Whenever I ask one of the older cooks in my family how to make a particular dish, the answer is inevitably, "Oh, you just add a little of this and a little of that..." Request that measurements be given in cups and tablespoons, and they'll either shrug or laugh. Most of the time there is no "recipe," and all the knowledge lives in their heads and hands.
"You just have to watch me make it," says my dad. He's right; there's no better way to learn than to spend time together in the kitchen. But what if you want to capture the recipe in a more concrete way for yourself and future generations? Here are some tips for documenting your grandmother's traditional noodles or your father's secret sauce (once he agrees to share!).
• Get the story: A family recipe is more than just the ingredients and technique. When did they learn how to make the dish, and who taught them? What time of year was it traditionally made and served? Is there a story behind the pan they always use? Depending on the chattiness of the cook and the nature of the dish they're making, you might want to sit down and do a separate interview, and/or talk during the process of cooking (see the benefits of recording, below).
• Use a video or tape recorder: This way you won't be distracted by trying to write everything down, and you can pay attention and enjoy the experience with your family member. If possible, enlist someone else to record the video, and ask them to zoom in on moments like your mom demonstrating a "handful" or "pinch" of this or that ingredient. Videos and photos can also be useful for documenting steps or techniques.
• Ask them to slow down: If it makes sense, ask the cook to go a little more slowly than usual so that you can absorb what's going on. Ask them to show you how much salt is in their hand before they throw it in the pot, and keep a notepad handy to jot down helpful estimates: "oil - about 1 tablespoon" or "sugar - 1 of grandma's teacups" (you can translate this into a standard measurement later).
• Learn the sensory cues: Traditional recipes often rely on the cook's senses rather than standard measurements. Ask how things are supposed to look, sound, smell, taste, and feel at different stages of the recipe. Did the cook adjust ingredient amounts, heat levels, or cooking times based on these factors?
• Request feedback: Afterwards, make the dish on your own and ask for feedback. Is the texture right? Did you make it too spicy or too sweet? How would they suggest you improve it?
Have you ever documented a family recipe? Share your experiences and tips!
Related: Do You Have a Family Food Tradition? Pass It On Now!
(Images: Flickr member sonewfangled licensed under Creative Commons)
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This couldn't have come at a better time. I want to start documenting some of my Nana's recipes and these tips will come in handy. Thanks!
So true, this is exactly the case with my mom. Good advice for trying to capture what often feels impossible to write down!
I didn't think to do this, and my grandmother passed away something like 10 years ago. We were left with a box of recipes, most of which just included a few ingredients (with no amounts specified). After a little trial and error, I was able to figure out her German-gone-Swedish potato salad, but haven't yet come up with the correct combination for her deviled eggs.
Talk to your family before it's too late!!
I learned this spiced peach recipe from my mother-in-law. She has it embroidered in a frame in her kitchen. Not realistic documentation for most, but such a delicious dish.
http://careyonlovely.blogspot.com/2012/07/spiced-peaches.html
I made a family recipe with my grandmother a few years ago, and then my mom found a recipe and went over it with her to make the necessary changes. This is what we came up with.
http://bakewithamy.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/borekas-a-photo-essay-part-one/
http://bakewithamy.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/borekas-putting-it-all-together/
I've been trying to document my family's recipes too. I'm lucky that my grandma is still alive so she's been showing me how to make the typical dishes. I'm also collecting recipes from family friends since they have a different twist on things or a regional difference. It's been great to bond with the women in my family over cooking.
Video recording is a great way to capture all the detail, but it also gives you the precious gift of seeing your loved ones after they die. It still takes my breath away to see a film of my family sitting around our kitchen table (the center of our lives) in about 1975. We were not much for photos and film, so it's one of my few chances to see my darling parents again. I wish I had film of my grandmother making any number of delightful dishes.
Right before my husband and I first moved to go to grad. school (from Cleveland to Austin) in the early 1980s (pre-affordable recording technology) we spent a couple of days with my Hungarian grandmother, having her walk us through her cooking family recipes. One of us wrote everything down;l the other stopped and measured along the way. We then transcribed the recipes. Over time, based on our own experiences, we became the same "little of this, little of that" cooks my grandmother had been. We still have the original transcriptions to pass on to new family.
It was one of the best things we have ever done.
Funny, I always have the opposite conversation with my mother- I am just saying things like add a little bit of this and that and she asks how much and I say just taste till it tastes right but she's too timid.
This makes me sad I didn't manage to get some of my grandma's recipes down while she was still alive :(
My grandmother has since forgotten her recipe for teacakes. Wish I would have gotten it from her when I had the chance.
My grandmother died very suddenly during an accident, this is my biggest regret, that I didn't spend more time with her in the kitchen. I've spent the last 5 years trying to trial-and-error my way to recreating her recipes
I went through this multiple times while researching "The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook." If anyone's interested, I documented my process here: http://theasiangrandmotherscookbook.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/recording-recipes-behind-the-scenes/
I think the most important advice I can give anyone is don't procrastinate. So many people I talked to said they regretted not learning how to make a certain dish their grandma made and now that grandma's gone, so is the recipe. And take heart, even if/when you manage to record everything down, it will never taste the same as grandma's!
My family has an amazing lobster bisque recipe, but my sisters and I have been forbidden to write it down. My Poppy made it when I was little, later it became my Dad's job. These days I am the bisque-maker. I just hope that my kids inherit a love for cooking so the recipe will live on.
My mom wrote down a few favorites for me as a backup and its filled with colorful curse words (we're a outgoing family!) and "add this til it tastes good" and to be honest, that works for me.
If I've had the food before and have the base for the recipe, "Add some of this and that" works. You just gotta taste. And YES, talk to your relatives NOW. They all probably cook better than we can ever hope to and do so with zero pretentiousness.
I documented how to make chile rellenos with my mother-in-law on my blog. I took pictures and notes as we went along.
http://midnitechef.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/learning-the-secrets-to-chile-rellenos-with-grandma/
There are some old dishes that I don't see around the village any more. So when I visit ed Thailand, I will ask around for those who still remember. Then we cooked together to recall the process. I took pictures and video tapping. I then tried several times, until all the taste memory and the process came back to us. Here is one of them.
http://ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/spicy-thai-coconut-chips-recipe/