Pittsburgh’s Ethnic Communities

Growing up in Pittsburgh, when there was a Forbes Field, Duquesne Gardens and before the Civic Arena in downtown Pittsburgh was built and destroyed the community of the lower “Hill District, was to live in a wonderful ethnic mix of cultures, churches, languages and food.

From where the Civic Arena is today to the South and North sides of the Burgh, we lived among shops, bakeries, churches, and rows of houses, some with their front areas converted into small local groceries.All that is gone, but the Associated Press reports on one such ethnic community in New York City called “Little Syria” that reminded me of a Syrian bakery from my youth.

I wondered if any bakeries where the smell and taste of fresh, hot, just out of the oven, pita bread with poppy seeds still exist. Today, I live a long, tedious, seven hour drive to the Burgh, so I’m not likely to take a quick tour of Pittsburgh. But, the wonders of the Internet remind me that some of Pittsburgh’s ethnic culture is alive and well.

Here’s a short list:

Pitaland Catering   Mary’s Restaurant   Mediterra Bakehouse

St. George Orthodox Church   St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church

St. Gregory Russian Orthodox Church   Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church