“We still have these basic homemaking skills, which have lost luster in mainstream society,” she said. “But we really believe that it’s important work, providing comfort and nourishment to the family and the community.” The tradition of a home-cooked family dinner after church on Sunday is alive and well, and all kinds of celebrations and meetings are accompanied by cookies, casseroles and cake.

It takes 13 Mormons to change a light bulb, goes one joke, Mrs. Wells said: one to change the bulb and a dozen to bring the refreshments. “I can’t think of a Mormon gathering that doesn’t include food,” she said.

Official doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not forbid any foods; according to current teachings, only coffee, tea and alcohol are explicitly prohibited. Many younger cooks use wine in cooking (in the belief that the alcohol is cooked off) and wine vinegar in salad dressings.

Mormonism is a young religion, born in the 1830s, leaving little time for food traditions to evolve. Its food doesn’t reflect one particular ethnic identity, or a region other than the Wasatch Front, the sere realms of northern Utah and southern Idaho where church leaders put down roots in the 1840s. Later, agricultural settlements stretched north and south from Salt Lake City, planting a “Mormon corridor” that still runs from Idaho to Mexico.

Food was rarely plentiful in the early years, families were large, and all households tithed at least 10 percent to the church, so women were strongly encouraged to develop cooking and budget-management skills. Being industrious and hardworking is highly prized in Mormon culture (the beehive is a symbol of the church), and for women, cooking provides a real sense of identity and daily purpose.