Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Immigrant Cooking in America
If you have ever had chicken soup when you were sick, you know how comforting food can be. Immigrants also found comfort in the recipes that they brought with them from home. Their recipes were enhanced by ingredients that they found in America. Many foods that you love came from their cooking pots and ovens.
German-speaking immigrants came from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They settled in Pennsylvania and became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. These cooks served dishes like chunky potato salad, spicy hot dogs, and tangy sauerkraut. Their tasty food became famous. It is hard to imagine any American barbeque without hot dogs and potato salad. The Germans also brought pretzels to America.
Another tasty treat most Americans enjoy is hot pizza with toppings. The first pizzeria opened in 1905 in New York City. Gennaro Lombardi was a perfectionist from southern Italy. He made sure that his pizza dough was kneaded on an Italian marble slab. Hard-working Gennaro had a good idea, but something was missing. Italian immigrants loved his pizza, but Americans wouldn't eat it. He needed a way to make the Americans more curious about his spicy tomato pies.
