A taste for paprika

We each have our own recipes for history, our own way of blending the ingredients of memory into a palatable tale. What follows are my Oma’s stories, as I have heard them since before I could talk. And my mother’s story, as best I can guess it. Ultimately, though, this recipe is mine…

In this unflinching yet lyrical memoir, Laura Elise Taylor brings together the stories of three generations of women who have lost the men they loved. From a small village on the Austro-Hungarian border to modern Canada, through war, illness, and tragedy, the stories told in Oma’s kitchen have helped Laura understand who she is and where she came from. But some parts of this story have never been told, and it is up to Laura to piece together a complete tale from this collection of reminiscences—a recipe for a whole life.