Book Review. Beautiful and heartwarming

In Her Kitchen; Stories and recipes from grandmas around the world, by Gabriele Galimberti


Family traditions around food are some of the most memorable we have. Holidays at Grandma’s are a big part of my childhood memories. And, of course, no one cooks like Grandma.

Grandmothers all over the world are showcased in the new book, “In Her Kitchen”. The author, Gabriele Galimberti, is young, and this world tour of grandmother’s kitchens was a long-term project. From his own grandmother’s kitchen to kitchens all around the world, he has made contact with the pride these women have in feeding their families.

The pictures are evocative and well done. I found the display picture of the women and the ingredients for their signature dish a bit repetitive, but it is important to know that this is what real people cook and eat. The recipes are well written, and finding some familiar favorites made me smile.

Of course, there are some recipes that are very simple. Others call for exotic ingredients, like iguana, or caterpillars. And it’s hard to find a moose steak to cook in most of the world. The finished dishes are beautiful, but aren’t all picture perfect. It’s real food, cooked by real people, rather than a highly polished presentation for a food magazine.

I probably won’t try to cook anything from this book. However, looking at the pictures, and reading the stories made me think of my family, and the different cultures that I’ve seen while living around the world. It will have a place on my bookshelf!

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books for my honest review.