Last Updated: Dec. 10, 2002

You've probably heard of Pomeranian dogs and maybe Pomeranian geese - the ganders with the pompadour "hairdos" that make for good eating when roasted.

Pomeranian Christmas   Photo/Michael Sears Irmgard of Hartford (left) and Elaine Kraft of Cedarburg sample traditional Pomeranian Christmas food prepared at Old World Wisconsin near Eagle. The historic site is hosting a Pomeranian Christmas dinner celebration.   Photo/Michael Sears Heringe Nach Hausfrauenart, pickled creamed herring with crackers, is a Pomeranian specialty.   Photo/Michael Sears Kock Kase mit Schwartzbrot (cooked cheese spread with dark bread) will be among the appetizers starting off the Pomeranian Christmas dinner.   Photo/Michael Sears Kirschsuppe (cherry soup with dumplings) warms dinner guests up for the main course.   Photo/Michael Sears Pommerscher Gansebraten (roast goose with prune and apple stuffing) is served with Rotkohl mit Apfelnsweet (sweet and sour red cabbage with apples).

But what do you really know about Pomeranian culture? And where the heck is Pomerania, anyway? Is it even on the map?

Old World Wisconsin, the outdoor museum of rural history near the town of Eagle, is doing its part to educate area residents this Christmas. The museum picked the - here's a hint - German Pomeranian culture as the theme for its annual Christmas dinners, which are being held this weekend and next weekend. The event also features Pomeranian music and folk-dancing performances.

The Pomeranian Christmas kicks off at dusk with hot spiced cider, New Glarus Hometown Blond golden lager and Feuer Zunge Bowle (Fire Tongue Bowl) - a Pomeranian version of mulled wine.

When guests are seated, they will be served appetizers: Kock Kase mit Schwartzbrot (cooked cheese spread with dark bread), Heringe Nach Hausfrauenart (pickled creamed herring) and Rugenwald tea sausage. Dinner, by candlelight, -b-egins with Kirschsuppe (warm cherry soup with dumplings). The main course is Pommerscher Gansebraten (roast goose with stuffing) served with gravy and Rotkohl mit Apfeln (red cabbage with apples). Dessert is Schokolade Pudding (steamed chocolate pudding with hard sauce) and Klotternusse cookies.

The menu, rich in Pomeranian-American tradition, is based on recipes handed down from Freistadt's early settlers in present-day Ozaukee County.

After dinner, the Pommersche Spaldeel musical group and Pommersche Tanzdeel Freistadt folk dancers will perform. Reservations are still available for the Dec. 14 and 15 dinners by calling the Friends of Old World Wisconsin at (262) 594-2922. Cost is $60 for Friends members and $65 for non-members.

Now, for a quick lesson in Pomeranian history so you'll know where all these tasty Pomeranian Christmas dishes originated.

Pomerania no longer exists on the world map. It was a farming and fishing province of Prussia in northern Germany near the Baltic Sea. In the 1820s and 1830s, the Prussian king who ruled Pomerania demanded all Lutherans join his United Church. Those who refused to give up their Lutheran beliefs fled to avoid persecution and sought religious asylum in the United States.

The first group of Pomeranians - known as "Old Lutherans" - came to Wisconsin in 1839, finding the topography and climate here pleasantly similar to their homeland. They settled in Ozaukee County and established Freistadt Lutheran Church, Wisconsin's oldest Lutheran church.

Two more Pomeranian groups followed in 1843, establishing Kirchhayn, five miles northwest of Freistadt, and Lebanon in southeastern Dodge County. A third group settled in Cedarburg.

Individuals weren't allowed to emigrate from Pomerania. Entire congregations had to move together, along with their dissident pastors, according to Elaine Kraft of Cedarburg, Pomeranian cultural consultant for the Old World Wisconsin dinner event. Kraft is a member of Pommerscher Verein Freistadt, a Pomeranian genealogy society in Mequon.

Following World War II, Pomerania, which was split by the Oder River, was divvied up between Germany and Poland. The westernmost region, Vorpomern, became part of East Germany behind the Iron Curtain, while the area east of the river, Hinterpommern, became part of Poland.

Chances are good, if you're Lutheran and German and live in Wisconsin, you also may be Pomeranian, Kraft said. Unless, of course, you're Bavarian. Bavaria was staunchly Catholic at the time the Pomeranians emigrated, Kraft said.

The people from northern Germany (Pomeranians) were known to be "sober and solemn," while Germans from the south (Bavarians) were typically more relaxed and celebratory, Kraft said.

Old World Wisconsin has two Pomeranian farmsteads, moved from their original sites in Wisconsin. The museum sets an 1870 scene at both homes for educational purposes.

The Schulz farmstead originated in Dodge County and the Koepsell farmstead in Ozaukee County.

Both families were anticipating Christmas in 1870 as much for the break from daily farm chores as for the chance to share Pomeranian traditions.

The Lutheran church was at the center of their communities. They spoke low German at home and high German at church or school, isolating them from other Americans, including other Germans, according to the history provided by the Pomeranian genealogical group.

The insular qualities of the Pomeranian immigrants helped preserve their cultural identity for many generations. But part of the Pomeranian culture was temporarily lost during World War II, when animosity toward Germans kept the culture in the closet for fear of persecution, Kraft said.

