Northwest Ohio Foodways

Learn more about Northwest Ohio Foodways:

Many thanks to the contributors of this project: Christie Raber and Kelli Kling (Wood County Historical Center & Museum), Lucy Long and Nathan Crook (BGSU), and Wendy Stram (BG Convention & Visitors Bureau).

A Taste of Food is a Taste of Place.

A shredded chicken sandwich, sauerkraut, walleye, applebutter, corn -- these are PLACE-BASED foods tied to the history and culture of Bowling Green, Ohio.

Midwest cooking might not seem all that interesting at first glance, but a closer look can reveal how it reflects our cultural history... and learning more about the culture makes the food more interesting.

In the early 19th century when settlers (predominately German and British) were taming this area, they would never have believed that the muddy Great Black Swamp would one day give way to some of the richest farmland in the nation. Abundant natural resources, Native American traditions, and the ethnic heritage of the settlers are the foundation for the foods we eat today.

The Bowling Green Culinary Tourism Trail is a guide that encourages "exploratory eating" by pointing out different ways to think about foods that may already be familiar to you. The next time you try a new restaurant or revisit an old stomping ground, we hope you enter curious, and leave fulfilled.

Download a BG Culinary Tourism Trail brochure and get started!

Restaurants come and go, but our foodways traditions carry on. For a complete list of current Bowling Green food establishments, visit the BG Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitbgohio.org.

Here's a sneak peek of the tour:
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks

Whether it’s your first visit or you have a regular haunt, you’ll find that our small community boasts a number of locally owned and operated restaurants which carry distinctive and representative foods of Bowling Green.

Farmer’s Breakfast
A huge and hearty “farmer’s breakfast” reflects the agricultural character of Northwest Ohio. Eggs, meat, potatoes, and bread commonly fueled farmers for the busy day ahead.

Applebutter
Johnny Appleseed’s trek across Ohio left behind an abundant crop of apples. German settlers would boil down the fruit into a jam-like spread for preservation through the winter.

Coffee
Do you smell the Black Swamp Blend wafting into the streets? Although coffee beans are not grown here, they are roasted and blended for a taste tailored for the local community. Coffee and homemade pastries are frequently an excuse for a social gathering.

Order something from the “today’s special” sandwich board at your local diner; it’s likely a time-honored family recipe.

Perch or Walleye Sandwich
Northwest Ohio is home to a wide variety of fish species. Especially popular are battered, deep-fried perch from neighboring Lake Erie and walleye from the Maumee River.

Shredded Chicken Sandwich
Local traditions emphasize high-starch foods and cream sauces, which are filling yet inexpensive. This tasty sandwich of long-simmered shredded chicken on a hamburger bun is popular at social gatherings.

The Pork-a-lean
In the late 1970s, Bowling Green's Belleville Brothers Meat Market developed a 100% pork patty. Like the name suggests, it is lean and healthy, and has made its way onto the lunch tables of local eateries as well as picnic tables at summertime fairs and festivals.

Home cooking and handed-down recipes still grace many family dinner tables and family-style restaurants.

Chicken Dinner
Like the hearty farmer’s breakfast, this "Sunday Special" has fried or roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy, vegetable, and bread. Variations of this German tradition of “stacking up” on starches can also be found in similar dishes such as chicken potpie, which piles chicken, gravy, and homemade noodles atop mashed potatoes.

Pot Roast
A pork or beef pot roast is traditionally a favorite family dinner because it can serve many family members plus any unexpected guests ... and left-overs can last all week long. It’s both efficient and tasty!

Bratwurst and Kielbasa
For early pioneers, sausage was a common way of preserving meats. German, Polish, and Hungarian immigrants brought a variety of recipes and techniques to Northwest Ohio.

Corn
Boiled or roasted on the cob, creamed, or popped - corn reflects our Native American foundation. It's a favorite vegetable often served in a casserole, as are tomatoes or green beans.

Foods are often emotionally satisfying because we associate them with a familiar place or memory.

Community Events
Socializing often revolves around food: church suppers draw together congregations; business groups and friends have “pot-luck” meals; VFW halls host fish fries; and pancake breakfasts raise funds for local organizations. Fairs and festivals also bring in a variety of mobile vendors who often serve family recipes.

Farmer's Market
These weekly festive community gatherings are the perfect way to connect with the bounty offered by our local farmers.

Snacks and Sweets
Native blackberries, raspberries, and apples are traditional Midwest pie fillings, but generations have flocked to Bowling Green State University for a taste of their renowned coconut cream pie. While in Bowling Green, step back in time at a mercantile candy counter complete with penny candy, homemade fudge, or Ohio's pride: a chocolate-peanut butter confection known as the Buckeye.

