The smell of krumkake cookies traveled through the kitchen. I was using the traditional Norwegian krumkake iron to make some holiday desserts. The rusty iron shows usage since my grandma passed it down to me along with her handwritten recipe. Pouring the batter into the iron it gets pressed, making the batter sizzle from the stovetop heat. Krumkake is a very thin Norwegian wafer cookie, served rolled into a cone shape. My mother has told me stories about Christmas when she was young, and the krumkake is part of her holiday tales. My grandma would always make these cookies along with other Norwegian desserts such as rosettes. She gave it to me because she started to stray away from the krumkake iron. Since I had an interest in cooking she passed it down to me. A few times I have brought the rolled cookies to my family’s Christmas get together. Uncle’s faces lighting up, the cookies bringing in memories from their childhood.        My grandma bought the iron herself, she was influenced by a friend who used to make krumkakes around the holidays. Her friend taught her how to make them when my grandmother was in her 30’s. It is a very special piece since this friend has passed. The krumkake iron stands as a remembrance of her for my grandma. The iron shows a story of my grandma when she was younger along with my mom and her sibling’s memories around the holidays which is why it is important to my family. 

– Charlotte Roos

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant