My essential question was How can I learn about Tradition and my Heritage Through cooking. Originally, I had no idea how I was going to answer this question. I knew from talking to my Grandmother, that cooking and tradition are directly related but I didn’t know how I was going to learn about Greek history through cooking. Mid way through my project I started to read my textbook and my problem went away. My textbook A Gift of the Gods by Andrew Dalby outlined the history of Greek foods through historical events. It was very interesting to see how certain foods were a reflection of the time. If I could redo my project I wouldn’t alter my essential question at all.
My expectations for the project stayed the same throughout. Unlike most kids my essential question did not change. From the start of the project I had a clear goal which I have achieved. I did have to adjust my expectations slightly because I planned my project under the assumption that I would be able to cook everything first try.
I achieved my main goal for senior project but I didn’t meet the recipe goal that I set for myself. As of when I wrote this, I have made 12 different recipes. My goal was 15. Mid way through the project, I realized that I would have to do some recipes multiple times. The three recipes that I’m missing are because I had to remake three recipes. Because of this, I just chose to focus on the ones I like most. My main goal which was to learn how to cook my grandmothers recipes and to learn about Greek history I achieved.
My project was relatively risk free but one specific risk I took was when I was making a baklava and we ran out of an ingredient. I had to adapt to what I had in the fridge while still keeping true to the recipe. Unfortunately the risk didn’t pay off and I had to redo it on a different day.
Throughout these past weeks I’ve grown lot as a cook. At the beginning of the project, I was scared that some of these recipes would be far too challenging. While I did have to redo three recipes, It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Through this project I turned from a home cook into a Greek home cook. Another area of growth during the project was my organization skills. Every week I had to make a detailed schedule mapping my research, recipes, and groceries. This was unlike anything I’ve done before.
The history that I learned was very surprising to me. Specifically that there were three stages of greek food that led to the current cuisine. The first stage was during ancient Greece. These recipes were very basic and involved simply prepared meats, and lagoons. None of the recipes I made come from this era. The second stage came after the Ottoman Empire invaded Greece. The ottomans forced the Greeks to adapt to their cuisine. This introduced spices, cooking methods, and certain ingredients to Greece. The final stage came after the Greeks declared independence from the Ottomans. During this time there was a nationwide movement to make Greek food less Turkish. Greek chefs adapted these recipes by introducing aspects from mostly French and Italian cuisines.
My senior project left me with a few questions. The first was about Greek regional food. When I was doing my research I realized that some of my recipes were only made in specific locations in Greece. This made me wonder if I used recipes from someone else Grandmother would the cookbook be completely different? Another question I had was about tracking the history of food. Is it accurate to say that a dish originated from a specific location when it’s super basic? I was wondering this when I was looking at the origins of souvlaki. My book said the original is Turkish Doner Kabob but I think that has to be inaccurate because people have been roasting meat on sticks forever and its unfair to claim such a worldwide method.
I don’t think my senior project will change my plans for the future. I will be very surprised if I end up working in the culinary world. However, I view cooking as hobby and I will continue this hobby for my whole life.
Im most proud that I was able to learn all of my favorite recipes from my grandmother. My grandmother just turned 91 last week and isn’t getting younger. Before this project no one else in the family knew her recipes. Me and my family had numerous conversations around the dinner table that we need to learn these recipes while my grandmother can still cook so they are not lost. Now everyone in my family will have a copy of her recipes. The fact that these recipes have been cooked for over 100 years, and I just ensured that they would be made for another 100 years gives me pride.
If I could redo my senior project I would focus more on my cooking than the reaserch. Although I have 12 recipes, the cookbook is far from complete if I want an accurate representation of the food my grandmother used to eat. If I could do it again I would plan on making 20 recipes and only read my book instead of reading various food blogs and watching videos.
One of the hardest aspect for me during senior project was planning out my weeks. Each recipe requires a lot of planning. Most ingredients you have to go to Astoria for. I would try and do my shopping all at once for the whole week on Mondays. I would frequently forget items and I would sometimes only realize while I was cooking. I also found it hard to get through my textbook. Although I find the subject very interesting, I didn’t like the writing style of the book. I fond it very dense and boring at times. This struggle made it all the more rewarding when I finished.
One thing I want my audience to know is how meaningful this cookbook is to me. I’ve been cooking since before I can remember and I’ve alway wanted to learn how to make Greek food. These recipes are an accumulation of my favorite childhood meals cooked by my Grandmother who I’m incredibly close with. Not only is this cookbook a school project but its also a set of skills that I will use for the rest of my life.
- How might you demonstrate your learning?
One idea that I had to demonstrate my learning was to cook a bung of things for senior project night.