10 To Go: Ohio Amish Country Foods

Pack a cooler when visiting Holmes County and the surrounding area, because you’re going to want to stock up on goodies that’ll allow you to enjoy the flavors of Amish Country at home. Here are 10 products (in no particular order) that make our must-eat list. 

1. Yogurt Cultured Cheese • Heini’s Cheese Chalet
This Holmes County landmark makes more than 50 cheese varieties and guests are invited to sample before buying. “We press our cheese longer than most cheese factories,” says co-owner LeeAnne Dauwalder-Heath, “and this gives [it] a creamier flavor.” Heini’s has made yogurt cheese since 1970, but the selection of flavors now includes original, garden vegetable, ghost pepper, jalapeno, and garlic and herb among others. 6005 County Hwy. 77, Millersburg 44654, heinis.com

2. Homemade Soft Pretzel • Pretzel Nook 
Located in the heart of Berlin, this shop offers delectable doughy creations in six flavors: garlic and herb, jalapeno, cinnamon and sugar, almond, caramel and classic salted. Owner Naomi Yoder says the recipe for her hand-spun wheat-dough pretzel is a closely guarded secret. “We use a bunch of good ingredients made with care and lots of love,” she says. 4857 E. Main St., Berlin 44610

3. Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam • Mrs. Miller’s Homemade Jams
Spanning 65 flavors that range from seasonal dandelion jelly to strawberry-rhubarb jam, these hand-scooped creations skip corn syrup in favor of natural beet sugar and use no preservatives or colorings. Mrs. Miller’s Homemade Jams has no storefront, but its products can be found at shops throughout Amish Country and ordered online. millershomemadejams.com

4. Amish Wedding Foods Bread and Butter Pickles • Troyer’s Country Market 
This 15,000-square-foot market offers more than 300 products in its Amish Wedding Foods line, which spans canned jams, jellies, salsas and more, including the popular pickled baby beets and bread and butter pickles. “This reminds people of their grandma’s home cooking,” operations manager Aaron Yoder says of the all-natural, locally canned products. “This takes people back.” 5201 County Rd. 77, Millersburg 44654, troyerscountrymarket.com

5. Ritz Peanut Butter Sandwich • Coblentz Chocolate Co. 
This 30-year-old shop sells more than 120 varieties of gourmet chocolates, with truffles and other delicate candies drawing oohs and ahs from shoppers. But don’t overlook the best-selling Ritz peanut butter sandwich — a decadent treat that puts a premium spin on the milk-chocolate-covered creation many of us remember our mom making at home around the holidays. 4917 Walnut St., Walnut Creek 44687 

6. Tomato Basil Soup • Rebecca’s Bistro
Chef Rebecca Miller opened this small spot with her husband in 2002 and sells jars of her tasty tomato basil soup for patrons to take home with them. “I think what I like about it is that it has all the stuff that isn’t necessarily good for you,” says Miller, “but it is just comfort all the way to the bone.” 4986 Walnut St., Walnut Creek 44681, rebeccasbistro.com

7. Apple Bread Pudding • Olde World Bakery and Bistro
After attending college in Europe, Mandy Beachy incorporated her passion for Old World flavors into the bakery she opened in 2007. These days, her apple bread pudding is a best-seller. “It’s a warm, custardy flavor with the pudding and the pecan and brown sugar giving it a crunch,” she says. “Then it’s topped off with a sweet, buttery bourbon sauce.” Berlin location: 4363 St. Rte. 39, Millersburg 44654, 330/893-1077; Millersburg location (temporarily closed as of October 2020): 73 W. Jackson St., Millersburg 44654, 330/473-6008, oldeworldbakeryandbistro.com

8. Cheese Tarts • Miller’s Bakery 
Owner Jonas Miller says he sells 60 to 70 dozen cheese tarts daily. He and his sister created the recipe for the flaky pastry dough packed with a fruit filling and topped with a cheese-curd melt after a year’s worth of trial and error. “There are people who have tried to imitate it,” he says, “but we’ve been doing it for nearly 40 years.” 4280 Township Hwy. 356, Millersburg 44654

9. Trail Bologna • Troyer’s Genuine Trail Bologna
The Troyer family has produced its famous trail bologna out of the tiny town of Dundee for more than a century. “It’s still made with a natural wood smoke,” co-owner Kevin Troyer says of the beef product that can be found in stores throughout Amish Country. “A lot of bologna is made with other meats added in, but ours is made with 100 percent beef.” 6552 St. Rte. 515, Dundee 44624, troyerstrail.com

10. Original Baby Swiss • Guggisberg Cheese
The Guggisberg family invented a creamier version of Swiss cheese in the 1960s to appeal to Americans’ desire for a milder flavor. Three generations later, it’s an Ohio Amish Country staple. Ursula Guggisberg-Bennett, granddaughter of the cheese’s creators, says minerals in the diets of the local dairy cows that provide the milk help shape the product’s flavor. “That makes our cheese basically unmatchable unless it comes from this area,” she says. 5060 St. Rte. 557, Millersburg 44653, babyswiss.com