Rare is the person who shuns a bite of a freshly baked cookie. Yet most don’t realize that a good cookie actually has a soul – culturally speaking, that is. Overlooking that soul misses the entire point of eating a cookie, according, at least, to Ben Mims, a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and food writer whose new book, “Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World,” looks at the history behind the global cookie phenomenon. In the book Mims asks and answers a range of questions about the cultural, historical, and culinary significance of cookies. He joined host Michael Motamedia on the No Fixed Address: The World’s Most Extraordinary People podcast to discuss the book and dive into the definition of a cookie, its historical origins, and its role as a communal food that fosters connections among people.
Learn The Role of Cookies in Global Culinary Traditions With Cookbook Author Ben Mims
The book is an expansive, meticulously researched collection of 300 authentic cookie recipes from nearly 100 countries, taking readers on a global journey through the world’s crumbly, chewy, and crunchy sweets. Organized geographically, the book not only provides clear, step-by-step instructions and fascinating origin stories for each cookie, but also delves into the cultural, historical, and culinary significance of cookies in different regions. With recipes ranging from classics like Snickerdoodles and French Macarons to unique local specialties such as Nigerian coconut macaroon balls and Okinawan brown sugar shortbread, “Crumbs” is both an encyclopedia and a celebration of cookies as a universal treat. Mims spent years writing the book, starting with the basic question of what exactly earns the right of being called a cookie. He notes that while there are common ingredients (flour/dry matter, sugar, fat, eggs), a cookie often has at least three of these.
“Answering that question took me the full three years of writing the book to kind of figure out what it is,” Mims says on the podcast. “And I never could really land on a good elevator pitch, like a quick succinct thing.”
Getting to the root of this question is what separates “Crumbs” from other books discussing cookies.
“My thing is I was always kind of annoyed that I was reading other people’s, let’s say cookie books or other whatever books, and they would either present a kind of, you know, a folk tale or a folklore or tale, but they would never go the extra step of asking like, is that true? Where did that come from?” Mims says.
To decipher the fact from the fiction, Mims traced the history of the cookie back as far as he could take it – to what is now Iran. He explains that while there isn’t a clear invention date, he pieced together a timeline based on the spread of key ingredients and references in history.
“Persia, modern day Iran, was kind of the place where granulated sugar and milled white flour first kind of spread up and originated,” Mims told Motamedi. “So, you know, you’re thinking to yourself, okay, if those two ingredients started there, they’re kind of the basis for so many cookies around the world.”
The conversation between Motamedi and Mims doesn’t stop at cookies. The pair also cover memorable meals, influential chefs, and top dining spots in LA, while discussing the art of food writing and the connections formed through food. The conversation culminates in reflections on happiness, community, and the shared human experience through culinary traditions.
Cookies, however, remain what ties together their conversation, leaving listeners with a sweet outlook on global culinary traditions and world travel.
“I think if anything you take away from the book, it’s just that these cookies are shared around the world in pretty much the same way,” Mims says, discussing both the sweet snack and the people who enjoy it. “For all our differences, we are all kind of the same.”
We’ll raise a glass of milk and dunk a hot, gooey cookie to that.