This feature was produced by Campbell's, and does not reflect the opinions or point of view of Vox Media or VoxCreative. Vox Media editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of thiscontent.
Great eating means great recipes. Together with Campbell's Sauces, we present "The Source," where we look back at the origins of some classic preparations, from around the country and around the world.
Chicken pot pie is an all-American comfort food. But the most iconic version of it — from Lancaster, in Pennsylvania Dutch country — has its roots in English dishes made from leftovers. The Pennsylvania Dutch added noodles, and the rest of the country made it a standby. In this episode of the "The Source," we head to the Keystone State in search of chicken pot pie.
Plus, here are five things you didn't know about chicken pot pie.
Pot pie might have originated in Pennsylvania Dutch country — but the Dutch have nothing to do with it. The Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of German and Swiss immigrants, both Lutheran and Anabaptist (like the Amish), who settled in southeast Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries and often speak Deitsch, a dialect of German. There, pot pie may also be known as "bott boi" in Deitsch. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is the only area to make this style of brothy pot pie with square noodles, also called "slippery pot pie." The nickname differentiates the Pennsylvania Dutch style from the thick-crusted pastry style served across America.
The recipe for chicken pot pie originated in England, but what makes Pennsylvania Dutch country pot pie so different from others is the noodles. Bott boi noodles are square egg noodles that came from German and British traditional cooking styles. Chicken pot pie began as a recipe used to stretch the week’s leftover meat, and adding thick square noodles to the mix of broth, potatoes, vegetables, and chicken.
Betty Groff popularized the chicken pot pie recipe — and put Lancaster county as a food destination on the map — earning praise from James Beard and New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne, among others. She once was quoted by the local newspaper that chicken pot pie is "as important to us as chili is to a Texan or corned beef and cabbage is to an Irishman." The restaurant she ran with her husband, Groff’s Farm Restaurant, attracted hungry diners from across the country to try Lancaster home cooking. The restaurant was open for business for more than 40 years. Groff died in November of 2015.
In Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie recipes, you may find one surprising ingredient — saffron. How did such an expensive ingredient (outweighing the price of gold per ounce, in some instances) end up in such a humble dish? German immigrants who settled in the area brought saffron bulbs with them and planted them in their gardens. Those bulbs grow into crocuses that produce only three stamens that must be handpicked, then dried to produce the spice. Even though saffron production is mostly limited to Spain and Iran now, there is still a small number of Pennsylvania Dutch growing it in the "Saffron Belt."
There are debates over the authenticity of other purported Pennsylvania Dutch dishes. Many associate whoopie pies with Lancaster, but the state of Maine claims that the first-ever whoopie pie was made in Lewiston, Maine. Everyone agrees, though, that the noodle-based chicken pot pie is a Lancaster original.
This feature was produced by Campbell's, and does not reflect the opinions or point of view of Vox Media or VoxCreative. Vox Media editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of thiscontent.
