Amish Funeral Pie (2024)

Death and raisins share one essential feature: neither belongs to any one season. Eighteenth-century Amish and old-order Mennonites of Pennsylvania were no strangers to the harsh realities of sudden loss, but amidst tragedy, raisins were there. The preserved grapes were a pantry staple—shelf-stable and ready-to-eat throughout the year. In times of emergencies, wives turned to the ingredient known as rosine in their native German. They whipped up raisin pies, which traveled well and required no peeling or pitting, on various occasions, but their consistent presence at funerals led to the nickname “funeral pie.”

Rosine pie was the closest thing Amish people had to fast food. Friends and neighbors prepared the pie quickly, left it out without fear of spoilage, and then focused their attention on more pious matters. Some bakers turned it into a milky, custard-like filling, while others mimicked the texture of mincemeat. Both sticky pastes went straight into a double-crust, usually in lattice form. Despite evolving technology, Amish communities—steadfast in their devotion to tradition—have continued baking the same raisin pies well into the 21st century.

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Flapper Pie

Often, a funeral pie accompanied the meal served during a wake, when mourning families were supposed to be distracted by sugary comfort. Some say the dish’s overwhelming sweetness made it difficult for one to think, temporarily relieving the aggrieved. Some pie filling is meant to fill more than just pie holes, even if only for a moment.

Amish Funeral Pie (2024)

FAQs

Why is it called funeral pie? ›

In times of emergencies, wives turned to the ingredient known as rosine in their native German. They whipped up raisin pies, which traveled well and required no peeling or pitting, on various occasions, but their consistent presence at funerals led to the nickname “funeral pie.”

Do the Amish embalm their deceased? ›

Embalming the body is permitted and is done by a local funeral home, being careful not to apply makeup or making cosmetic corrections. After embalming, the family takes over, dressing the loved one in all white and placing them in a simple handmade wood casket.

What is the death of Pennsylvania's forgotten funeral pie? ›

Raisin pie itself isn't particularly foreboding. But in 19th-century Pennsylvania German homes, it meant one thing: Death was near. Once it arrived, so too would friends and neighbors, coming to “redd up” the bereaved family's home for the funeral. This meant cooking, cleaning, and baking raisin pie.

How do the Amish grieve? ›

The Amish often place value on quiet and reserved grieving. Emotional expressions of grief are often private. Public expression of grief may include Amish women wearing black after the death of a loved one. For Amish families, funerals are often simple and are typically held three days after the death.

What is the meal after a funeral called? ›

The gathering after the funeral usually has food known as a repast. Repast food is a type of food that is often served at funerals. It is typically light and simple, such as sandwiches and finger foods.

What is it called where you eat after a funeral? ›

A funeral reception luncheon, or funeral repast, is a gathering for a meal after the funeral service. The person who hosts the luncheon will decide with the family to hold the event at a restaurant, banquet hall, or someone's home.

Do the Amish shower regularly? ›

The Amish have various hygiene practices, just like regular Americans. They take showers, although the frequency may vary among different Amish orders. Conservative Amish don't use deodorant, talc, or lotion. They simply wash, dry, and put on clean clothing.

What is the leading cause of death in the Amish? ›

The top 3 mechanisms of injury leading to mortality were falls (34.4%), pedestrian struck (21.9%), and farming accidents (15.6%). Pediatric (age ≤ 14y) (25%) and geriatric (age ≥ 65y) (28.1%) had the highest percentage of mortalities.

Do Amish have open casket funerals? ›

Once the body has been washed and prepared, these new garments will be put on. They'll be worn throughout the viewing of the open casket, as well as through the burial and into the grave. These are all made by hand, as with most items that the Amish produce.

Which group of immigrants would have made a raisin pie? ›

Other Recipes for Raisin Pie

Obviously (50 pies at a wedding) it was popular among Swiss Mennonite immigrants in northern Ohio. Most replies indicated it is generally a mid-western thing, and generally in regions with Germanic roots.

What is the history of raisin pie? ›

Before there was refrigeration, fresh fruits were not readily available, but most homes had dried raisins on hand. This pie traditionally is served at funerals of Old Order Mennonites and Amish. This pie became a favorite of Mennonite cooks because the ingredients were always available and the pie kept well.

How do Amish deal with periods? ›

I think the level of integration with the modern world varies community to community (some Amish communities are more insular than others) but the most conservative of them will probably use the same methods women used for hundreds of years — wrapping themselves with strips of material, or wrapping their shift/ ...

Do the Amish remarry if their spouse dies? ›

Remarriage After the Death of a Spouse

Widows and widowers may enter a courtship and remarry, and many Amish people do after losing a loved one. Because the Amish have large families, remarriage results in large extended families. Not all Amish wish to remarry, but most Amish widowers do.

What is the syndrome that the Amish have? ›

One form of dwarfism, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, involves not only short stature but polydactyly (extra fingers or toes), abnormalities of the nails and teeth, and, in about half of individuals, a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart. The syndrome is common in the Amish because of the "founder effect."

How did funeral get its name? ›

The word funeral comes from the Latin funus, which had a variety of meanings, including the corpse and the funerary rites themselves. Funerary art is art produced in connection with burials, including many kinds of tombs, and objects specially made for burial like flowers with a corpse.

Why is it called flapper pie? ›

There are a few origin stories behind the name, which more than likely earned the name Flapper Pie because its rise in popularity occurred in the 1920s when Flapper Girls and their short dresses and haircuts were all the rage — at this point in Canadian history, Flapper Pie was served in every cafe across the prairie ...

Why are coffins called caskets? ›

Coffins are sometimes referred to as a casket, particularly in American English. Any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewelry, use of the word "casket" in this sense began as a euphemism introduced by the undertaker's trade.

Why did they call it pie? ›

One source of the word "pie" may be the magpie, a "bird known for collecting odds and ends in its nest"; the connection could be that Medieval pies also contained many different animal meats, including chickens, crows, pigeons and rabbits.

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