Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Memory and the Sense of Smell

 Why is it that the aroma of a pot of beans cooking on the stove gives us a warm cozy feeling? 

It is said that of all the five senses, the sense of smell is often called the sense tied most closely to human memory, influencing people’s ability to recall past events and experiences. It can be the most nostalgic — taking  us back to another time and place more than any other. In this case, home, and the tantalizing smells emanating from the heart of the home…..the kitchen.

No matter how far we roam or how old we get, there is always that memory that calls us back. Memories of pumpkin pie and cinnamon apples and pork chops and gravy with biscuits for sopping, reminding us of meal time when the whole family sat down at the table together. Food seemed to taste better back then. Maybe our taste buds were keener, more receptive to good seasonings.  Or maybe it was the warmth of the family gathered around the table that made us feel safe, protected.

My mother made the best fried apple pies you could wrap your mouth around. She used real dried apples flavored with cinnamon and cooked until they were nice and mushy — canned applesauce was a no-no.  She fried them in Crisco, or probably lard that many housewives used back then, unaware of the dangers of the cholesterol that could harden our arteries and likely kill us. But somehow we lived in spite of consuming so much fat, which may give the lie to the dire predictions we hear so much about nowadays.

The fried apple pies were delicious eaten either hot or cold and were welcome treats when we came home from school, hungry as a bear after a long winter’s hibernation.  And the smell, ah, the smell! I remember reaching up into what we called the “warming closet” of the old cookstove and finding a platter of them that Mama had cooked earlier in the day. I have yet to taste anything so all-consumingly good as those pies. Sara Lee would be green with envy.

Mama had a way of making food stretch, doing wonders with a ham bone. She cooked it with potatoes and stirred the pot often until there was a nice thick broth that went so great with cornbread. Cornbread, our daily sustenance, baked in an iron skillet and taken from the oven when it was brown and crusty. A meal didn’t go by without our daily ration of cornbread. Cheap and filling, it sustained us throughout the whole day.

Do any of you recall eating fried sweet potatoes for breakfast? If memory serves me correctly, it was not unusual for us to have them with the large breakfasts that were common at our house. And they were large as compared to the skimpy breakfast folks eat today. Maybe it was because we weren’t afraid of food. Calorie counting wasn’t a national pastime back then. And the word “fried” didn’t cause us to shudder and shy away.

Somehow, taking a Stouffers from the microwave doesn’t evoke the sweet memories of a kitchen filled with the savory aromas that tweaked our appetites when our taste buds were younger and less jaded. And more’s the pity.

If you’re on  a salt-free diet, Mrs. Dash will bring out the flavor in these twice baked potatoes.

Twice Baked Potatoes

1 Tbsp. (15mL) Mrs. Dash® Original Blend

4 medium baking potatoes

1/4 cup (60mL) reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup (60mL) 2% milk

2 Tbsp. (30mL) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Pierce skins with fork. Place potatoes directly on oven rack. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Cut lengthwise slice from top of each potato. Scoop out potato, leaving 1/4 inch (6cm) thick shells. Mash potato flesh in bowl. Add sour cream, milk, butter and Mrs. Dash® Original Blend; mix well. Spoon mixture into potato shells. Place filled potatoes in baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.