Peko Peko: A charity cookbook for Japan

The 9.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a deadly tsunami, was one of the most powerful in recorded history. The devastating results will continue to be felt for years to come.

During the 48 hours after the earthquake, Stacie Billis approached me about a collaborative effort to create a cookbook to sell, the profits of which would be donated to charity relief in Japan.

We both wanted to do something more than just clicking on a donation button, and decided that a book would not only help to raise money, but it would generate awareness and an ongoing discussion, as well as help us to give a piece of ourselves in the process.

During the months since, a team of contributors and professionals stepped in to donate their time and talent to make the book a reality.

The book is now up for sale, and we couldn’t be more excited. Peko Peko: A Charity Cookbook for Japan is a collection of 59 family friendly Japanese and Japanese-inspired recipes published by Blurb.

The book was put together by Stacie Billis of One Hungry Mama, myself (Rachael Hutchings of La Fuji Mama) and Marc Matsumoto of No Recipes, as well as a team of nearly sixty contributors that include some of the most influential food bloggers and cookbook authors of this time.

“Peko peko” is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a hungry stomach makes. We hope the book will cause you to be peko peko, and we think it will. Not convinced? Check out the list of recipes included in the book!

In addition to the step-by-step instructions included with each recipe, there is also a glossary of Japanese ingredients for those who are new to Japanese cuisine, as well as some easy-to-find substitutions for some items.

100% of the profits are being donated to the GlobalGiving’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

The book’s publisher, Blurb, along with every person who worked on or contributed to the book, has agreed to waive any cut in sales in order to insure the most money possible goes to helping the people of Japan. GlobalGiving is a foundation that gives access to new sources of funds to causes that might never be funded through traditional development and philanthropy approaches.

While our number one goal is to raise as much money as possible for the relief efforts in Japan, the creative impetus behind Peko Peko is our belief that food is a common language that brings people together. Our hope is to use food to spark meaningful connections between everyone involved—the organizers, contributors, sponsors and donors—to the people of Japan.

Get a copy of PEKO PEKO: Family Friendly Japanese Recipes from Blurb, and read more about the cookbook and the cause at the PEKO PEKO Cookbook website.