October 23, 2025
A Recipe for Remembrance
<p><strong>About the Episode</strong></p><p>In this solo episode, I explore the connection between food, memory, & legacy. Autumn’s reflective mood leads me to discuss how cherished recipes can live on as powerful keepsakes, especially after the loss of loved ones. I delve into the fascinating tradition of Thai funeral cookbooks, their historical significance, and how they preserve both culinary and personal histories.</p><p>You'll also hear about unique gravestone recipes, a modern tribute ensuring beloved dishes remain part of the world. I reflect on my own journey to recreate my Nan Ivy’s roast parsnips, and share the recipe below.</p><p><strong>Further Reading</strong></p><ul><li>Alan Davidson’s insights on funeral cookbooks from A Kipper with My Tea</li><li>To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes - Rosie Grant</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Ivy’s Roast Parsnips</strong></p><p>Ingredients</p><ul><li>Parsnips (1.5-2 per person)</li><li>Beef Dripping (around 2 tbsp of fat per four parsnips)</li></ul><p>Directions</p><ul><li>Preheat the oven to 200ºC</li><li>Add the fat to a roasting tin that will hold all the parsnips in one layer.</li><li>Place in the hot oven to heat the fat.</li><li>Peel parsnips & divide longways into 4 long chunks</li><li>Place them in a saucepan with cold salted water & bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, the parsnips will need round 3 minutes to parboil.</li><li>Drain the parsnips in a colander once parboiled, taking care not to break them.</li><li>Toss the prepared parsnips in the roasting pan & fully coat them in the hot fat. Ensure to spread the vegetable chunks evenly in the roasting pan, so they have a chance to go crispy.</li><li>Roast for 35-40 minutes until deeply golden & soft in the middle, regularly basting them in the hot fat throughout cooking.</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>A selection of Gravestone Recipes</strong></p><p>Spritz Cookies - Naomi Odessa Miller-Dawson: November 26, 1921 - June 10, 2009 Green-Wood Cemetery Brooklyn</p><p>Fudge - Martha Kathryn 'Kay' Kirkham Andrews: August 30, 1922 - December 17, 2019 Logan City Cemetery, Logan, Utah</p><p>Christmas Cookies - Maxine Menster: August 5, 1926 - September 26, 1994 Cascade Community Cemetery, Cascade, Dubuque County, Iowa</p><p>No bake cookies - Bonnie June Rainey Johnson June 30 1935 - May 2007 Nome City Cemetery Nome, Alaska</p><p>Date and Nut Bread - Constance G. Galberd June 11 1928 - September 25, 2008 Highlands Highland Mills, NY</p><p>Snickerdoodle Cookies - Annabell Gunderson: September 19, 1920- December 14, 2007 Willits Cemetery, Mendocino County, California,</p><p>Blueberry pie - H Margaret Rees Davis: July 4, 1918-November 6, 2004 Mountain View Memorial Park. Lakewood, WA</p><p>Cheese Dip - Debra Ann Nelson: April 6, 1964 - March 8, 2021 Dow City Cemetery, Dow City, Crawford County, Iowa</p><p>Heavenly Daze Ice cream - Marian S. Montfort: December 11, 1921 - December 22, 2007 Robertson </p><p>Shearer Sugar Cookies - Fleda Jane Shearer: March 5, 1934 - June 3, 2017 Magness Cemetery, AS</p><p>Kim's Carrot Cake - Kimette Lee Decota November 4, 1956 - August 28, 2014 Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery, Cape Girardeau, Missouri </p><p>Chocolate Mint Brownies John Rodda 1941 - January 18, 2019 Maple Grove Cemetery, Wichita, KS</p><p>Dr. Death's Ranch - Marty Lee Woolf February 16, 1978 - August 1 2022. Saltese Cemetery, Greenacres. </p><p>Chicken Soup - Valerie C Volpe, Apr. 18, 1947 - Sep. 10, 2016, Saint Matthew's Cemetery, West Seneca, NY</p><p>Meatloaf - Beverly L. Lofland (Jul 22, 1932-Mar 10, 2006). Comal Cemetery in New Braunfels, TX</p><p><br></p><p><strong>About the Podcast </strong></p><p>Exploring and improving our relationship with death through respectful enquiry. </p><p>Here you’ll find conversations with those who work with the dead & grieving, in addition to episodes examining death through a lens of history & the arts, folklore and food. </p><p>We’ll take you from ancient funerary rituals to forensic anthropologists via green burials, disaster recovery and Persephone’s pomegranates. We hope the journey & stories will provide you with some of the knowledge and empathy you need to navigate this vast hidden world as well as shine a light on the kindness and tenderness displayed by those professionals who truly take care of our dead. </p><p>Contact: <a href="https://linktr.ee/aquestionofdeath"><u>A Question of Death</u></a></p>
