Mormon Cooking

Thanks to Mitt Romney, the HBO show "Big Love" and the Broadway smash "The Book of Mormon" everyone kind of knows what Mormonism is about. Despite the fact that it was started only 170 years ago, it has a long and rich tradition of food. Church dinners go hand in hand with religious gatherings and practices.In fact Mormons may be lost without their Sunday suppers.

This was a fascinating article in today's New York Times Dining section. The piece, written, by regular Julia Moskin, explores a different side of the usual church supper casserole. Cooking is an integral part of the Mormon religion. In fact, its' founder , Joseph Smith, strongly encouraged healthy living (hence no caffeine or alcohol) and wanted church women to serve nutritious meals to their large families. It was little meat and much grain,Of course this reflected the area where they settled, Utah, which gave them plenty of wheat but few heads of cattle. This leads to both good cooking and comfort food. Mormon women are whizzes are creating hearty and tasty favorites, beloved by all.

One is sad sounding Funeral Potatoes, made for funeral repasts along with Christmas dinners.It's kind of a take on scalloped potatoes and is laden with baking  potatoes and sour cream.Modern Mormon cooks also add fancier ingredients  like cheddar and Gruyere cheese. The result tastes like one of those twice baked potatoes, creamy and cheesy, perfect for a winter day. Another LDS special is Green Jello which is lime Jello cubed and mixed with whipped cream and pineapple. It's another Sunday night staple. Mormons , young and old love this treat.

 We'll be hearing a lot about Mormonism if the GOP picks Mitt Romney and he does get into the White House. We'll probably be curious about all aspects of the religion. Their Sunday suppers are a big part of it and a possible trend of Mormon cooking.