One meal that’s truly meaningful to me is Chicken Adobo — a simple yet rich Filipino dish of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and peppercorn simmered together until it’s perfectly tender.

It’s a staple in every Filipino home, and for me, it brings back memories of family gatherings, Sunday lunches, and the comfort of home no matter where I am in the world. The aroma alone feels like a warm hug and a reminder that food connects us to our roots, culture, and the people we love.

Through all the tempting postings and appetizing favourites I sense a deeper and common thread here. One of our patient mothers passing on family customs and local cultural favourites from yesteryear. 

For me this is a love for Italian food. Deeply rooted in tradition, relatively simple to make, without pretence, fresh, earthy ingredients free from additives and preservatives and healthy to boot!   

Homemade cinnamon rolls is always a trip down memory lane, from elementary school lunches to camping and my making these from scratch in an oven over a camp fire. 

I love to make pierogies! They are super popular in my region, and nothing beats making the filling, dough, and making the pierogies by hand. Coupled with some caramelized onions, they make the perfect comfort food!

I love a good pierogi! 😝

As a New York transplant now living in Atlanta, there will never be a time that isn’t perfect for an amazing freshly made everything bagel!

My mother is a terrible cook (she knows it’s okay), and the one thing she makes from scratch that's edible is potato soup. My daughter and I have vastly improved on my mother's recipe, but making it always makes us think of her. Plus, any meal that bacon gets added to is a win in my book. 

My favourite meal is Kolkata chicken biryani, with its rich spices and tender chicken, served alongside Diet Coke and a dash of lemon. It’s the perfect mix of comfort and refreshment that always hits the spot.

Being a foodie, I enjoy all kinds of vegetarian cuisine and while it’s hard to pick a favorite, I would choose Gulab Jamun any day. Its soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture and sweet, aromatic syrup are simply irresistible. There’s something comforting and joyful about every bite, making it my go-to dessert whenever I get a chance.

The most meaningful food to me (after thorough consideration) is (or are) Czech Christmas cookies. Every year, baking and preparing these cookies is a cherished tradition in my family, if not in the whole nation. It’s not just about the delicious results, but about spending time together in the kitchen, keeping the tradition alive, and creating memories that blend beautifully into the upcoming holidays.

What makes it even more special is that these little pieces of bundled holiday sweetness are so easy to share - part of the tradition is giving them away or swapping them with friends and family for their own homemade treats. It’s a wonderful way to spread the holiday spirit and connect with others.

I could not agree more, ​@jlsisthebest. Thank you for sharing this reflection!

My own “secret” recipe -- put Nutella on virtually anything; it will instantly taste better 🙂 (At least that is what I do at home). 

But more seriously, the World Food Programme is doing great work around the world to make sure food gets to those who are hungry and dealing with dire life circumstances. You can donate on their website linked above, and also read more about their global humanitarian efforts.

The most meaningful food to me (after thorough consideration) is (or are) Czech Christmas cookies. Every year, baking and preparing these cookies is a cherished tradition in my family, if not in the whole nation. It’s not just about the delicious results, but about spending time together in the kitchen, keeping the tradition alive, and creating memories that blend beautifully into the upcoming holidays.

What makes it even more special is that these little pieces of bundled holiday sweetness are so easy to share - part of the tradition is giving them away or swapping them with friends and family for their own homemade treats. It’s a wonderful way to spread the holiday spirit and connect with others.

 

These look amazing!

Homemade bread using the same recipe that my grandmother used to make - the whole process is nostalgic to me. 

The most meaningful food to me (after thorough consideration) is (or are) Czech Christmas cookies. Every year, baking and preparing these cookies is a cherished tradition in my family, if not in the whole nation. It’s not just about the delicious results, but about spending time together in the kitchen, keeping the tradition alive, and creating memories that blend beautifully into the upcoming holidays.

What makes it even more special is that these little pieces of bundled holiday sweetness are so easy to share - part of the tradition is giving them away or swapping them with friends and family for their own homemade treats. It’s a wonderful way to spread the holiday spirit and connect with others.

 

Wow looks like a Czech version of high tea!

One of the foods I always loved as a child was my grandmother’s pickled cucumber salad recipe. I have no idea where it came from -- whether this was something she learned, or she just made it up, or she found it in a cookbook -- but it was always a little different (it used boiled vinegar for the pickling). Every time we had a family meal at her house, she’d make a vat of the stuff and send everyone home with containers of it. Now that I have my own house and garden, whenever I have home-grown cucumbers, I always make a batch, both to remind myself of my grandmother, and to preserve my summer harvest.

In my family, there’s a cake we call “Un Colombo” in French. I think it’s a family recipe, because nobody I’ve talked to outside my family has ever heard of it. It’s incredibly sweet—almost too much!—so I can’t eat as much of it now as I did when I was younger, otherwise I end up with a bit of a stomach ache. But it’s still my birthday cake every year, because it’s my favorite dessert and it brings back so many childhood memories.