If you’re no stranger to this blog, then you’re definitely a food enthusiast. Whether you enjoy cooking, eating, or both, you’re clearly drawn to the culinary arts. What many of us fail to realise however, is that food is more than just about sustenance and nourishing our bodies; but also a huge part of our cultural identities as well as an excellent means of understanding other cultures. And when it comes to food and cultural identity, nothing speaks louder than family recipes; recipes that have been passed down from one generation to the next, recipes that have been adapted through time to suit our palates, and most importantly, recipes that carry with them a plethora of stories, experiences and history.

With many of us moving away from our home countries, setting up shop, raising families and living abroad, it is essential to our sense of self and identities to keep these recipes alive, as they bridge that ever-growing gap between our family history and the people we are today. You may not realise it, but food has a powerful way of bringing people together, creating beautiful memories and stirring up emotions and feelings from our childhood that we thought we’d forgotten. In short, the act of cooking and eating certain foods is a nostalgic one; it’s not just about the flavours we are experiencing, but the feelings associated with them.

Think about the last time you cooked your grandmother’s famous lamb stew, as you stood there chopping your vegetables, stirring your pot and remembering yourself as a child as you stood next to her while she cooked this very same dish so many years ago. The feeling you get in this simple act alone is in itself exactly why these recipes have survived for so long. They make us feel good, loved and secure, and it is why we keep going back to the ritual of cooking our favourite family recipes, especially when it comes to feeding those closest to us.

You may still be wondering, but how? How do these recipes associate with our family’s history?

The fact is, every family has its stories, and there is no denying that the kitchen is perhaps where most of these tales are shared. So, think about it the next time you’re preparing a meal or sitting at the dinner table with family and loved ones, the conversations usually go something like this:

Loved One: This is delicious, I love when you make this dish.

You: Thank you, it was my grandmother’s recipe. She learned to make it when she was first married and living with her in-laws. Of course at the time, they made everything from scratch!

And there you have it, an old family anecdote that you’ve probably told many times before, but has once again come alive – i.e. sharing and connecting through food.

In essence, the emotional connection to food is so important as it ignites memories and feelings from our past and present. Overtime, these recipes become a part of our family’s history and enhance our understanding of where we came from. Priceless, wouldn’t you say?

Stay tuned for Part II of Family Recipes & Cultural Identity.