Could Your Grandma's Spaghetti Win This Heirloom Recipe Contest?

By Chuck Sudo in Food on May 21, 2013 4:00PM

The best recipes are often the ones handed down from generation to generation—the best recipe I use is my mother’s biscuit recipe. They’re not only practical, they serve as a connection to family in ways blood and shared surnames often can’t. Food can evoke memories so vivid it’s almost as though you’re being transported back in time with the combination of scents, sight, texture and taste. Suddenly that biscuit isn’t just breakfast; it’s a visit to Mom’s kitchen when I was 12, first learning to make an omelet.

Heirloom recipes, as they’re called, are the subject of a contest by the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance. They’re seeking recipes handed down by families that are suitable for a family or community dinner, from prior to 1950. The GMFA asks that entries include the recipe’s history, who passed it down, the amount of time the recipe has been in the family and how it may be used in family traditions. The history of the recipe is important as it accounts for 50 percent of the total score from judges.

They’ll be judging the recipes on a state-by-state basis beginning Aug. 3 at the Ohio State Fair, Aug. 4 at the Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 18 at the Indiana State Fair and Aug. 17 at the Illinois State Fair.

For a list of participating states, full rules and instructions and deadlines, click here. Each first-place winner will receive a $150 prize.