Funeral potatoes — one of many “best American triumphs,” at the least in response to Meals and Wine.
Funeral potatoes have a lengthy historical past of being related with Latter-day Saints and the Reduction Society, a lot in order that recipes usually name them “Mormon Funeral Potatoes.”
They're so iconic that they've made it into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ normal convention. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, stated in the course of the October 2010 normal convention, “We smile generally about our sisters’ tales — you already know, inexperienced Jell-O, quilts, and funeral potatoes. However my household has been the grateful recipient of every of these gadgets at one time or one other — and in a single case, the quilt and the funeral potatoes on the identical day.”
These dairy-filled pleasant potato casseroles are related to philanthropy and repair of the Reduction Society. Elisabeth Sherman wrote for Matador Community, “As a way to ease the burdens of grieving households, Reduction Society members whipped up the dish to serve at post-funeral luncheons, which is the way it earned its unflattering moniker.”
However why funeral potatoes? Why not different casserole dishes or different meals? What has made funeral potatoes a Latter-day Saint staple?
Are funeral potatoes the equal of McDonald’s for Latter-day Saints?
Fast, straightforward and scrumptious — funeral potatoes are the combo of comfort and home-cooked meals that Latter-day Saints gravitate towards.
Jacqueline Thursby, a retired folklore professor at Brigham Younger College, described funeral potatoes as quick meals. She stated in an interview with NPR, “It was much more good for the Reduction Society, the Mormon feminine auxiliary group concerned in ministering to the sick, poor and in any other case stricken, who wanted fast meals for the limitless births, weddings, and deaths they attended. Funeral potatoes turned a staple — a necessary quick meals for exhausting instances.”
NPR described funeral potatoes as a “mix of pioneer self-reliance and ’50s consolation cooking.” In some ways, recipes for funeral potatoes mix each of this stuff.
Potatoes are plentiful in Utah and Idaho, making the encircling areas conducive to serving up potato dishes. Casseroles are the quintessential meals for serving giant teams of individuals — it solely is smart that potato casseroles could be common amongst Latter-day Saints. Not all Latter-day Saints dwell in Utah or Idaho (not even most), however the faith has robust ties to the realm and far of its tradition developed on this space.
Since condensed soup and cornflakes are low cost substances, additionally they change into pure contenders for incorporating into the casserole. Tuna casseroles are one of the crucial American casserole dishes, and so they share comparable substances with funeral potatoes. Utah and Idaho are landlocked and fish was way more troublesome to move: a potato-based casserole makes extra sense for the area.
Whereas we might not know the exact motive why Latter-day Saints make funeral potatoes, it does seem to be it being a budget-friendly mixture of home-cooked and comfort meals has one thing to do with it.