4 April 1936 - just thinking about this makes my teeth hurt. According to the Somerset Daily American: Spotza parties were similar to early bees where friends and neighbors would come together to share work tasks, socialize and share food. When an invitation went out, it wasn’t uncommon to have a large number of persons show up at the maple sugar camp for a spotza party.
The term “spotza” is solely a Somerset County word and is not tied into any other Pennsylvania German dialect. A study of the Somerset County Pennsylvania German dialect done in the 1950s by Albert Buffington of the Pennsylvania German Society identified the word “Schpautza” as a word used in Somerset County. Further research with linguists of the Pennsylvania German dialect provided no such word in use other than within Somerset County.
Spotza is made by drizzling thickened syrup into a cup of cold water where it forms into a gooey taffy. Part of the fun of eating a spotza is using a wooden stick to wind the taffy around in order to plop it into ones mouth!
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