America’s Melting Pot Creates Creative Heirloom Cookbooks
March 2nd, 2010 | 
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America is a melting pot of many different nations and peoples. We come to this country to make a new home and then assimilate to the customs of our new country. In that assimilation we often lose the traditions that are part of our family heritage. Over the years some of those traditions might be changed slightly and some might be carried out today exactly like they were done hundred years ago.
It is important that as new immigrants come to our shores they need to be aware that no matter how hard they try to keep hold of the old ways, their children will adapt those changes as they assimilate to become American kids. It has happened with every wave of immigration in this country and it really gives the richness to how our nation evolves.
Many of these traditions are about food. These traditions can be about what to eat and what not to eat. Some of these traditions may be about how to celebrate certain holidays. Most of these “recipes” are still passed on in the kitchens in homes all over America. Women have always handed down these ways of cooking to their daughters and granddaughters in the old country and even in America. Somehow here in America the chain becomes broken with the pulls of our modern life. It is important to have these recipes and traditions written down so todays children will have something to share with their own grandchildren.
Being one of those Americanized immigrants, I can honestly say from experience that knowledge about those traditional foods can be lost very quickly. I know that there is a bigger need as a kid to be a normal American, rather than holding on to traditions. Some of those traditions may even be embarrassing in front of our new American friends. It is only when we are adults that we realize what has been lost. So I speak from my experiences of lost recipes and now having no one to ask and nowhere to look.
Those traditions come with unique stories about how they came to being. The stories make great reading and should be kept with the recipes. A family memory cookbook is created with photographs from the past and current photographs. It might be wise to take photographs of the meals also. The cookbook can have family stories and even a genealogical chart of family members. There are no limits what your family might want to include since it will be uniquely that family’s memory cookbook. You do want to make sure that every member of the family receives a copy to pass down in their own family.
So if members of your family are recent immigrants from Africa, Central or South American, or from Asia—keep those recipes. Ask the elders of your family for the stories, too, When you decide to write your cookbook, do it in both languages so that as the family assimilates it will still be able to be read and shared.
Your cookbook can be as high tech as you want or just a few pieces of paper in a three ring binder with copies made to match. The photos can be added to those pages and copied as well. Your family memory cookbook can be designed by grandchildren that are computer savvy for an intergenerational project. Desk top publishing allows for ease of creating a very sophisticated cookbook. Using the talents of the family will make sure that everyone becomes involved and will have some ownership in the project. The more the hands involved in this project will make it all reality.
By: Hella Buchheim
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Posted in Food And Drink