"I had never heard the word Pomerania growing up, and all of my ancestors are from Pomerania," she said.

When Kraft first traveled to Germany in 1987, she asked her mother where their ancestors were from. Her mother didn't know, Kraft said.

So, Kraft visited southern Germany, oblivious to the fact her family came from northern Germany. Upon her return from that trip, she began researching her family's history and hooked up with the Pomeranian genealogical society.

Kraft, now 67, has been to Germany six or seven more times to visit Pomeranian ancestral villages.

The traditional foods of Pomeranian Christmas celebrations are as rich as the stories of the immigrants. Many Milwaukee area Pomeranians, especially in Freistadt, keep the traditions alive.

Kraft wouldn't touch pickled creamed herring "with a 10-foot pole" before she learned about her Pomeranian ancestry. Now, she incorporates Pomeranian Christmas traditions into her family's celebration, including herring and special klotternusse cookies, which are rolled out ropes of dough cut into shapes resembling loaves of bread. The main ingredients in the cookies are milk, sugar, shortening and white and rye flours, with anise seed for flavor. Once baked, the cookies are covered with a sugar glaze and traditionally stored in old tin or milk cans in the pantry.

Viola Klug, of Mequon, has a recipe for klotternusse that her ancestors brought from Pomerania some 150 years ago, tucked in a Bible for safekeeping during the voyage across the ocean.

Now about those Pomeranian dogs:

They actually originated in Iceland as 30-pound dogs - much bigger than modern day Pomeranians. Queen Victoria liked the dogs, which were used in Pomerania for herding sheep, and had them bred down to show size, Kraft said.

1 (8 to 9 pounds) goose
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt (divided)
1 1/2 cups pitted prunes, halved
4 tart apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 cup coarse rye bread crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons flour

Wash and dry goose. Remove giblets. Place in 1-quart saucepan with onion and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover with water. Simmer, partially covered, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Strain; reserve stock.

Sprinkle goose inside and out with remaining salt. Combine prunes, apples, rye bread and sugar; fill cavity of bird. Skewer openings together. Place on rack in shallow roasting pan, breast side down. Roast in 400-degree oven for 45 minutes. Drain fat from pan and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Roast until tender when pierced with fork and juices are light yellow, about 1 hour. Drain fat from pan; turn goose breast side up; brown until golden, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and keep warm. Let rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Skim off remaining fat. Stir flour in 2 cups reserved stock; add to drippings in pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping browned bits, until thickened. Serve with goose. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 head red cabbage (about 2 pounds)
Salt for water
3 apples, pared, quartered, cored and chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Remove and discard wilted outer leaves of cabbage. Rinse, cut into quarters discarding core and coarsely shred (about 8 cups shredded). Put cabbage into 3-quart heavy saucepan and add boiling salted water to cover (1 teaspoon salt per quart of water). Add apples, brown sugar, allspice and cloves. Cover loosely and boil at moderate rate 8 to 12 minutes, or until cabbage and apples are just tender. Remove from heat and drain. Add vinegar and butter to cabbage. Toss lightly to mix. Makes 6 servings.

4 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups fresh pitted sour cherries
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 heaping tablespoons flour
1/4 cup milk
Pinch of salt

Boil water with sugar; add cherries and cook to soften, about 15 minutes. Check sweetness and add more sugar if necessary. Keep at simmer.

Meanwhile, mix egg, baking powder, flour, milk and salt together. It will look like cake batter. Dribble dumpling mixture into soup while continuing to cook; this will take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 6 servings.

12 ounces cottage cheese
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons butter

Mix together cheese and baking soda. Let stand about 1 hour until mixture becomes bubbly and nearly doubles in size.

Add flour and butter. Cook for a few minutes, until mixture resembles warm brie. Makes about 12 servings. Serve with small slices of dark bread, such as rye.

1 pint pickled herring
1 onion, sliced
2 dill pickles, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
1 medium apple, peeled, chopped
Paprika
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Wash and paper towel-dry herring. Put into bowl. Top with onions, pickles and capers. Combine yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar, dry mustard and pepper. Add to herring mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, add apples and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with crackers. Makes about 3 cups.

2 to 6 liters Mogen David Blackberry Royal Wine
Cinnamon sticks
Whole cardamom
Whole allspice
Star anise
2 oranges
3 lemons
Whole cloves

In large pot, to wine add cinnamon sticks, cardamom, allspice and anise. Cut oranges and lemons and stud pieces with cloves. Crush pieces to release juices and add to punch. Warm to steaming; do not boil.

Don't try this at home, but here's how this is traditionally served: "Prior to serving, cross swords on top of pot and place sugar cube soaked in 151-proof rum on top and ignite. Remove before serving." Makes about 50 servings.

Note: Use a minimum of 2 liters of wine. Use up to 6 liters to serve 150 people.

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 square chocolate, melted, or 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
Hard sauce (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix ingredients together in bowl.

Grease pudding mold and cover. Place mixture in mold, filling two-thirds full. If mold has no cover, a strong piece of glazed paper or aluminum foil may be secured over the top. Place mold in preheated oven and bake ?? how long, until what?

Prepare hard sauce. Serve pudding topped with with sauce.

Hard sauce

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 teaspoon rum

Cream butter. Gradually add sugar. Add rum, adding more sugar if necessary to achieve desired consistency.