10 Must-Read Poems about Cooking

Poems about cooking blend the artistry of words with the flavors of culinary creations. They may delve into the sensory aspects of food preparation, describing the smells, tastes, and textures associated with cooking. These poems might also reflect on the cultural and social significance of food, examining how it brings people together, evokes memories, or symbolizes identity.

Other cooking poems might explore the emotional and personal connections individuals have with cooking, reflecting on the joys, challenges, and deeper meanings behind the act of preparing food.

Poems about Cooking Visual Representation

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Butter

by Elizabeth Alexander

‘Butter’ by Elizabeth Alexander uses potent imagery to create a nostalgic vision of the home-cooked meals enjoyed in childhood.

Cooking is evidently a central topic of this poem, specifically the use of butter in creating a variety of dishes. A large chunk of the poem is comprised of a catalog of images that list with great detail the different ways in which butter was often the centerpiece of the recipes created by the speaker's mother.

My mother loves butter more than I do,

more than anyone. She pulls chunks off

the stick and eats it plain, explaining

cream spun around into butter! Growing up

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Culture, Food, Politics

Form: Ode

"> 69/100

Ode to Tomatoes

by Pablo Neruda

Neruda’s ‘Ode to Tomatoes’ elevates the everyday into a symbol of cultural blend and history, celebrating life’s simple pleasures.

Neruda documents the assembly and appearance of a salad, in which the sight of the tomatoes stands out to him. He ponders the vegetable and the salad more broadly, contemplating how the recipe unites cultures across vast distances. The poem is therefore an important reminder of how cooking is so much more than just a means of sustenance, as it has powerful cultural associations.

The street

filled with tomatoes,

midday,

summer,

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Poem at Thirty-Nine

by Alice Walker

‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ by Alice Walker describes the speaker’s father’s life. She admits how much she misses him and how she wishes he hadn’t had such a hard life.

Cooking is a major part of the poem, representing the poet’s connection to her father. She remembers how he moved through the kitchen, treating it as an art form. Now, she finds herself cooking the same way he did, almost as if she is carrying on his legacy. Through food, she not only remembers him but also keeps his traditions alive, sharing what he once loved with others.

How i miss my father.

I wish he had not been

so tired

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Nationality: American

Theme: Nature

Topics:

Cooking

Animals, Life, Sea

Form: Free Verse

"> 64/100

Crabs

by Richmond Lattimore

‘Crabs’ by Richmond Lattimore brings to light the plight of all living beings that humans have determined to be worth less than they are.

This poem lingers on the barbaric nature of certain forms of cooking, particularly those that require an animal to be cooked while still alive, as is often the case for crabs and lobsters. The poet captures our ability to dislocate the act of consuming animals from the animal when it is alive.

There was a bucketful of them.

They spilled, crawled, climbed, clawed

slowly tossed and fell: precision made;

cold iodine colour of their own

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The Housewife

by Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman

‘The Housewife’ by Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman describes the day to day life of a housewife and the circular, unchanging elements of that life.

The speaker focuses a lot on preparing meals and making sure her family is fed. She even mentions that food is her main concern throughout the day. This shows how central cooking is to her responsibilities. It is not shown as creative or enjoyable, but more like a duty that never ends. Her focus on what they eat and when reflects how much of her energy is spent just trying to meet this basic need.

Here is the House to hold me — cradle of all the race;

Here is my lord and my love, here are my children dear —

Here is the House enclosing, the dear-loved dwelling place;

Why should I ever weary for aught that I find not here?

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Song

by Robert Hass

Robert Hass’s ‘Song’ is filled with the colors of autumn. It is about a pensive speaker’s afternoon cooking session.

Cooking is a central activity in 'Song,' where the speaker is preparing a meal for loved ones. This act of cooking represents care and connection, as the speaker expresses love through food. It shows the importance of small, everyday acts in maintaining relationships, reflecting the warmth and comfort of shared moments at home.

Afternoon cooking in the fall sun —
who is more naked
than the man
yelling, " Hey, I'm home! "

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Coming Home

by Owen Sheers

‘Coming Home’ by Owen Sheers is a thoughtful poem that describes the transitory nature of life. The poet explores aging, family, and the impact of change.

The opening scene focuses on the speaker’s mother in the kitchen, preparing dough with care. This moment is described with close attention, showing that cooking is more than just a task. It becomes a symbol of familiarity, comfort, and tradition. The way he watches her movements suggests he has seen them many times before, making it clear that cooking is not just practical, but tied to deeper feelings of home, love, and the passing of time.

My mother’s hug is awkward,

As if the space between her open arms

is reserved for a child, not this body of a man.

In the kitchen she kneads the dough,

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Themes: Aging, Identity, Love, Relationships

Emotions: Compassion, Empathy, Grief, Regret, Sadness

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Cooking

Family, Food, History, Old Age

Form: Free Verse

"> 55/100

Nani

by Alberto Ríos

‘Nani’ by Alberto Ríos is a multi-layered poem. In it, the poet addresses themes like family, heritage, and the past.

'Nani' expresses how cooking can be a means of showing a person love or care, as the title figure does for her grandchild. It also captures how cooking can be emblematic of cultural identity, from which the narrator feels increasingly dislocated.

Sitting at her table, she serves

the sopa de arroz to me

instinctively, and I watch her,

the absolute mamá, and eat words

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Theme: Nature

Emotions: Grief, Sadness

Topics:

Cooking

Future, Humanity, Life Struggles, Past, Sorrow

Form: Free Verse

"> 39/100

Peeling Onions

by Adrienne Rich

‘Peeling Onions’ by Adrienne Rich is an introspective poem. In it, the poet uses the metaphor of peeling onions to define her complex thoughts.

Rich's narrator is peeling onions and cooking throughout the poem, even as their mind wanders and they begin to contemplate other things. This demonstrates the manner in which cooking can help people work through their emotions as, while they are physically completing a task, the mundane nature of peeling vegetables allows the person to mentally consider other things.

Only to have a grief

equal to all these tears!

#10

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Circe

by Carol Ann Duffy

‘Circe’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a poem about Circe’s reassertion of control over her life and how she now considers men.

I'm fond, nereids and nymphs, unlike some, of the pig,

of the tusker, the snout, the boar and the swine.

One way or another, all pigs have been mine -

under my thumb, the bristling, salty skin of their backs,

in my nostrils here, their yobby, porky colognes.

Home » Collection » Poems about Cooking

10 Must-Read Poems about Cooking

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10 Must-Read Poems about Cooking

by Elizabeth Alexander

by Pablo Neruda

by Alice Walker

by Richmond Lattimore

by Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman

by Robert Hass

by Owen Sheers

by Alberto Ríos

by Adrienne Rich

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