory meal, with pieces of cooked ham added.
• Spaetzle: an egg-based pasta that’s made from dropping the pasta mixture into boiling water, straining it, and then frying it in a skillet of butter. Check out Smokehouse at Plain & Fancy menu for their Pork Schnitzel with Spaetzle.
• Fasnachts: These sweet treats are most popular on Shrove Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Lent. Fasnachts are like sugar doughnuts, although they’re usually smaller and they do not have holes in their center. “Fastnacht” is a German word meaning “to fast” and “night.” Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to use up all the fat and sugar in the house before Lent begins. Fasnachts are a tasty way to use up those fats and sugars.
• Ham Loaf or Ham Balls: Ham loaf and ham balls are two similar Amish-made meals of ground ham and pork, with apple cider, brown sugar, spices, and other ingredients added.
• Pot Pie: Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pies are more like stews and include homemade egg noodles and sometimes potatoes. Try it out at MIller’s Smorgasbord with the thick handmade egg noodles. Watch the video to see how the egg noodles are made. You can also get flakey crusted chicken pies in Lancaster County but they are called chicken pies not pot pie.

Learn about other traditional Amish foods in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and get ready to explore the farmer’s markets and nearby Amish dry goods stores through Lancaster County. While staying at AmishView Inn & Suites, you’ll be centrally located in Amish Country and have access to some of the best back-road tours and popular Lancaster attractions, including Sight & Sound Theatre and several craft breweries.