Book: funeral foods

There will come a day when we pass away; no one is spared that fate. So what could be better than leaving your loved ones behind with your favorite snacks and food? In this new cookbook, you’ll find hearty bites for the heavy-hearted.

Roses wither, ships perish, but my love for food will always endure. If you asked me what I would one day want included in my obituary, this would come fairly close – despite the lack of creativity. A little strange, perhaps, but why not? Besides, I’m far from the only one who sees a warm farewell accompanied by an abundance of food as the ultimate finale. A pièce de résistance for which no expense or effort is spared.

The Southern Sympathy Cookbook

When people come together to mourn, it is often accompanied by plenty of food. In Jamaica, for example, goat curry is served, while in Estonia it is traditional to serve stuffed cabbage rolls after the funeral. That doesn’t sound too bad, but the place where they really take it to the next level is the southern United States. No funeral there passes without fried chicken. Cookbook author Perre Coleman Magness even wrote a book about it, The Southern Sympathy Cookbook: Funeral Food with a Twist, because if anyone knows how to handle food at funerals, it’s the people down south.

Comfort food

Perre’s search for the ultimate funeral food began with her mother’s somewhat remarkable yet amusing collection of obituaries. The cookbook contains more than eighty recipes, including pulled pork with barbecue sauce, bean salad with bacon vinaigrette and cinnamon rolls. Because, as Perre puts it, funeral food is by definition comfort food.

The book also offers a light-hearted look at funeral traditions in the American South, and tells you all about the surprisingly festive ceremonies where families come together to laugh, cry and share stories. And to eat, of course. Just the way we like it.

Title: The Southern Sympathy Cookbook: Funeral Food with a Twist
Author: Perre Coleman Magness
Publisher: Countryman Press
Price: $22.95 (also available via Amazon.com, among others)