Rosie Grant, the creator behind @GhostlyArchive on TikTok and Instagram, has discovered 50 recipes etched on tombstones around the world to date; they are collected in a new book, To Die For: A Cookbook of Gravestone Recipes. In Smithsonian magazine, Michele Herrmann writes about this unconventional practice. But it makes sense—in a time of grief, people often find deep comfort in food. So why not carve a loved one’s favorite recipe at their resting place?

“Either you’re documenting the life that was lived, or you’re leaving a message for future generations. A recipe is a perfect combination of documenting their story and leaving it for the future generations.”

More picks on tombstones and cemeteries

The Gravekeeper’s Paradox

David Shultz | Nautilus | March 4, 2015 | 2,379 words

“People want permanent tombstones that also show decay.”

My Weekends With the Dead

Tony Hồ Trần | Slate | October 24, 2024 | 3,930 words

“In 2017, I decided to solve a longtime mystery about my family. It led me to a controversial pastime that consumes thousands—and has changed untold lives.”

Death and the Salesmen

Inori Roy | The Local | February 8, 2024 | 4,760 words

“As the city runs out of burial space, a series of boardroom and legal battles in the booming bereavement industry could determine the future of death in Toronto.”

Cheri has been an editor at Longreads since 2014.