My paternal grandmother passed away yesterday. She was 96, a truly remarkable woman, and I was lucky to have had her in my life for so long.
My cousin was with my grandmother shortly before her death and told me that, amidst recounting snippets of her past (sometimes in Ladino, the Hebreo-Spanish spoken by Sephardic Jews and the language of her childhood), she also fretted about cooking. She worried aloud over who was going to soak the beans for a Sephardic dish that all of us, her children and grandchildren, grew up eating: “fijones,” the Castillian Spanish version of “frijoles,” or beans.
It was interesting to me that even in those last hours she was thinking about preparing a meal – maybe a reflection of the centrality of food and cooking to women of her generation, and to all of us, even now, who are responsible for nourishing loved ones on a regular basis.
Hearing this story reminded me of the family cookbook project I told you about in December 2010 (“Preserving My Kids’ Culinary Heritage“). You might recall that I’d been sifting through a recipe box from my maternal grandmother (who passed away in the 90s), and decided to compile those recipes, along with those of the other women on that side of the family, into a keepsake book for all of their descendants.
Well, in the end, it took me over a year to finish the project, not because it was so time-consuming but because it was harder than expected to find uninterrupted blocks of time to work on it. But I finally did finish it last month and realized yesterday that I never showed you the results as I’d promised to.
Here are a few photos just to give you an idea of what it looks like:
In the end, the recipes in the book were almost superfluous. What made it such a meaningful project to work on (and, hopefully, a meaningful keepsake for the recipients) was the wealth of memories each contributor shared. In the end I wound up devoting the first half the book just to those narratives, and the other half to the recipes. I learned so much about my mother’s heritage — culinary and otherwise — and was drawn closer to family members whom I didn’t know very well before I started.
If anyone is interested in taking on a similar project for their family, I did a fair amount of research on the various book publishing websites, including those which specialize in cookbooks. (In the end, I chose Blurb, a site for self-publishing all kinds of books, for the formatting flexibility it offered.) Feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to share what I learned.
Before signing off, here’s a picture of my paternal grandmother, looking stylish in the 1960s. She’ll be sorely missed.
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Bri says
So sorry to hear of your family’s loss, Bettina. Peace to you all.
Karen says
I’m so sorry for your loss. May her memory be a blessing to you and your family.
Veggievangelist says
That’s very sweet that you were able to honor your family with that cookbook. My own grandmother was instrumental in my interest in food. She made it to nearly 105 years of age, so I too was lucky to have her in my life for so long. I am sorry for your family’s loss.
Carrie says
I am so sorry for your family’s loss. The cookbook sounds wonderful, from experience I think that they will be well loved. My mother and her sisters have a similar cookbook, but not as nice. It is well used, along with the different books and newsletters that contain memories from my maternal grandmother’s side of the family.
Amateur Mommy says
I’m so sorry for your loss. The book looks awesome, and what a great piece of history that you’ll be able to hand down for generations.
Marc Elias says
Well said Bettina. You can forget grandma’s boreka’s recipe! Boreka’s will always remind me of her… – M
Maggie says
My sympathy to you and your family.
The book you created sounds like a wonderful treasure for your family.
Charles Kuffner says
My sincere condolences for your loss, Bettina. A remarkable woman indeed.
Donna says
So sorry for your loss. Clearly, your foodie genes run deep. What a beautiful tribute you’ve created.
Tracy says
What a wonderful family you have! My condolences on your grandmother’s passing. Your pics and thoughts bring back childhood memories of my own paternal grandmother. She told amazing stories, and she made the world’s most delicious cinnamon rolls! And she is also sorely missed. God Bless.
SuperMom101 says
So very sorry to hear of your loss. What a wonderful, inspiring idea that will most certainly be treasured.
Erika says
Thinking of you Bettina & this difficult time for your family. I am sure this cookbook will be treasured for many generations, so special.
Ginger says
So sorry to hear about your Grandmother–I loved mine too and miss her warmth.
Congrats on all your undertakings–you are truly amazing!
Spent time with your Mom at the Opera today!! Love, Ginger