In 1956, in postwar Bavaria, my mother received a cookbook as a wedding gift. It was Bayerisches Kochbuch — Bavarian Cookbook — by Maria Hofmann, then in its 26th edition. A standard reference for German home cooks. A serious book, for a serious kitchen.

The book is written in German. She cooked from it for decades.

She brought it with her when she came to the United States, and she kept it her whole life. Behind her was Babette Martin — her grandmother, the steady and loving presence who supported her through a genuinely difficult young life. This project is named for her.

I am her son, and these are her recipes in English. Cover art and first-draft translations were made with AI tools; every recipe was then checked and edited by hand against the original 1956 pages. With each one, I write down what the dish meant in its time and place. That is what Babette's Table is: a translation project, a history project, and a cooking project, all from a single book that never leaves the house.

The Book Bayerisches Kochbuch · Maria Hofmann
26th edition · Birken-Verlag, Munich · 1956
Originally given to Erna Paul as a wedding gift.
English edition checked and edited by hand against the original 1956 pages.
About the book & English PDF volumes →