October is full of gatherings. Friends, family, and food, all come together this time of year, with Thanksgiving feasts and Halloween parties aplenty. And what better spooky treat to bring to a fall party than a recipe made from a gravestone?
That’s exactly what Rosie Grant’s new book, To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes, is all about. As someone who often tries out gravestone recipes, I knew this cookbook had to be added to my collection and, of course, reviewed on the blog!
Rosie Grant is a digital archivist and cemetery enthusiast known as @GhostlyArchive on social media. While interning at Washington, D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery, she began to notice the unique things people had engraved on their gravestones.1 After some digging, she discovered that some even included recipes.1 That discovery sparked her project of cooking gravestone recipes and sharing the stories behind them, which eventually led to her new book, To Die For.1
Published in 2025 by HarperCollins, To Die For includes 40 recipes collected from gravestones around the world. Each recipe comes with beautiful full-colour photographs, stories about the people behind the dishes, and even tips on how to document your own family recipes.
Here is a bit of the synopsis from Goodreads:
“For so many, food is a touching, nostalgic thing that brings us together. So much so that some families choose to remember their loved ones through the dishes they made and the food that brought comfort to those around them by immortalizing their recipes on their gravestones.
Thoughtfully and respectfully explored, Rosie has documented this connection between food, legacy, and family, remembering the deceased through the recipes they most loved, and giving their families a platform to share their loved one’s story and cherished dish with the world.”
To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes by Rosie Grant
This is a gorgeous book. The cover illustrations are lovely, and the glossy photos that accompany each recipe are beautiful. The recipes are organized into familiar categories like cookies & brownies, pies & cobblers, and also includes a few savoury dishes too. One of my favourite touches is the inclusion of sample menus at the back of the book. They show how to create an entire meal using only gravestone recipes, which I thought was a fun addition.
What really makes To Die For special though, are the stories. Grant includes personal notes and memories from the families, showing how food connects generations. The stories are touching and heartfelt, reminding us that a recipe is more than just a list of ingredients. It can be a memory, a legacy, and a link to those we’ve lost.
To Die For is a must-read for anyone who loves cemeteries, cooking, or the idea of keeping memories alive through food. It’s a perfect October read, and it would make a great addition to any cookbook shelf. I’ve already tried about half of the recipes in this book, but I’m looking forward to trying out more.
Whether you bake something from its pages or just enjoy the stories, this book captures the sweetness of remembrance in such a unique way.
Thanks for reading!
I am always on the hunt for cemetery-related book recommendations. If you are an author and have a cemetery-related book you would like me to review, please reach out at hello@chantallarochelle.ca. I would love to hear from you!
References:
Cemetery Photography by Chantal Larochelle 