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L'arte della cucina sovietica: Una storia di cibo e nostalgia by Anya von Bremzen, Duccio Sacchi
beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book with the intent that I would not only learn about a person's life but also about Soviet cooking. I have become even more fascinated by all the different cultures and the foods. I have enjoyed most of the books that I have. Telling a story through food is great.
While I can say that I appreciate Anya sharing her story about ehr family, childhood and the food she grew up with, I was disappointed in this book. Only because after reading several others, you could say that my expectations were way high. The first issue I had with the book was the placement or layout of the recipes featured in this book. I would have liked to have seen them spread out through out the chapters than put in the back of the book. I have found by doing this it helps me to really envision the food as the narrator is explaning the food. Second issue is that there are only 10 recipes in this book. One for each chapter of the book. Not to say that I expect this book to have tons of recipes like a cook book but when I am picking up a book about food, I expect it to have a bunch of recipes.
While I can say that I appreciate Anya sharing her story about ehr family, childhood and the food she grew up with, I was disappointed in this book. Only because after reading several others, you could say that my expectations were way high. The first issue I had with the book was the placement or layout of the recipes featured in this book. I would have liked to have seen them spread out through out the chapters than put in the back of the book. I have found by doing this it helps me to really envision the food as the narrator is explaning the food. Second issue is that there are only 10 recipes in this book. One for each chapter of the book. Not to say that I expect this book to have tons of recipes like a cook book but when I am picking up a book about food, I expect it to have a bunch of recipes.
lilygeller's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
diamondrust's review against another edition
4.0
My sister lent me this book and it took me a while to get around to reading it, but I'm really glad I did. Anya's writing drew me in and kept me interested til the end. She tells both a very personal story of her own connection with Russia through food and also talks about the different decades and political and historical relationships with food. This is the kind of history lesson that I am fascinated by.
It also made me reflect on how differently we have it in America - politics do affect food, but in a very removed, distant corporation-level, which takes time to filter down to us. But it isn't the difference between going into a store with food and a store that has nothing on the shelf to even sell you. It was a completely entirely different world behind the Iron Curtain and the thought of all the death from starvation is boggling.
Also she includes a recipe for palov, of which I ate a variation in Russia, and I think I'd like to try to make again. I still dream about the chicken palov from a Russian woman I stayed with that trip.
It also made me reflect on how differently we have it in America - politics do affect food, but in a very removed, distant corporation-level, which takes time to filter down to us. But it isn't the difference between going into a store with food and a store that has nothing on the shelf to even sell you. It was a completely entirely different world behind the Iron Curtain and the thought of all the death from starvation is boggling.
Also she includes a recipe for palov, of which I ate a variation in Russia, and I think I'd like to try to make again. I still dream about the chicken palov from a Russian woman I stayed with that trip.
magpiesnest's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating social history of the Soviet Union told through food.
leslielu67's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book up on a whim, partly because of the title and partly because of the book cover (yes, I am that shallow). It is a fascinating memoir of food, family and growing up in the USSR; the author had family that was both part of the establishment (WWII hero granddad, with accompanying privileges) and part of the non-establishment (mother held her out of school on the day all kids made the pledge to the Young Pioneer group). The author was a black marketeer at an early age (Juice Fruit). Added bonusus: experiences as an emigree to America (the bit about bananas is funny), what kept the USSR together and what broke it apart (hint: the same thing), and recipes at the back!
amycrea's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this memoir of growing up in the Soviet Union, then experiencing the culture shock of moving to the U.S. Food--its acquisition, preparation, enjoyment--is the framing device, although along the way it also becomes a larger picture of Soviet life and history.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts over at Read.Write.Repeat.
I enjoyed Van Bremzen's story more than I expected. I appreciate having a more complete view of Soviet history now, particularly from someone whose family experienced it first hand. Von Bremzen is a good writer and makes even the heavy historical sections enjoyable.
The only downside? I am still convinced that Russian food is not for me.
I enjoyed Van Bremzen's story more than I expected. I appreciate having a more complete view of Soviet history now, particularly from someone whose family experienced it first hand. Von Bremzen is a good writer and makes even the heavy historical sections enjoyable.
The only downside? I am still convinced that Russian food is not for me.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
“It was my mother, my frequent co-conspirator in the kitchen and my conduit to our past, who suggested the means to convey this epic disjunction, this unruly collision of collectivist myths and personal antimyths. We would reconstruct every decade of Soviet history - from the prequel 1910s to the postscript present day - through the prism of food. Together, we'd embark on a yearlong journey unlike any other: eating and cooking our way through decade after decade of Soviet life, using her kitchen and dining room as a time machine and an incubator of memories.
When I was growing up, the Soviet Union was our enemy. It took me a long time to figure out the connections between Russia and the USSR (history wasn’t my strong suit). When I was in high school, dissent literature was trickling out of the Soviet Union and I read Solzhenitsyn’s The Cancer Ward and it confirmed my vague ideas about the evil Soviet regime. I learned about other countries, but I was never very interested in this one. Even after the Berlin Wall came down and the Eastern Bloc fell apart, I didn’t spend much time thinking about that part of our globe.
It is amazing what I will read when food is involved. I really like reading about people and their relationship to cooking, meals, gardening – anything about food. So when someone suggested I might like this book, I checked it out of my public library. I found Bremzen’s food reminisces really interesting.
I was not expecting, however, to learn a lot about Soviet history along with their food. That was foolish on my part because food is part of history. If a country has an abundant food supply, it is very different from one with scarce resources. Major parts of any country’s culture is based around food.
So, once again, I had found a way to learn a lot from a story. I got to learn about Bremzen’s life, but also, I learned about her culture and her country’s history. I had a lot of fun doing it.
When I was growing up, the Soviet Union was our enemy. It took me a long time to figure out the connections between Russia and the USSR (history wasn’t my strong suit). When I was in high school, dissent literature was trickling out of the Soviet Union and I read Solzhenitsyn’s The Cancer Ward and it confirmed my vague ideas about the evil Soviet regime. I learned about other countries, but I was never very interested in this one. Even after the Berlin Wall came down and the Eastern Bloc fell apart, I didn’t spend much time thinking about that part of our globe.
It is amazing what I will read when food is involved. I really like reading about people and their relationship to cooking, meals, gardening – anything about food. So when someone suggested I might like this book, I checked it out of my public library. I found Bremzen’s food reminisces really interesting.
I was not expecting, however, to learn a lot about Soviet history along with their food. That was foolish on my part because food is part of history. If a country has an abundant food supply, it is very different from one with scarce resources. Major parts of any country’s culture is based around food.
So, once again, I had found a way to learn a lot from a story. I got to learn about Bremzen’s life, but also, I learned about her culture and her country’s history. I had a lot of fun doing it.
armlesscarl's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed the discussion of Russian history intertwined with personal and familial experiences. While food played a large role in the author’s life, that feeling did not come across in this book. 80% of this book is a description of Russian history and while I enjoy learning about it, it wasn’t my expectation of reading this book. The way the book begins is not how the book continues. Do not expect consistency in stories or chronology. If you enjoy Russian history, I recommend this book, but do not anticipate a lot of food in the way this book is described.