I accidentally came across an article today on the Lenten fish fries that I've talked about here since Lent started. I think it was in the Religious Threadjack thread. I had always assumed that this was more or less national, if not East Coast, or whatever. But the article I came across said that it pretty much is a Southwestern Pennsylvania tradition, although it started originally in cities around the Great Lakes. There was an interactive map, and I was shocked at how many places there are.
That article had a link about another Pittsburgh tradition that I thought would have been Southwestern PA, but it's pretty much just Pittsburgh, and Youngstown, Ohio (about 60-70 miles away).
Ever wondered why there are a dozen cookies per guest at a Pittsburgh wedding?
At a Pittsburgh wedding, the cookie table is as important as the first kiss, but finding the true origin of the tradition is as challenging as making the perfect pizzelle.
Some say it’s a custom brought to Pittsburgh by immigrants (and everybody from Italians to Polish people claim its heritage). Others say it grew out of a Depression-era need to save money on cake. And yet, there’s very little published documentation of cookie tables at weddings until quite recently in the 1990s.
But no matter the roots, this enduring tradition of sharing dozens upon dozens of sweet homemade confections at weddings is baked into Pittsburgh culture — and it continues to perplex newcomers to the city.
So how did it get started?
The answer is “murky,” according to Lauren Uhl, Heinz History Center’s curator of food & fitness. But one thing is clear, she said: With the exception of Youngstown, Ohio, it seems to be a uniquely Pittsburgh tradition.
Dating back into the 1900s, the concept of a cookie table was a fixture at church socials, PTA meetings, and card games but not necessarily at weddings, Uhl said.
The cookie table’s association with weddings didn’t start popping up in publications until the 1990s, she said. But perhaps the concept didn’t show up in newspapers and cookbooks, she added, because everybody was doing it, so it wasn’t seen as newsworthy.
It's been a staple at every wedding I've ever attended here. It was a staple at mine. It's in addition to the cake. When a cousin got engaged, all the aunts started planning and baking. All my aunts and my mother baked for mine. I've baked for others. I didn't know it was such a narrow tradition, but it's a great one.
The article goes on to say that it's debatable if the cookies are to be served at dessert or as just waiting to eat when you arrive at the reception, but I've never been at a wedding where they weren't available to eat as soon as you arrived.
We went for a ride,
