In Her Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Grandmas Around the World book review

In Her Kitchen: Stories and Recipes from Grandmas Around the World by Gabriele Galimberti

   This is a touching and beautiful tribute to grandmothers! Photographer Gabriele Galimberti has traveled the world, interviewing women who have served their families in the home for decades. Each and every woman has cheerfully sacrificed hours of their lives to make their husbands, children, grandchildren and neighbours feel comfortable and loved and I think it is wonderful that this photographer embarked on this interesting project.
Read short biographies from beloved matriarchs and try making the recipes which they are known for! This book is quite varied; the author includes countries from South America, Africa, North America, Asia and Europe. Dishes go from easy to prepare and palatable to even including a recipe for roasted Iguana! This book is a delight to look through. I love the feeling one gets as one reads this book that we are all one blood! Looking at these grandmothers, I see the same expression in each one: love. commitment. joy.
This is truly a special keepsake book. I read it in one sitting!
The recipes are not impossible to re-create. (apart from the roasted iguana, that is. And the pot of caterpillars!) There are many tasty stews, dips and desserts.
I did not get the impression that the book was well organized, but there is a good index at the back which should be fine for finding recipes.
The recipes all seem very traditional. I would definitely say that this book has more value as a photographic/autobiographic work than a cookbook because although there are many great recipes, and many of the grandmothers whose recipes are featured just happen to be professional chefs, the author just speaks from experience as a eater. I was disappointed that many of the recipes were too basic for my liking. Very traditional...which is not a bad thing! Again, this book is to be treasured mainly for the photographs and short biographic sketches about each beloved grandmother!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

In a gorgeous keepsake volume based on the slideshow that captured the world’s attention, Gabriele Galimberti’s beautiful portraits of grandmothers from all over the world with their signature dishes stunningly illustrates the international language of food and family.
On the eve of a photography trip around the world, Gabriele Galimberti sat down to dinner with his grandmother Marisa. As she had done so many times before, she prepared his favorite ravioli—a gesture of love and an expression of the traditions by which he had come to know her as a child. The care with which she prepared this meal, and the evident pride she took in her dish, led Gabriele to seek out grandmothers and their signature dishes in the sixty countries he visited. The kitchens he photographed illustrate both the diversity of world cuisine and the universal nature of a dish served up with generosity and love. At each woman’s table, Gabriele became a curious and hungry grandson, exploring new ingredients and gathering stories. These vibrant and intimate profiles and photographs pay homage to grandmothers and their cooking everywhere. From a Swedish housewife and her homemade lox and vegetables to a Zambian villager and her Roasted Spiced Chicken, this collection features a global palate: included are hand-stuffed empanadas from Argentina, twice-fried pork and vegetables from China, slow-roasted ratatouille from France, and a decadent toffee trifle from the United States. Taken together or bite by bite, In Her Kitchen taps into our collective affection for these cherished family members and the ways they return that affection.

In Her Kitchen is an evocative, loving portrait of the power of food and family, no matter where in the world you sit down for dinner.