GERMAN
German traditions are emphasized in hearty comfort foods: sauerkraut, pork, sausage, and beer. The sauerkraut ball, an appetizer of deep-fried sauerkraut and ground meat, is a German-American adaptation. More on German Foodways

EASTERN EUROPEAN
Culinary traditions from Polish and Hungarian immigrants are evident in fine, flaky pastries. Heartier meals include cabbage rolls or “pigs in a blanket.”

HISPANIC
Migrant workers, usually from Texas, settled here in the 1940s, bringing new ingredients and spices. Today, Tex-Mex dishes and heat levels are modified for the Midwest palette. Family-run tortilla and tamale shops still provide an authentic taste of Hispanic-influenced foods.

ASIAN
By toning down spicy ingredients and fishy flavors, modified Asian foods have been adopted by Midwesterners. Most buffets offer Cantonese-American variations, but Japanese sushi and some Korean and Thai specialties are gaining popularity. More on Asian Foodways

MIDDLE EASTERN
The auto industry of the 1940s brought a high concentration of Middle Eastern immigrants to nearby Toledo and Detroit.Foods such as gyros, pita bread, and hummus are common in Bowling Green.

More than just food...
Our community boasts some notable historic sites regarding foodways:

Wood County Historical Center & Museum
13660 County Home Road • 419.352.0967
www.woodcountyhistory.org
Take a self-guided culinary tour of the former county poor house.
Exhibits include Northwest Ohio Foodways Traditions, the Ice House, Reed General Store, and the Homemaker’s Guide to the Kitchen.
•
Site of the former Heinz plant
N. Enterprise St. between Ridge and Reed streets
Thousands of regular and seasonal employees helped make tomatoes and ketchup big business in Bowling Green from 1920 to 1975.
•
Site of the former Cains potato chip facility
121 Lehman Avenue/425 Napoleon Avenue
Operated in Bowling Green from 1936-1977.
Emerson Cain introduced the “Marcelled” potato chip, a thicker, wavier chip inspired by the popular 1930s women’s hairstyle.
•
Agricultural Incubator Foundation
13737 Middleton Pike • 419.823.3099
www.agincubator.org
Northwest Ohio respects its past, but also looks toward the future.
The incubator helps advance organic farming, and provides a starting place for local small-scale food processors.
Want to learn more about place-based foods?
www.woodcountyhistory.org/foodways

Download a BG Culinary Tourism Trail brochure and get started!
For a complete list of current Bowling Green food establishments, visit the BG Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitbgohio.org.

Sponsored by:

Learn more about Northwest Ohio Foodways: Many thanks to the contributors of this project: Christie Raber and Kelli Kling (Wood County Historical Center & Museum), Lucy Long and Nathan Crook (BGSU), and Wendy Stram (BG Convention & Visitors Bureau).	A Taste of Food is a Taste of Place. A shredded chicken sandwich, sauerkraut, walleye, applebutter, corn -- these are PLACE-BASED foods tied to the history and culture of Bowling Green, Ohio. Midwest cooking might not seem all that interesting at first glance, but a closer look can reveal how it reflects our cultural history... and learning more about the culture makes the food more interesting. In the early 19th century when settlers (predominately German and British) were taming this area, they would never have believed that the muddy Great Black Swamp would one day give way to some of the richest farmland in the nation. Abundant natural resources, Native American traditions, and the ethnic heritage of the settlers are the foundation for the foods we eat today. The Bowling Green Culinary Tourism Trail is a guide that encourages "exploratory eating" by pointing out different ways to think about foods that may already be familiar to you. The next time you try a new restaurant or revisit an old stomping ground, we hope you enter curious, and leave fulfilled. Download a BG Culinary Tourism Trail brochure and get started! Restaurants come and go, but our foodways traditions carry on. For a complete list of current Bowling Green food establishments, visit the BG Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitbgohio.org.
Here's a sneak peek of the tour:

