Food for the Soul: Turning Your Treasured Family Recipes into a Book
Around the world, food is not only a means for survival but also a source of joyous and painful experiences alike, an expression of kinship and love, and a vessel for long-lasting memories. Good meals always have good stories behind them, and a good food memoir goes beyond the art of cooking, revealing someone’s reality and conveying hard-earned lessons about family, culture, and livelihood.
If you’ve been thinking of whipping up a book, read on for writing tips and examples that you can take inspiration from.
Preparing to write your book
Create a timeline
Creating a timeline is always a good exercise for any book pertaining to life stories. Start by dividing your life into a) decades, b) milestones, or c) places you’ve lived in. Brainstorm events for each section, writing down as much detail as you can; just let the ideas flow freely and don’t worry about editing anything for now.
Gather material
Look for recipes that you can include in your book. You can also interview your family to get more ideas for stories and recipes.
Choose a theme
Decide on the composition of your book—will it be heavier on stories or recipes? You could try out these themes:
- Recipes and anecdotes from a cook or connoisseur in the family
- A variety of recipes and memories from different members of the family
- Recipes handed down from generation to generation, complete with a family tree
- Recipes and stories from a particular time in your life or the lives of your family members, like wartime recipes that are still being used today, or favorite recipes for special occasions like holidays, birthdays, weddings, and other family traditions
- Favorite dishes from your travels
Examples of family food memoirs
A Tiger in the Kitchen by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan was raring to leave her hometown at 18, but in her thirties, she decided to explore her past. A Tiger in the Kitchen traces Tan’s journey from her childhood in Singapore to adulthood in New York City.
Miriam’s Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich
Elizabeth Ehrlich wasn’t too proud about her Jewish heritage until she began cooking alongside her mother, a Holocaust survivor. Hearing stories from her family history gave her the chance to appreciate her family’s favorite meals more deeply.
Cake by Maira Kalman
Maira Kalman’s memories from childhood aren’t always happy, but the recipes for cake interspersed in her vibrantly illustrated book are sure to whet anyone’s appetite for dessert.
Manna Cafe and Bakery Cookbook: A Memoir of Two Businesses, a Community, and the Food that Connected Them by Barb Pratzel
After running a bed-and-breakfast for years, Barb and Mike Pratzel decided to move on and open the Manna Cafe. But when the pandemic hit, the couple once again had to close their business. Still determined to share her food with the world, Barb wrote out 150 recipes from her cafe and the stories behind them.
Got a recipe but lacking a story?
Sit down with the recipe and think of people tied to it. You can then think of reminiscences of those people, accompanying memories with lovely photos. If your problem is the opposite—got a story but lacking a recipe or photos to go with it—you can simply use photos of the people involved and a recipe that you think would complement the reminiscence.
You don’t have to be a celebrity chef or an internet personality to make an engaging cookbook. As long as you have a love of food, some family anecdotes, and the desire to preserve your recipes and stories, you can absolutely write and publish a book that others will treasure for years to come.