Flavors of the Heartland – Holiday Edition

November 24, 2025

Ah, the smell of the season! Each holiday season, I embrace the smells wafting from the kitchen and the traditions they come with. The bread is kneaded by my mother and I, following my grandmother’s recipe. The caramel corn is cooking low and slow in the oven, being stirred carefully by my niece. My nephews are stealing just one more cookie from the cookie jar – it’s the holidays, after all, why not let them! Food traditions are steeped in our family histories. The foods we eat all year long are shaped by our families and communities, with blends of cultures coming together to imbue our palates with delicious flavors from across the world.

Casey Terry and Bethany Hrachovec make perogies during the March 2025 Flavors of the Heartland event.

If you have joined us for Flavors of the Heartland this year in person, you have undoubtedly heard our speakers share stories from their families and communities, with recipes covering the globe. The holidays are a time filled with food traditions, and we would be remiss not to bring you one virtually while trees fill our mobile kitchen area!

While rooting around in our collections, I stumbled across Miss Beecher’s Housekeeper and Healthkeeper, published in 1874, and a page filled with gingerbread recipes. Deciphering historic recipes can be a challenge – a fun one! Since we can’t gather in person during Festival of Trees, check out our video making this recipe: https://youtu.be/1A41lrXQnwo

Gingerbread Recipe

(Mis Beecher’s Housekeeper and Healthkeeper, 1874, Indiana Historical Society)

Don’t forget to spend some time this holiday season sharing your traditions with each other. Tell your friends and family about your holiday traditions, where they come from, and why you embrace certain recipes – it’s an important way of sharing your family history! Then, make plans to join us for the 2026 Flavors of the Heartland series featuring global traditions that shape our Hoosier foodways including: Greek, Lebanese, Japanese, Mexican, and more! The series kicks off in February – check out www.indianahistory.org/visit/calendar for all the dates, presenters, and foods. We can’t wait for you to see what we cook up in 2026.

Until then – Happy holidays!

Bethany Hrachovec decorates gingerbread cookies.

Flavors of the Heartland is made possible with generous support by the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation

Bethany Hrachovec is the Director of Education and Engagement. When not helping her team run programs for audiences of all ages, she is cooking up recipes in the mobile kitchen!

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