A Taste of Russia: A Cookbook of Russian Hospitality

By Randy L. Schmidt

Book Overview

This new, 30th Anniversary Edition of A Taste of Russia has been revised and updated with a new Preface that considers the changes in Russian culinary culture since the original edition came out in 1983. Also included are a dozen delectable new recipes, such as Onion Dumplings, Horseradish Vodka, and Whipped Raspberry Mousse. In addition, the entire book has been totally redesigned with a fresh, modern presentation. A Taste of Russia is the definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine, layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural contexts. With over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to bliny, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies, A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Reviews of the Previous Edition: "Goldstein... manages to make Russian cuisine dance. It's hard to imagine anything that might have been left out of this delightfully comprehensive collection." -- Publishers Weekly "It is not suprising that Goldstein, a Williams College professor who later founded the food studies journal Gastronomica, is particularly literary in her books on Russian and Georgian food, placing zakuska (grand appetizer buffets) and dacha (summer house) picnics alike in the context of Russia's great writers. But cerebral as she can be, her prose is rooted in hands-on kitchen advice: 'There are a few basic rules to follow in laying a zakuska table, not the least of which concerns the shape of the table itself. It should be oval or round and placed away from the wall, so that all foods are accessible to all guests at all times.'" --Slate Magazine "The imaginative range of the selection would be enlightening in itself even without the multitudinous snippets from Chekhov, Gogol and Oblomov. First rate." -- Kirkus Reviews This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394530187
• ISBN13: 9780394530185
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good cookbook

This is a great cookbook. A lot of time & work was put into it. However, some of my favorite Russian recipies are missing from this book. I would recommend "The Art of Russian Cuisine" for those of you who are interested in food that Russians cook daily or for holidays.

Well done!

Having spent a lot of time working in the former Soviet Union, and trying to reconstruct many of the wonderful and interesting dishes from various republics, I was delighted to find a book that "translated", "a pinch of this and a gram of that" into something I could understand and make with products available to me here in the US. I recommend this cookbook to anyone who has tried food from Eastern Europe, enjoyed it and wants...

A taste of culture too!

This is a great book on the food of Russia and the culture also. All to many times we seem to channel Russian cuisine into a few simple dishes. Granted the few simple dishes we view as "Russian" are grand and quite tasty, we tend to shove aside the rich culinary history this country has and the peoples grand capacity to share and truly enjoy food and life. Many times it has been written of the sharing and emphasis of...