My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories

MY LIFE IN RECIPES: FOOD, FAMILY, AND MEMORIES

WRITTEN BY
JOAN NATHAN

PHOTOGRAPHS BY
GABRIELA HERMAN

PUBLISHED BY
ALFRED A. KNOPF, 2024

“My goal has always been to introduce Jewish food to the world. As I travel, I try to find once-forgotten recipes that still seem timely. Some of these recipes are centuries old, but these books are keeping those dishes and traditions alive.” The recipes are authentic yet updated just enough to be user-friendly. “I try to include tips that will make the preparation easier and offer swap-out ingredients. The point is to get people cooking.” –Joan Nathan

Morocco. Vietnam. Turkey. Soviet Union. Ethiopia. Israel. Cuba. Europe. The continental United States.

Joan Nathan, a foremost authority on Jewish culinary traditions, has spent seven decades traveling the globe as she explores the history of Jewish food. Joan’s 12th book, My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories, is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir that reflects her adventurous life, indefatigable spirit, and insatiable curiosity. An accomplished cook, Joan works alongside people in their homes, discovering the dishes that form the basis of her cookbooks.

“My goal has always been to introduce Jewish food to the world. As I travel, I try to find once-forgotten recipes that still seem timely. Some of these recipes are centuries old, but these books are keeping those dishes and traditions alive.” The recipes are authentic yet updated just enough to be user-friendly. “I try to include tips that will make the preparation easier and offer swap-out ingredients. The point is to get people cooking.”

Joan has written for The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Gourmet magazine; her work appears frequently in The New York Times and Tablet magazine. Two of her books, Jewish Cooking in America and The New American Cooking, won James Beard and IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) awards.

I visited with the whirlwind known as Joan at her home on Martha’s Vineyard in August. She had already harvested her garden where she grows heirloom and unusual vegetables from seed she gathers on her travels. Tennis was on the docket later that morning followed by an afternoon phone call with José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen. (The two became friends when they teamed up with Alice Waters in 2009 to plan a series of fundraising dinners to honor President Obama’s inauguration. ‘Sips & Suppers’ grew into an annual event that lasted until Covid.) Dinner with a national podcaster would wrap up a typically eclectic day in the life of Joan Nathan.

Our conversation began with Vermont. Of all the places she’s lived and visited, her favorite remains Vermont. “If I didn’t have this beautiful home on Martha’s Vineyard, I would definitely be in the Green Mountains.” Joan learned to ski at Bromley (“Back when it was a rope tow!”) and Stowe; spent four summers at Camp Kiniya (“Best experience of my life because it taught me independence”); honeymooned at The Grafton Inn (“I still have their recipe for scones”); and wrote and played at the Northeast Kingdom home of her editor Judith Jones, acclaimed for introducing Julia Child to the American public.

Joan has dedicated her career to exploring the intersection of food and culture. “Doors open when you’re genuinely interested in learning about someone’s food and culture. Ever since my junior year in Paris, I realized that recipes can open whole new worlds to anyone who wishes to explore them.” And she’s continued to explore for the last six decades, visiting people’s kitchens, hearing their stories, cooking together, sharing meals, learning family cooking tricks, and documenting their recipes.

She applied this journalistic approach to her own life with this beautiful memoir, stepping back into her deep family history and casting a light on her evolution as a culinary historian and food writer. A lifelong adventurer, Joan continues to seek and embrace cultural opportunities at home and abroad. “Food is not ornamental: it is central and worthy of study. Food can break down barriers and bring people together. At a young age, I realized I could explore the world through food.”

Included in this memoir are dishes she experienced during her travels. Moroccan Chicken with Almonds, Chestnuts, Cinnamon, and Couscous. Sweet and Sour Salmon with Lemon, Ginger, and Brown Sugar. Rugelach with Raspberry Walnut Filling. Gingerbread with Poached Pears.

Thai Ginger Butternut Squash Soup features Thai red chili paste, fresh ginger, fish sauce, and fresh lime juice. Celery Root Albondigas are Turkish meatballs stuffed with vegetables, then spritzed with lemon. The Syrian Mahammar Dip blends sweet red peppers, walnuts, olives, mint, Aleppo pepper, and pomegranate seeds— or dried cranberries.

“Whenever you show an interest in somebody’s food traditions, they open up, revealing recipes and so much more.” Savor My Life in Recipes to learn more about this remarkable woman and travel the world through the dishes she shares