Finding Connections to My Heritage Through Food

Finding Connections to My Heritage Through Food

My heritage is both Ukrainian and Mennonite. I grew up with little influence from my Ukrainian side of the family and a lot of influence from the Mennonite side. The Mennonites in my family often referred to themselves as Germans and I was affectionately a Geranium - both German (Mennonite) and Ukrainian. I was never really interested in learning about the food that was cooked in our family for special occasions or even the daily meals until I had kids of my own and my grandma (Grossmutter) passed away. It was then that I realized that an important part of our culture would be lost if I didn't learn how to make the dishes that are unique to the culture.

When my grandma passed away, I inherited her cookbook. This cookbook is incredibly old. It is one of those compilation cookbooks. It was produced by a Mennonite council in Manitoba. The cover and beginning pages are missing so I don't have much more information about the book but it is filled with stories, household tips, recipes and the names of women from a much earlier generation. Many of the women are referred to by their husband's name (that's how old this book is!!!). For example, Mrs. Robert Nesimiuk would be my name. Some of the recipes don't refer to actual measurements but rather say things like "enough" or "a little". Temperatures for some recipes refer to "moderate" or "hot" ovens. It is just how my grandma cooked. The recipes come from generations of mothers teaching daughters the meals that came from the areas they lived. Having learned about my Mennonite family history, I know that they migrated to Canada after living in Ukraine for quite some time. Many of the Ukrainian recipes I know and the Mennonite recipes are similar, have similar names or similar flavors. Clearly both cultures were influenced by each other and the area and land where they lived. When I flip through the worn, tattered, dogeared pages of the cookbook, I see the splatters from my grandma's cooking, her notes and annotations and it makes me feel like I have her in the kitchen with me as I cook. This cookbook is my most prized possession because of all the memories represented in the dishes listed, the splatters on the pages and because I remember being in the kitchen when my grandma pulled out the cookbook to make some new memories in her kitchen.

I wish my grandma was still here today to be able to teach me about the food of our heritage. I often wish I could pick up the phone and ask her a question but she is gone. So, I talk to her while I carry on in the kitchen trying to explore these recipes. My grandma learned to cook for her husband and family through this cookbook. So, I am attempting to do the same thing!

It so happened that I grew up and married a Ukrainian! I learned a lot through his family and was lucky to be the recipient of my mother-in-law's cookbooks when she passed away. 

So, I am exploring and learning about the Ukrainians and Mennonites I descended from through the food that they cooked. I hope I can teach this history to my sons through the flavors and through the recipes as boys are often my kitchen assistants. 

This is my exploration and my discovery of the connections I have to generations past through food and cooking!