Whether it’s your first visit or you have a regular haunt, you’ll find that our small community boasts a number of locally owned and operated restaurants which carry distinctive and representative foods of Bowling Green. Farmer’s Breakfast A huge and hearty “farmer’s breakfast” reflects the agricultural character of Northwest Ohio. Eggs, meat, potatoes, and bread commonly fueled farmers for the busy day ahead. Applebutter Johnny Appleseed’s trek across Ohio left behind an abundant crop of apples. German settlers would boil down the fruit into a jam-like spread for preservation through the winter. Coffee Do you smell the Black Swamp Blend wafting into the streets? Although coffee beans are not grown here, they are roasted and blended for a taste tailored for the local community. Coffee and homemade pastries are frequently an excuse for a social gathering.	Order something from the “today’s special” sandwich board at your local diner; it’s likely a time-honored family recipe. Perch or Walleye Sandwich Northwest Ohio is home to a wide variety of fish species. Especially popular are battered, deep-fried perch from neighboring Lake Erie and walleye from the Maumee River. Shredded Chicken Sandwich Local traditions emphasize high-starch foods and cream sauces, which are filling yet inexpensive. This tasty sandwich of long-simmered shredded chicken on a hamburger bun is popular at social gatherings. The Pork-a-lean In the late 1970s, Bowling Green's Belleville Brothers Meat Market developed a 100% pork patty. Like the name suggests, it is lean and healthy, and has made its way onto the lunch tables of local eateries as well as picnic tables at summertime fairs and festivals.	Home cooking and handed-down recipes still grace many family dinner tables and family-style restaurants. Chicken Dinner Like the hearty farmer’s breakfast, this "Sunday Special" has fried or roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy, vegetable, and bread. Variations of this German tradition of “stacking up” on starches can also be found in similar dishes such as chicken potpie, which piles chicken, gravy, and homemade noodles atop mashed potatoes. Pot Roast A pork or beef pot roast is traditionally a favorite family dinner because it can serve many family members plus any unexpected guests ... and left-overs can last all week long. It’s both efficient and tasty! Bratwurst and Kielbasa For early pioneers, sausage was a common way of preserving meats. German, Polish, and Hungarian immigrants brought a variety of recipes and techniques to Northwest Ohio. Corn Boiled or roasted on the cob, creamed, or popped - corn reflects our Native American foundation. It's a favorite vegetable often served in a casserole, as are tomatoes or green beans.	Foods are often emotionally satisfying because we associate them with a familiar place or memory. Community Events Socializing often revolves around food: church suppers draw together congregations; business groups and friends have “pot-luck” meals; VFW halls host fish fries; and pancake breakfasts raise funds for local organizations. Fairs and festivals also bring in a variety of mobile vendors who often serve family recipes. Farmer's Market These weekly festive community gatherings are the perfect way to connect with the bounty offered by our local farmers. Snacks and Sweets Native blackberries, raspberries, and apples are traditional Midwest pie fillings, but generations have flocked to Bowling Green State University for a taste of their renowned coconut cream pie. While in Bowling Green, step back in time at a mercantile candy counter complete with penny candy, homemade fudge, or Ohio's pride: a chocolate-peanut butter confection known as the Buckeye.
GERMAN German traditions are emphasized in hearty comfort foods: sauerkraut, pork, sausage, and beer. The sauerkraut ball, an appetizer of deep-fried sauerkraut and ground meat, is a German-American adaptation. More on German Foodways EASTERN EUROPEAN Culinary traditions from Polish and Hungarian immigrants are evident in fine, flaky pastries. Heartier meals include cabbage rolls or “pigs in a blanket.” HISPANIC Migrant workers, usually from Texas, settled here in the 1940s, bringing new ingredients and spices. Today, Tex-Mex dishes and heat levels are modified for the Midwest palette. Family-run tortilla and tamale shops still provide an authentic taste of Hispanic-influenced foods. ASIAN By toning down spicy ingredients and fishy flavors, modified Asian foods have been adopted by Midwesterners. Most buffets offer Cantonese-American variations, but Japanese sushi and some Korean and Thai specialties are gaining popularity. More on Asian Foodways MIDDLE EASTERN The auto industry of the 1940s brought a high concentration of Middle Eastern immigrants to nearby Toledo and Detroit.Foods such as gyros, pita bread, and hummus are common in Bowling Green.
More than just food... Our community boasts some notable historic sites regarding foodways: Wood County Historical Center & Museum 13660 County Home Road • 419.352.0967 www.woodcountyhistory.org Take a self-guided culinary tour of the former county poor house. Exhibits include Northwest Ohio Foodways Traditions, the Ice House, Reed General Store, and the Homemaker’s Guide to the Kitchen. • Site of the former Heinz plant N. Enterprise St. between Ridge and Reed streets Thousands of regular and seasonal employees helped make tomatoes and ketchup big business in Bowling Green from 1920 to 1975. • Site of the former Cains potato chip facility 121 Lehman Avenue/425 Napoleon Avenue Operated in Bowling Green from 1936-1977. Emerson Cain introduced the “Marcelled” potato chip, a thicker, wavier chip inspired by the popular 1930s women’s hairstyle. • Agricultural Incubator Foundation 13737 Middleton Pike • 419.823.3099 www.agincubator.org Northwest Ohio respects its past, but also looks toward the future. The incubator helps advance organic farming, and provides a starting place for local small-scale food processors. Want to learn more about place-based foods? www.woodcountyhistory.org/foodways Download a BG Culinary Tourism Trail brochure and get started! For a complete list of current Bowling Green food establishments, visit the BG Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.visitbgohio.org.
Sponsored by: