For me it’s the scent of lilac berries paired with the warm butter. It smells of school and home, of cold fingers and rosy cheeks warming themselves by blowing night storage heaters. After the absence of adult problems and a round of penalties, get out of homework.
Hardly any other food catapults me back to my childhood as directly as lilac berry soup. The rich, deep red color that taught me that some spills are better avoided because they can never be washed out again. The purple stains on my grandma’s apron that showed me that they still weren’t the end of the world. The first time I was allowed to help shape the semolina balls, my little hands were immersed in a large bowl full of warmth. It smelled as it felt, rich, buttery and smooth. As the semolina in the soup boiled again, I watched as individual grains separated, leaving behind pretty pink flakes and patterns.
Years later I tried to get the recipe out of my grandmother. We stood in her kitchen again, I was allowed to help again, only this time I pestered her with questions that she couldn’t answer. How much butter? I wanted to know to the gram, armed with a notebook, and how much sugar was that? I called out frantically as my grandma was already pouring in a handful. Well, a “bush” was the only quantity I was supposed to get from her.
To this day I try to recreate the dish exactly. To revive her soup and with it her spirit, in a pitiful longing for an ounce of childhood feeling and a liter of security that only grandmothers can serve. Sometimes it works, I get close. Sometimes not and I look for memories in the soup like dumplings.
Dishes can trigger an impressive range of feelings in us. I discovered this when I asked our editorial team for other recipes from my colleagues’ childhood. A conversation between poor knights and even poorer blasters ensued, which left us not only hungry but also nostalgic.
In this section we would like to share our old recipes from the past with you. Everyone has to add the secret ingredient, our personal memory, themselves. But maybe with a bit of inspiration we can revive some childhood feelings together.