Lots of people have a cookbook tradition. Moms and grandmas pass their cookbooks down to the next generation. Most people write their own recipes down to share with others. Over the years, I have begun a tradition of my own, and it has definitely caught on with those around me, so I thought I would share if you all too!
My dad traveled quite a bit as a kid, and obviously, I always wanted a souvenir, no matter where he went. Typically they were pretty boring work places and nothing exciting came of it. But once he went somewhere actually interesting, Italy and now was my chance. I loved baking even as a kid, and I figured, lets find out what the true Italians are making. So I asked for a baking cookbook. I was taking a few Italian language classes at the time, and figured, wouldn’t it be cool to see if I could read the recipes in Italian too, and what great practice it would be. And ta-da! A collection was born.
The Cookbook Tradition Collection
I travel a lot these days as a full grown adult (sort of) both for work and for adventure. And the one thing I always look for is a cookbook that speaks to the local nature of the location I am visiting. In San Francisco, found a sourdough centered book. In Denver, a high-altitude book. When I travel overseas, I look for something in the native language. Since I’m such a Great British Baking Show fan, in England I collected a book from both Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. The King Arthur Flour headquarters are in Vermont, so I couldn’t resist their thorough collection when visiting.
It’s a weighty (literally) cookbook tradition as my collection is well into the dozens at this point. But seeing these books on the shelf brings back a flood of memories. My family will still bring back a copy of a cookbook they think I’ll enjoy when they travel. A macaron collection from Paris for example. I have swapped books with friends when they travel to a unique place.
