The cookie table came out of the 1930s, when Pittsburgh was taking an economic beating from the one-two punch of the collapse of the coal industry and the crippling Great Depression. Many immigrants found themselves living in relative poverty, raising large families in ramshackle patch houses, poorly constructed homes built for coal-mining families. For many families of this time, the goal was to marry off their kids to cut expenses—and to do it quickly.

As this economic matchmaking became common, cultures began to cross-pollinate from one household to another. By the time the wedding came around, both sides of the family would pitch in to share costs and labor.

Cakes, especially during the Depression, were luxuries that required expensive ingredients—eggs, butter, sugar, and flour. Instead, families began to modify these ingredients to use a more rationed, yet creative way. By forgoing the customary wedding cake due to financial burdens, Pittsburgh immigrant families were inadvertently starting a new tradition.

Today, a staple at any good Yinzer wedding, regardless of denomination, has one table set aside exclusively for the cookies, nowadays a complement to the wedding cake. It’s a nod to immigrant heritage, or rather a blending of many different heritages all on one table.

As family and friends offer to help contribute to our cookie table we created a place where everyone can share what type of cookie they are making and how many they plan to bring. See the links below to sign-up or see what others have signed up for already.

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