Introduction
According to Matthew Davies, we should never forget our culture and heritage as it defines who we are, where we come from and allows us to appreciate our roots and ancestors. Many people tend to lose connection with their traditions due to the stress of the modern world. Some people also have to leave their own country for work where they cannot keep in touch with their family or friends as often as they would like. This can create a sense of emptiness inside you, but cooking can help you to relive the old nostalgic moments that you once spent with your family.
The Reasons
Here are some reasons why cooking can bring you closer to your heritage:
- Recipe collections tell a story – Almost every family has a secret recipe that is imbibed with their family traditions. Some families have a book full of traditional recipes that is unique to their own family. Every generation of cook adds something special in the book of recipes. Thus, it’s a legacy of your ancestors.
Reading the recipes allow you to look into the minds of your ancestors, learn how they thought, experience the love they left behind, and create a deep bond. When you get a hold of these recipe collections and use them to create food during special occasions, it fills the air with joy and laughter. Old stories pop up that reveal how these amazing recipes came into existence.
Thus, as you cook, you also discover important information about your heritage, culture, and traditions and these may not be restricted to cooking.
- Food brings the family together – Everybody wants to enjoy a good meal with their family, and nobody wants to eat alone. Cooking a special meal for your family and eating it together with your loved ones during special occasions can help you feel deep gratitude. During such occasions, many people appreciate the bounty of God and try to remember our historic roots and cultural traditions.
- Cooking is an emotional experience – If you rarely cook food, you might forget that cooking can be a great emotional experience. It breaks the streak of having to eat the same food everyday which can become mundane. The act of cooking a special meal for your family allows you to remember the good old times and experience a sense of nostalgia.
When your kids run up to you to check when the cooking would be completed, it brings a smile on your face. And, when they relish the taste of a super-special dish that only you can make, it fills your heart with a sense of satisfaction that cannot be matched in any other way.
Conclusion
Try to remember the times when you were a child and your mother, grandmother, or any other family member cooked some special meal for you. During those moments, did you ever think of cooking a similar meal when you grew up? You are not alone if you did. According to Matthew Davies, many of us want to preserve the recipes of special meals so that we can recreate the same taste in the future for ourselves and the people close to us. Sometimes, these recipes can remain in the family for hundreds of years, speaking to you about the past and your heritage.