Preface

Our grandmothers from the Banat frequently had no formal education so recipes were handed down verbally. They felt the recipes in their "hands." They knew by the feel of the dough whether the recipe was right or not. They used no standard measurements. Many times it was a pinch of this and a handful of that.

For many of, us our heritage is primarily agricultural. Our ancestors lived in villages in the Banat and farmed their land. When they migrated to the US and Canada many of them settled in farming communities. The recipes they used reflected this. The grains produced the flour used for baking. The animals produced the meat they ate. The beef was used for milk, butter and cheese. When they butchered animals there was very little which wasn't used.

The details of how the recipes were prepared were provided in hope that future generations will give some of these items a try. Some of the recipes are quite easy to make while others such as strudels require plenty of patience and practice. I remember several years ago I asked my mother to teach me how to make a poppy seed roll and I videoed the event. What an experience! The dough was like glue in my hands and she took over and did a little this and a little that and it turned out just perfect.

One of our goals is to catalog the recipes and note some of the regional differences in the recipes. We are interested in your comments and contributions. Please send your comments and contributions to info@banaters.com