Creating a Family Cookbook
Everybody needs to eat, and what people eat says a lot about how they lived. Do some genealogy research, and create a family cookbook!
Be sure to talk to every member of the family, from young to old. Have them start with their earliest memories, of food that they ate with their grandparents or great-grandparents. Talk about breakfasts and lunches, dinners and desserts. What were the meals like? What foods were involved?
Ask about what they drank - was it water? Wine? A special type of liqueur? Did they simply not drink anything while they ate?
Ask about special occasions. What was the traditional meal at Thanksgiving? How about Christmas and Easter? Would birthday cakes be of a certain flavor?
Did the foods get brought from the family farm, or bought at local stores? Were there certain 'crops', like zucchini, that would come in and be used in certain ways?
Then get into the favorite dishes. What was the special dish that each person would look forward to, and ask for as a treat?
For the family cookbook, put in the best recipes that each person suggests, grouping them either by recipe type or chronologically. Also be sure to include a 'profile' area with the other background details for each person. That way you can use the cookbook not only to make your great-grandfather's favorite Corn Mash on Thanksgiving, but also read about the other things he enjoyed and share that knowledge with your family!
Family Cookbook Questionnaire
A Family Cookbook Webpage
Family Cookbook Profiles
Main Listing Page
All Genealogy Articles
Note - Lisa Shea wrote this content for the genealogy site at BellaOnline.com - you might still find this content there as well. That's fine :) I gave permission!
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