I Do recall discussions on a Fig Forum thread that I viewed several years ago about Italians coming to NYC who would smuggle or try to smuggle fig cuttings through Ellis island in their shoes! (Bensonhurst Purple Fig aka Chicago Hardy is an example that came from Sicily! Not a great fig, but grows in cold places like NYC and Chicago!)
Brave search gives this on sauerkraut for steerage passengers:
"Sauerkraut was included in the meals provided to steerage passengers on transatlantic crossings in the early 1900s, often as part of a standard menu. For example, on a Cunard ship in 1906, a Sunday dinner for steerage passengers included "Beef and Macaroni Stew" and "Vegetable Soup," with sauerkraut being a common component in such dishes, particularly for passengers from regions like Hungary and Slavic countries where it was a staple food. The sauerkraut was typically served in a tin saucepan, shared among several passengers, and was part of a meal that also included boiled potatoes, stewed prunes, figs, and a small amount of wine. While the overall quality of steerage food was often poor, with complaints about the preparation and taste of meats, vegetables, and bread , sauerkraut was valued for its nutritional benefits, particularly its high vitamin C content, which helped prevent scurvy during long voyages. This was especially significant given that the disease had historically plagued sailors and passengers on long sea journeys."
Nice info!!! All 4 of my grandparents (polish and serbian) came through ellis island. No doubt they had garlic too.
Both of my maternal grandparents were from Czechoslovakia. Grandpa came as a 2 year old in 1897. Grandma came as a teenager along with several family members in the early 1900’s. Both stayed at Ellis Island while they were processed, and both of their families lived in Brooklyn. Many years apart. Not all of Grandma’s family came (large Catholic family).
Sauerkraut was a staple, and Grandma passed down her handwritten recipes to her children, and then to her grandchildren, through the magic of home printers. (Do you want to know what COOL looks like? It looks like my Grandma’s handwritten recipes in broken English! 😍)