11 Pennsylvania Meals That Only Made Sense If You Grew Up In The ’80s

If you grew up in Pennsylvania during the 1980s, you probably remember meals that might leave outsiders scratching their heads – but to us, they were pure comfort. Life in the Keystone State during the Reagan years came with food traditions that felt uniquely ours.

Convenience store hoagies, church-basement potlucks, and other local staples weren’t just dinner – they were edible snapshots of a Pennsylvania childhood.

1. Mrs. T’s Pierogies with Buttered Onions

The blue box in the freezer meant dinner would be ready in minutes.

Boiled potato pockets transformed into something magical when tossed in a skillet with browned onions and too much butter. Every Pennsylvania mom had her own technique – some adding kielbasa, others insisting on extra-crispy edges.

Sour cream dolloped on top was non-negotiable, especially in homes with Polish or Ukrainian roots.

2. Chipped Chopped Ham BBQ Sandwiches

Paper-thin slices of ham swimming in sweet-tangy sauce became the backbone of Pittsburgh family gatherings.

Moms would simmer the shaved meat from Isaly’s deli counter in that distinctive red sauce while kids hovered nearby. The soft white buns barely contained the sloppy mixture.

Neighborhood potlucks always featured at least three crockpots of this stuff, each slightly different but equally nostalgic.

3. Haluski (Cabbage & Noodles)

Grandma’s specialty arrived at the table in a massive mixing bowl that could feed an army.

Wide egg noodles tangled with butter-softened cabbage and onions, sometimes with bacon for extra flavor. I remember my pap sneaking extra pepper when grandma wasn’t looking.

This humble dish appeared at every church fish fry during Lent, served by ladies in hairnets who weren’t stingy with the portions.

4. City Chicken (Despite Containing Zero Chicken)

The ultimate Pennsylvania food trick – not chicken at all but cubed pork or veal on wooden skewers.

Breaded and baked until golden, these meat lollipops fooled no one but delighted everyone. The origin story varied depending on which grandmother you asked.

Served alongside instant mashed potatoes and canned green beans, this Sunday dinner staple made every 1980s kid feel fancy despite its working-class roots.

5. Scrapple & Eggs

The breakfast that separated Pennsylvania natives from visitors.

Sliced from a mysterious loaf and fried until crispy-edged, this pork-cornmeal creation was our morning ritual. Diner cooks slapped it on the griddle without explanation.

We learned young not to question what went into it – just whether to top it with maple syrup, ketchup, or apple butter.

My dad insisted only tourists asked what it was made from.

6. Pennsylvania Dutch Pot Pie

Nothing like the baked, crusty version outsiders expected.

Thick square noodles swam in chicken broth alongside chunks of meat and vegetables. The consistency sat somewhere between soup and stew – hearty enough to require a fork.

Snow days meant mom would pull out the big pot and roll dough across the kitchen counter. Neighbors showed up with bowls when word spread that someone was making a batch.

7. Chicken & Waffles with Brown Gravy

Long before the Southern version hit trendy brunch spots, we were pouring gravy – not syrup – over this combo.

Shredded chicken nestled on a waffle with savory brown gravy cascading over everything. My first church potluck featured three different versions, each cook claiming hers was authentic.

Trying to explain this dish to my college roommate from California resulted in complete confusion and a promise to take her to Dutch country someday.

8. Primanti-Style Sandwich

French fries don’t go on the side – they go INSIDE the sandwich.

This Pittsburgh innovation piled meat, provolone, vinegary coleslaw, tomatoes, and a handful of fries between Italian bread. Eating one required a strategy and plenty of napkins.

Teenagers would pool gas money for late-night Primanti runs after football games, returning with grease-stained paper packages that somehow tasted even better at midnight.

9. Sheetz/Wawa Hoagie Nights

Pennsylvania’s great east-west divide played out at convenience store counters.

Western PA teens hung out at Sheetz for MTO sandwiches while eastern kids claimed Wawa superiority. The touchscreen ordering systems felt futuristic in the early days.

Friday nights meant cruising to whichever store your region pledged allegiance to, ordering custom hoagies with too many toppings, then eating them in parked cars while deciding what else to do.

10. Shoofly Pie & Funny Cake

Breakfast disguised as dessert or dessert masquerading as breakfast? Nobody questioned it.

The gooey molasses bottom of shoofly pie and the chocolate-under-vanilla layers of funny cake appeared at every bake sale. Church ladies wrapped them in plastic with masking tape price tags.

My grandmother kept one of each on her countertop under glass domes, slicing pieces for breakfast with coffee while explaining these weren’t really sweets but “traditional breakfast foods.”

11. Pork & Sauerkraut New Year’s Dinner

January first meant one meal throughout Pennsylvania – no exceptions allowed.

Slow-cooked pork shoulder nestled in tangy sauerkraut promised good luck for the coming year. The caraway-scented aroma filled houses as families recovered from New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Piles of mashed potatoes underneath soaked up the savory juices. Even kids who claimed to hate sauerkraut took their obligatory “luck portion” before loading up on applesauce to cut the sour taste.