This is my mother's recipie book, which contains all of the recipies that she learned from her own mother back in Pakistan. My grandma learned the same ones from her own mom, and they have been passed down throughout my family history. My mom wrote all the recipies in the Urdu language (similar to Arabic script), which is what my family speaks at home as well. It includes traditional foods like Biryani, Roast Chicken, Nihari, Pulao, curries, and more. My grandma always had a passion for cooking, and it was a very big part of her life. She had memorized most of the recipies, but my mom decided to write them down to pass on to her own children. The recipie book not only contains recipies, but little snipets and stories of my mom and her siblings life in Pakistan, before she immigrated to the U.S. There are stories of their lives at school, stories of my great grandparents, traditional song lyrics, and more. So, that little journal isn't just filled with delicious recipies. It contains memories of my mothers side of the family, and keeps my grandma's spirit alive.

– ZM

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