A tradition that has been passed down over time as far back as Sherri’s grandmother (to her recollection at least), is to cut the symbol of wheat into pies that her family makes.

Sherri explained to me that while at first she thought it was for decoration, not until she was twenty did she know the real reason.  Sherri’s mother taught her that the symbol has a greater meaning.  It symbolizes the harvest that was collected that season.  This “harvest” is the income that is collected by members of the family that was used to help make the food.  It also represents the hard work that was put into making the meal, both by those that made the money to pay for the ingredients, as well as the sweat and tears put into preparing it all.

She told me that this design is very important to her family, as it both shows respect and dignity for those who did it in the past and provided for her and her sisters, as well as shows hope for the future that she may, in turn, be able to provide for her children.

I believe this is a very interesting tradition that is expressed through cooking.  While it is not as noticeable as a family recipe, it is a subtle tradition that carries a large symbolic meaning behind it.