Fastnacht Day - A Family Tradition and a Forgotten Recipe

Every year Caleb eagerly awaits that one special day which usually happens towards the end of February: Fastnacht Day. It might just be his favorite holiday.

If you don't live in Pennsylvania, you may be wondering "What in the world is a Fastnacht?" Well, my friend, you are in for a treat.

A Fastnacht is similar to a donut, although not quite as sweet. Most recipes include flour, sugar, yeast, eggs, and butter. Some traditional recipes call for adding potatoes. Fastnachts are usually fried in lard or oil to give them a slightly crisp outer shell with a soft and fluffy inside.

Toppings for your Fastnachts are a whole other debate. Some prefer granulated sugar while others prefer powdered sugar. There are also jelly fillings, glazes, molasses, cinnamon, and chocolate that can be added. Not to mention the "purists" who think you should eat them plain. We typically stick with powdered or granulated sugar, but you really can't go wrong with any topping (or lack thereof). The one stipulation - you must eat them warm! In my opinion, if you don't eat them warm, you may as well not eat them at all.

Fastnacht Day is an old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. Known to most as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, Fastnacht Day marks the final day before Lent. Historically, the best foods in the house were eaten on Shrove Tuesday, before starting to fast for Lent. For the Pennsylvania Dutch, that meant making Fastnachts.

Fastnacht Day was a fun celebration for both Caleb and I as we grew up. My family would often make Fastnachts during the day and deliver them to friends and family in the evening. Everyone would have big smiles as they opened their brown bags filled with tasty treats.

My husband's grandmother still keeps her Fastnacht tradition going. She often stays up for hours past midnight frying Fastnachts. She makes sure they're ready to be delivered early Tuesday before we head off to work. It's the best feeling to open a bag of warm Fastnachts on a cold dark morning.

I love old traditions and I think there is something to be said for keeping them alive. In honor of this, I am including a recipe from my great-great-grandmother, Anna. She was born in 1896 to a Mennonite family in south eastern PA. Although I never met her, I am told she was a sweet and quiet woman who always brought a basket of delicious baked goods when she came to visit.

One day, as I was rummaging through my grandmother's recipe box, I stumbled across a worn thin sheet of paper. The paper was stuck between several other recipes towards the bottom of the box. It appeared that it had been passed by for many years. On the paper was a handwritten recipe for potato dough. My grandmother explained the recipe had been handed down to her from my great-great-grandmother. I had never seen the recipe before and was excited to find the lost heirloom.

Below you can see a photo of Anna's recipe. I am so excited to try my great-great-grandmother's forgotten recipe on Fastnacht Day this year.

Family traditions are an important part of creating memories for generations to come. The older I get, the more I appreciate the story of my people and where I come from. I hope that one day I am able pass on the treasured stories to future generations.

In the meantime, I hope you'll try this delicious tradition. If you've never tried a Fastnacht, now is the perfect opportunity. Grab a loved one and start making some of your own memories.

Let me know what you thought of this post. I would love for you to share some of your family stories and traditions with me!

Thanks for reading,

Abby