Hog maw

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hog maw is a Pennsylvania Dutch dish. In the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, it is known as "Seimaaga." It is made from a cleaned pig's stomach traditionally stuffed with cubed potatoes, and loose pork sausage. Other ingredients may include cabbage, onions, or spices. It was traditionally boiled in a large pot covered in water, not unlike Scottish Haggis. But, it can also be baked or broiled until browned or split, when it is drizzled with butter before serving. It is usually served hot on a platter cut into slices or cold as a sandwich. Often served in the winter, it was made on hog butchering days on the farms of Lancaster and Berks Counties and elsewhere in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

It remains a traditional New Year's Day side dish for many Pennsylvania German families- in fact, many families believe that it is bad luck if at least a small piece is not consumed on New Year's Day, as is the case with pork and sauerkraut. The stomach is purchased at one of the many traditional butchers at local farmer's markets. The original recipe was most likely brought to the Penn's Sylvania from the Palatinate area of Germany, where it is called Saumagen and served with sauerkraut, another Pennsylvania Dutch favorite food.