Storied Dishes. ; What Our Family Recipes Tell Us about Who We Are and Where We've Been

We are what we eat—not just physiologically, but culturally. This collection of cross-cultural, generational essays, and accompanying recipes shows the profound importance of food dishes within American women's lives.For people of every ethnicity, food provides much more than mere fuel for the body—it contains an invisible component that ties families and generations together with the continuity of shared experience. And for the women who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping that priceless cultural thread intact, family recipes embody tradition, bridge generation gaps, and erase age differences.This book is organized around 50 short essays and recipes presented by women from multicultural backgrounds and dissimilar walks of life. The chapters depict the paths of these individuals in their lives and the details of how they acquired their precious family recipes. The stories document how women universally use inherited family recipes to remember and memorialize key women in their lives and to aid and measure their own growth and development. Included are reminiscences of an Egyptian aunt, a poor mother from Australia, a Katrina-flooded New Orleans family, Turkish relations, Chinese mothers, and Indian grandmothers. ... Organized Around 50 Short Essays And Recipes Presented By Women From Multicultural Backgrounds And Dissimilar Walks Of Life--jacket. Introduction : My Mother's Recipes -- 1. Our Foremothers -- Lost Recipes / Joy Santlofer --jonny's Shrimp -- Bread Of Love / Sian Supski -- White Bread (no. 2) -- Most Of All, I Remember Ma / Mildred Pierson Davella -- Cardamom Coffee Bread -- Swedish Coffee -- Cuban Bread Pudding / Patricia Espinosa-artiles -- My Mother's Chilaquiles / Meridith E. Abarca -- Duvi's Chilaquiles -- Alla Eggs / Susan J. Leonardi -- Ma's Cookies -- Dinner In The Nixon White House / Janet Chrzan -- Spaghetti à La The Nixon White House -- Biscuits And Gravy / Kristen Miglore -- Grandmother's Biscuits And Gravy -- Cakewalk / Renee Marton -- Miss Balser's Lemon Cheesecake -- Dumpling Madness / Betty Teller -- Great-grandma Spieldberger's Spaetzle -- Virginia's Weary Wilie / Marty Martindale -- Weary Willie Cake -- 2. Lost Times And Places -- Zemel / Carol Durst -- My Nana's Grace / Jeanette Williams -- Hand-rolled Yeast Rolls -- Searching For Piña In Havana / Elena Schwolsky-fitch --^ Cuban Ensalada Fria -- Not A Tongue Tempter / Sharon Hudgins -- Offal (awful) Sandwiches -- Love's Yalanchi / Rebecca Gopoian -- End-of-the-month Food / Annalee Wilson -- End-of-the-month Spaghetti -- Jiao-zhu (chinese Dumplings) / Jashio Pei -- Appetites / Heather Wearne -- Aud's Lamb's Fry Soup -- Grandmother's Garden Meal / Devon Abbott Mihesuah -- Vegetable Sauté -- 3. Restoring Balance -- Kitchen Aid : Bringing Food And Family Together / Kim Morgan Mos -- Rustic Miniature Apple Pies -- Just Dessert / Sharon Hudgins -- Chocolate Pudding Cake -- Grandma Sadie's Regelach / Anita Gallers -- Death Helva / Tijen Inaltong -- Un Helvasi (flour Helva) -- Oma Springer's Christmas Carp / Alexandra Springer -- After Katrina / Amy Cyrex Sins -- Doberge Cake -- 4. Life Lessons -- Naemat Allah / Ashley Makar -- Macarona Béchamel -- Hot Milk Cake And Discovering Memories / Lucy M. Long -- Edith, Gussie And Linzer Torte / Gillian Polack -- And For Tonight's Performance ... / Ellen Kaye --^ Shirley Temple Black's Quick Dinner -- Bakmoy / Ditte Lokon -- Bakmoy (triple Delight Comfort Soup) -- Post Mortem Peach Surprise / Annie Lanzillotto -- Peach Kuchen -- Black Raspberry Pie And Crusty Women / Tamara Sharp -- Bread For Hoboes / D'arcy Smylie Randall -- Bitsy's Bread -- 5. Bonding Together -- The Garlic Girls / Annie Hauck-lawson -- Joy's Baked Garlic Soup -- How I Got My Chole Recipe : A Wedding Tale / Rachelle H. Saltzman -- Madhuri's Chole -- My Little Black Box / Janie Goldenberg -- Lila's Crunchy Jell-o Mold -- Full Of Beans / Irene Maccollar -- Weeden Baked Beans -- Burned Sugar Pie : It's A Secret / Traci Marie Nathans-kelly -- Thanksgiving Compromise : Stuffing And Dressing / Arlene Voski Avakian -- Martha's Dressing -- Arlene's Stuffing -- Chicken à L'orange / Ellen Perry Berkeley -- Gingerbread Memories / Rebecca Libourel Diamond -- Pepparkakshus (gingerbread House) -- Cookies / Lisa Heldke -- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pinwheels -- 6. Coming Into Our Own --^ Our Lady, Queen Of Pierogi / Kelly Jeske -- Gran's Pierogi -- Piecrust With Soul / Sharon L. Jansen -- Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie -- Mom's Magic' Meringue -- A Dessert, A Graduation, And A Wedding / Ammini Ramachandran -- Laddu -- Ruth's Holiday Cranberry Bread / Dayna D. Fernandez Wenzel -- Rum Cake / Maria G. Steinberg -- A Spoonful Of India / Liz Tarpy -- Anu's Rasam -- The Day I Became The Typical Jewish Mother / Liora Gvion -- Postmodern Chicken Soup -- Herbal Matzo Balls -- Not Your Mother's Pizelles : Making New Food Traditions / Lynn Marie Houston -- Rosewater Pizzelles. Linda Murray Berzok, Editor. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. We are what we eatnot just physiologically, but culturally. This collection of cross-cultural, generational essays, and accompanying recipes shows the profound importance of food dishes within American women's lives. For people of every ethnicity, food provides much more than mere fuel for the bodyit contains an invisible component that ties families and generations together with the continuity of shared experience. And for the women who are entrusted with the responsibility of keeping that priceless cultural thread intact, family recipes embody tradition, bridge generation gaps, and erase age differences. This book is organized around 50 short essays and recipes presented by women from multicultural backgrounds and dissimilar walks of life. The chapters depict the paths of these individuals in their lives and the details of how they acquired their precious family recipes. The stories document how women universally use inherited family recipes to remember and memorialize key women in their lives and to aid and measure their own growth and development. Included are reminiscences of an Egyptian aunt, a poor mother from Australia, a Katrina-flooded New Orleans family, Turkish relations, Chinese mothers, and Indian grandmothers. Throughout history and across world cultures, women have traditionally been the keepers and transmitters of oral tradition, such as the teaching of cherished food preparation techniquesÑor rituals, in some casesÑby family elders to the next generation. The personal stories that lie behind these time-honored recipes provide a clear view into each culture's identity.|