Review: Mama by Mina Holland

I’ve always been fascinated with cook books. I don’t mean recipe books (although, let’s be honest, I love those too), but the books about food; its history, impact, evolution and the way it affects us. So it was with great satisfaction that I eyed Mina Holland’s Mamma: Reflections on the food that makes us. A humble book it is, that feels excellent in the hands, and lacks the horde of glitzy (albeit beautiful) images that usually adorn its neighbours. This is an honest book about an honest subject, and it is brilliant.

As the name suggests, Mamma seems to have a core focus on the food of families, and how this has evolved with time and geography. The book is broken down into eight sections, which each feature the thoughts and inputs of a person with culinary know-how (from Stanley Tucci to Jamie Oliver, it’s an excellent selection), as well as a specific type of food with a real connection to Holland’s own culinary past and present, and a horde of recipes. Yes, there are, above everything else, recipes, and they certainly look scrumptious. As a person who is not fond of eggs, having an entire section dedicated to the little orbs has partially changed my mind, and I find myself itching to try eggs in avocado cradles or baked eggs.

The beauty of a book such as this is its interactivity, as well as its firm but friendly nostalgia. I dare any reader not to work their way through Mamma without thinking of their own families or cultures or favourite recipes and personal tastes. Holland has given a book which connects her directly to the reader, and connects the readers to each other; it is brilliant, and it’s delicious.

Mamma by Mina Holland is published by Orion Books and is available in South Africa through Jonathan Ball Publishers.