Cooking with grandchildren

Among the relationships forged between grandparents and grandchildren, there's one that's often overlooked: the culinary bond. And yet, cooking with grandma on Sundays, learning her recipes, her tricks of the trade and her tricks of the trade are an essential part of the family heritage. On the occasion of Grandmother's Day on March 4, learn how to reconnect with tradition.

The bonds between grandparents and grandchildren are often privileged, based on exchange, conviviality, gentleness and pleasure. The complicity between them is often the best way to pass on their values. And in these moments shared with grandparents, food plays an essential role: going to the market, picking vegetables from the garden, peeling them, shelling peas, making pancake batter, pies or jam... These moments are magical memories for the children.

Family ties

And as the children get older, these moments are transformed into the transmission of "culinary" knowledge. This is essential at a time when the generations have less and less time to cook, and are turning more and more to ready-made meals. These dishes, sometimes recipes handed down for generations and jealously guarded secrets, are a real part of the family identity. These recipes, which we have become accustomed to enjoying as a family, are an integral part of the family bond. This heritage must be passed on to the various members of the family if it is to be preserved. Because it's not written down anywhere, it's in danger of being lost. Who hasn't tasted a friend's almond cookies and tried unsuccessfully to obtain the secret recipe from their grandmother's oven? Just talking about family recipes is enough to light up the stars in many a child's eyes.

The must-haves

Every family has its own favorite recipes and dishes. But there are also a few "must-haves" to share with young and old alike. Jam, for example, is a gourmet moment that children love to make with their grandparents. Then there are desserts, particularly tarts (rhubarb, apricots...), but also the inevitable clafoutis or charlotte. And let's not forget crêpes, for which there are as many tasty recipes as there are grandmothers.

As for dishes, the recipes are often those linked to family origins, but adapted "in-house". In this age of turnkey preparations, you'll certainly have to turn to grandma for THE recipe for the béchamel or beurre blanc sauce to accompany your fish. A number of books have attempted to bring together these traditional family recipes (La cuisine des grands-mères, Tante Marie, la véritable cuisine traditionnelle, La bonne cuisine de Maman Saint-Ange...).

Back to traditions and origins

This culinary "knowledge" goes beyond recipes, of course. It's also about the "tricks of the trade" and the advice you need to personalize your dishes and make them a success. It's also about passing on folk wisdom that can't be learned at school: choosing the right fruit and vegetables, creating aromatic bouquets and so on. What's more, our world is made up of diversity: our grandparents sometimes came from countries other than our own, and culinary traditions are often rich and varied. Learning to rediscover our roots in the kitchen is also a way of creating a strong bond with our grandparents. Without forgetting the love of cooking and the love of breakfast no book or TV show can pass on in the same way that a grandparent can.

Source : Doctissimo.fr