Mom's Recipes: Dishes That Taste Like Childhood
Mom's Recipes: Dishes That Taste Like Childhood
Our FELFELians share their mothers' recipes — from Portugal to Japan, from Ecuador to Switzerland.
There are dishes that don't just taste good — they taste like home. Like childhood. Like Mom. For Mother's Day, we asked our FELFELians: which of your mother's recipes do you keep trying to recreate, but never quite get right? The answers came from five countries, five cuisines, and five very different childhoods. But they all share one thing: every dish tells a story. Every bite carries the scent of the past. Maybe it's the technique. Maybe it's years of practice. Or maybe it's simply that mothers cook with a kind of love that can't be replicated. Here are their recipes — and the stories behind them.
Pastéis de Bacalhau – Codfish Croquettes
Portugal
For Rafaela, pastéis de bacalhau are more than just a recipe. They are a legacy — passed down from grandmother to mother, from mother to daughter, through generations of women who have cooked for their families. And yet, no one has ever quite managed to make them the way her grandmother did. But everyone tries. And every time, they carry with them the same feeling: saudade — that deeply Portuguese longing for something that was, and always will be.
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Ingredients
· 3 pieces of salted stockfish (Bacalhau)
· Potatoes (quantity to taste)
· 1 small onion, finely grated
· 2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
· 1 bunch of parsley
· 4 eggs + 2 egg yolks (adjust according to quantity)
· Oil for frying
Preparation
· Cook the potatoes and stockfish separately.
· Finely grate the onion and garlic, then mix with chopped parsley.
· Pull the stockfish into small strands.
· Mash the potatoes until smooth.
· Mix everything well—fish, potatoes, onion, garlic, and parsley.
· Add the eggs and knead into a uniform mixture.
· Use two spoons to form oval balls and fry them in hot oil until golden brown.
“These cod croquettes are always on the table when we get together — when everyone's talking at once, interrupting each other, but always laughing and sharing moments together.”
Ricotta Tart
Italy
For Kate, the Crostata di Ricotta isn't just any ordinary cake. It's the cake of her childhood — light, simple, and always there when she needed it: as an afternoon snack, at family gatherings, on ordinary Tuesdays. This small gesture — the leftover ricotta, the sugar, the cinnamon — has come to mean just as much to Kate as the cake itself. A quiet way of saying: I see you. I know you're waiting.
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Ingredients - Dough
· 300 g flour
· 150 g butter
· 1 egg
· 70 g sugar
· 1 pinch of salt
Ingredients - Filling
· 400 g ricotta
· 1 egg
· 100 g sugar
· 1 tsp cinnamon
Preparation
· Mix the butter and sugar, then add the egg and gradually work in the flour and salt. Knead into a smooth dough.
· Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
· Whisk the egg and sugar together, add the ricotta, and mix until smooth. Add cinnamon to taste.
· Roll out the dough into a pan, prick the bottom with a fork, and spread the filling evenly over it.
· Bake at 170 °C (top/bottom heat) for about 45 minutes.
“We baked it together so many times. And every time, Mom would leave a little ricotta in the bowl, add some sugar and cinnamon — so I'd have something to eat while the cake was still in the oven. I was always just so impatient.”
Karaage Chicken – Japanese Fried Chicken
Japan
Eri's mom never cooks karaage chicken without reason. She cooks it when Eri needs a little extra boost — when something difficult is coming up, or when everyday life needs a bit of cheering up. Today, Eri makes it herself. Juicy, crispy, perfect. But she knows it never quite tastes the same. Because what made it special was never just the recipe — it was the love behind it.
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Ingredients
· 500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into pieces
· 2 tbsp soy sauce
· 1 tbsp sake (or white wine)
· 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
· 1 tbsp garlic, freshly grated
· 1 tbsp sugar
· 2 tbsp potato starch
· Canola oil for frying
Preparation
· Combine the chicken with soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, and sugar, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
· Drain the marinade and coat the meat evenly in potato starch.
· Heat oil to 160°C and fry the chicken for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Let rest for 3 minutes.
· Then fry again at 190°C for about 15 seconds, until crispy and deep golden brown. Serve immediately.
“My mom always made this for me whenever I needed a boost. It makes a huge mess in the kitchen — but that's exactly what makes it so special. It was something she made just for me.”
Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo & Feta
Switzerland
For Samantha, this dish is comfort in its purest form. Her mother makes it often — not for special occasions, but simply because. Because it's good. Because it warms you up. Because it reminds her of Greece, where the family used to spend their holidays. It's also one of the first recipes Samantha learned to cook herself — a quiet connection to her mother, even when hundreds of miles apart.
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Ingredients
· 4 large bell peppers (assorted colors)
· 120 g orzo (kritharaki)
· 1 onion, finely chopped
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 1 zucchini, diced
· 1 carrot, diced
· 2 tomatoes, diced
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· 2 tbsp tomato paste
· 1 tsp dried oregano
· 100–150 g feta cheese
· Salt & pepper
Preparation
· Prepare the bell peppers: Cut off the tops, remove the seeds, and place in a baking dish.
· Cook the orzo according to the package instructions and drain.
· Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the vegetables, and cook briefly.
· Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes.
· Mix with the orzo and stuff the peppers. Crumble feta over the top or fold it in.
· Bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes. Serve with a generous drizzle of olive oil.
“It’s the dish that immediately reminds me of her. Simple ingredients, but somehow always perfect. It tastes like summer holidays and Sunday lunch all at once.”
Chocolate Cake
Ecuador
For Daniel, this chocolate cake isn't just a dessert — it's a journey through time. Chocolate has been his favourite treat since childhood. But this cake is something else entirely. It was his birthday cake, year after year. The one he always looked forward to. A cake that is more than just flour, cocoa, and eggs. It is his birthday. It is home. It is Mom.
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Ingredients
· 2¼ cups flour
· 1½ cups sugar
· 1¼ tsp baking powder
· 1¼ tsp baking soda
· ½ tsp salt
· ⅔ cup margarine
· 1½ cups water
· ⅔ cup cocoa powder
· 3–4 eggs
Instructions
Sift the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda) and set aside.
· In a separate bowl, beat the margarine, then add the sugar and eggs.
· Melt the cocoa in a double boiler and stir it into the margarine mixture.
· Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix everything well.
· Bake at 180 °C for about 40–50 minutes.
“It brings back all those simple, happy moments from my childhood. Even today, it feels just as special as it did back then — and to this day, I still don't know how Mom manages to do it.”
