# "mormon food"



## phatch

Many tourists who come to Utah ask where they can go to eat "mormon food". Now, Utah is the highest Jello and Ice cream eating place per capita in the nation, but beyond that, what is Mormon food?

A new book takes a crack at defining it. "The Essential Mormon Cookbook", reviewed with some recipes here. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595060828,00.html

I doubt that the sample recipes will stir much interest here, nor should they by and large.

If I had to list what I would call "mormon food", the green jello would make the list as would "funeral potatoes"--a dish made of potatoes, onions, cheese, sourcream and a whitesauce or canned cream of * soup.

I do want to read this cookbook just to see what other cultural dishes have made the grade to official "mormon food".

Phil


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## peachcreek

Phatch, you have never had "Missionary Cake"? Or how about being at a Mormon Temple wedding- where the party consists of non-alcoholic punch and mints.....


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## chefboy2160

Mints! I reckon those would be there to rid yourself of the bad taste left in your mouth by the washing of the brain ceremony?Sorry, it takes time I guess to understand the recipes of the sheep when you are a lion.
Roaring,Doug..............


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## phatch

Not familiar with Missionary cake. I've been to some of those weddings and receptions though. 

Phil


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## kokopuffs

At some other LDS website to which I belonged, a frequent foodie joke referred to a popular LDS dish consisting of green jello into which shredded carrots were mixed.


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## peachcreek

Now you can tell those folks to get their Jello correct! Its Lime Jello and carrot CURLS. I hate to see some person getting laughed out of the stakehouse for having shredded carrots. HTH.


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## kokopuffs




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## pete

Excuse me, but you all have way too much time on your hands!!!!


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## shroomgirl

My brother/sil are mormon as in BYU, Provo raised......cream of whatever is a standard operating ingrediant, she does make pizza from scratch and they do grind grain with their stone grinder. Since my brother lectures on nutrition, fresh fruit and veg are consumed in quantity around their place.....I bought them the Joy of Cooking to expand the horizons. "Cooking is a chore, much like cleaning the bathroom" with 5 kids they maybe eat out 2 times a year.
All meat is well done, no blood please. And when I cook they hope it's not too bizarre.....
When I lived in Louisiana it was so funny to have them visit and try soft shell crabs, crawfish and oysters......now that was pretty brave on their part.
Jello is a salad for them, it was a dessert when I was a kid, and who can forget the parfaits that are layered and slanted.....or strawberries, pretzels and whipped topping combined in red jello....or pecan encrusted cream cheese balls floating in orange jello with apricots....these were the hit in the early/late 80's....taking jello to the next level.


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## kokopuffs

Shroomgirl:\

I would have thought that with all of the SAHM's in the LDS culture and the members' "awareness of healthful practises", better and healthier food would be offered at the supper table.


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## phatch

There are many good cooks and nutritive meals and snacks among the Mormons too, just like all people. 

Because the LDS are a fairly tight community in the modern world, the concept and tradition of the church supper lives on in a somewhat different state. Very often, these "traditional" mormon foods are the things someone will put together to bring to a pot luck meal, and similar events. They're not traditional in the sense that Pennsylvania Dutch food was, or Southern cooking.

The book just tickled my social commentary funny bone.

Phil


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## phatch

KBYU, the PBS arm of BYU airs a cooking program they produce, "Culinary Creations with Mary Crafts". She is intensely LDS, and a pretty good cook. She was the caterer chosen to cook for the president when he and his crew were in town a few years back for the Olympics.

The show is all about cooking for parties, so the amounts are large. Worth looking at the recipe archive at least.

http://www.byubroadcasting.org/cooking/

Phil


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## shroomgirl

Koko and I were writing generically, always a dangerous thing to do....my experience with the mormon community over the past 15 years, either teaching cooking, visiting their church for events or being around my brother's family has been food dismal.
casseroles, gloppy dressings, "cream of whatever soup", essentially what can be construded as cheap food for the masses....with colors not found in natural food. Utah has a BAD rep for food.....funny since my sister in law was raised on a farm with chickens, cattle and a pretty exstensive garden.

Though I remember showing up at their wedding reception where chicken fold overs were served...canned chicken, cream cheese, soup, all served in pillsbury crescent pockets.....that was standard fare.


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## chiffonade

Phil - We met my In-Laws at Salt Lake City when my SIL was in the country (She lives in Australia). MIL & FIL lived in Idaho and we lived in CO so we decided Salt Lake was a good place for the meet.

At the hotel, I saw a book called "Mormon Cooking." Cookbook fanatic that I am, I had to have one. 

What made this a Mormon cookbook?  The yields: "Serves 10," "Serves 12," "Serves 16." It was basically American food (for lack of a better term) with large-family sized yields.

BTW, have you ever seen "Culinary Creations with Mary Crafts" on the BYU channel? She's adorable.


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## phatch

I enjoy Mary's shows when I get a chance on Saturday afternoons. Entertaining in a very Utah fashion, but she makes some good food. Amounts are party sized, but they've all scaled well for me so far.

Phil


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