An ode to ‘the recipe’

Recipes are the raison d’etre of Eat Your Books; the entire website revolves around the subject. We have indexed over 2.3 million recipes, from the simple to the wildly extravagant, recipes that have appeared in cookbooks and websites and magazines the world over. Through the years in which I have been writing for EYB, I have read thousands and thousands of these recipes, and along the way have encountered beautiful and inspiring writing about them, and more broadly about food in general.

Yesterday I discovered another such luscious read through food writer and writing coach Dianne Jacob. Her tweet promoting this article is what made me want to read it. She described it as a “strange essay in many ways, but compelling and beautiful also,” and I find the description apt. The writing in question is simply titled The Recipe.

Usually I provide a synopsis of any linked article, explaining it to our readers so they can decide if it is something that interests them. In this case I think it best not to provide a lot of background, as I want you to experience the writing without knowing too much about it. I hope you find it intriguing and am interested in what you think of the piece.