Do you have that one relative who always brings everyone’s favorite fudge to holiday gatherings? Are you wishing you had the recipe for those wonderful spritz cookies your grandmother made? Well, you may be able to find these and other recipes in your local cemetery!
In a recent interview with NPR’s Scott Simon, University of Maryland graduate student Rosie Grant talked about her research on cemeteries. As a quarantine hobby she began visiting cemeteries in different parts of the country. During these visits, she discovered some unusual tombstones. In addition to recording birth and death histories, these gravestones were a connection for the living to the afterlife. She has found a handful of people who made their final mark on their world by having a favorite recipe engraved on their tombstone. Not only has Rosie found some of these, but she has also actually cooked up the dishes!
In the interview, Rosie shared that one of her favorites is the spritz cookie recipe left by Naomi Miller-Dawson in Brooklyn, New York. As a final gift to her family, Naomi left the family recipe that she had never shared in life. The recipe includes no instructions, just the ingredients. Those who have tried it report it is a very tasty cookie! There is also an excellent fudge recipe left by Kay Andrews in Utah. It is a decadent recipe, heavy on butter, sugar, and chocolate. Eat this and you would die happy!
Rosie has a TikTok channel, ghostlyarchives, where she talks about her recipe finds and demonstrates cooking them up for sampling.
In addition to Rosie, there are others seeking gravestone recipes. In his podcast for atlasobsura.com, Sam O’Brien tells listeners about the gravestone of Ida Kleinman that includes her famous nut roll recipe, inscribed on her tombstone in Rehovot Cemetery, Rehovot, Israel.
These eccentricities may be explained by one photo of a gravestone recipe for “Mom’s Christmas Cookies” which was captioned: “Whenever anyone asked for Mom’s recipe, she replied, “over my dead body!”
So, if you are looking for a new recipe, take a stroll through the local cemetery. You may be surprised at what you find! Bon Appetit!