Every October, the Hermann-Grima House in New Orleans’ French Quarter goes into mourning. A nineteenth-century coffin lies in the front parlor, shuttered windows decimate any chance of light, and “mourning china” is set out to plate unseasoned foods. Each of these solemn traditions is an ode to an old-fashioned Creole wake.
Felix Grima—one of the house’s namesakes—lived in the mansion on St. Louis Street (along with his wife, their nine children, his mother, and his sister) in the mid-1800s. When Grima’s mother died on October 15, 1850, the family grieved in a similar fashion. Some visitors to the home, which is now open to the public, believe Madame Grima makes her way back to the house every October to greet her mourners.
The house is featured in Food to Die For, a new cookbook from paranormal investigator Amy Bruni. (Read our interview with Bruni here.) Its kitchen would have turned out recipes from the city’s beloved and oldest culinary compendium, Creole Cookery, from which the below crab soup has been adapted. Don’t worry, this meal is seasoned.