"Author Cooks Up Meals, Customs From Funerals"

Whether we would admit it or not, most of us can remember the food served following almost all of the funerals we have attended.  Lisa Rogak is the author of a new cookbook entitled, “Death Warmed Over, Funeral Food, Rituals and Customs from Around the World”.  This unique book is an account of funeral customs in 75 different places in the world as well as recipes for foods served at these funerals.  It’s both a sociological study as well as a cookbook.

Following her description of the funeral customs in Germany, the author provides a recipe for a “red cabbage” dish.  In Great Britain it is customary to hold a “Funeral Tea” at a nearby restaurant or at the home of one of the relatives immediately following the burial service.  A ham dish is a typical component in a “Funeral Tea” as any left-overs can be shared by the family for several days following the “Tea”.

In Hungary a “last supper” is served to the friends and relatives prior to the funeral service.  And, wouldn’t you know, “Goulash” is one of the staples of this funeral meal.

In Ireland, while the primary food group featured at a funeral is booze, the Irish are fastidious in following the proper etiquette of funerals.  By accessing the website, www.irishfuneral.com , a visitor can listen to “Danny Boy” played on a guitar as he reads the information on the correct way to conduct a wake.   The recipe for the “Ireland” chapter is “Irish Wake Cake”.  Surprisingly, whisky is not an ingredient in this recipe.

The burial rites in Switzerland are simple with the body of the deceased dressed in a white gown edged in lace and the remains placed in a six-sided plain wooden coffin lined with a white cotton sheet.  Cremation is the standard fare in this rocky country so there are no elaborate wakes or services.  The author provides a recipe for “Swiss Lemon Sugar Cookies” for this solemn but swift ceremony.

Baloney and cheese sandwiches are the favorite servings following a Protestant funeral in the States   Wonder Bread is the choice sandwich bread.  In the United States it is also customary to take food to the home of the recently deceased during the weeks following the funeral.  Saving and returning the empty dishes, aluminum and glass pie pans and Tupperware containers can be a strain upon the family, however.  A recent “Dear Abby” article suggests that well-wishers use disposable utensils.

In addition to this book on funeral foods and the rituals and customs of funerals, the Library has a large collection of cookbooks to help a person select the right casserole, salad, pie or cake to prepare for an after-funeral dinner or for a condolence dish to be delivered to the home of the bereaved.