1 comments about A Little Russian Cookbook.

1. All Russian cookbooks are not created equal. This is a real simple and true Russian cookbook. Great for beginners who want to try out Russian dishes without having to read lines and lines of explanation. The recipes are very easy to follow and they are tasty. Also,this tiny book also comes with nice illustrations and looks nice in the bookshelf. A nice introductory book to Russian food

1 comments about Mennonite Foods and Folkways from South Russia (Mennonite Foods & Folkways from South Russia).

1. My father was on the last boat that came from his part of Russia in 1926. He was 11 years old and came to Manitoba and later settled in Saskatchewan,and finaly in B.C. I have grown up appreciating the Mennonite history and cooking alot of the dishes represented in this book. I really enjoyed reading the history that goes along with my heritage. A keepsake i will treasure.

1 comments about Cooking from the Caucasus (A Harvest/HBJ book).

1. This wonderful cookbook by Sonja Uvezian ("The Cuisine of Armenia" and "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen") is a true gem. It focuses on the food of the Caucasus Mountains and the former Soviet Republics of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Even today, after the publication of books by Paula Wolfert and Darra Goldstein, the cuisine of this area is relatively unknown in the United States. That's a shame, because it's truly wonderful, alternately hearty and light, and always full of flavor. The Middle Eastern influences are there, but the combination of ingredients is uniquely Caucasian.

   Uvezian does a very good job conveying the pleasures of this cuisine. One of the good things about the cookbook is that she often provides alternative ingredients or ways of spicing a dish. I've cooked a number of recipes from this book, and my one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes, a plain roast chicken with a knock-out walnut sauce, comes from here. Her lamb and fruit stews are good too.

   This book was originally published under the title of "The Best Foods of Russia." If you see a copy under either title in a used book store, snap it up. You won't regret it.

2 comments about Eat! Eat!: Wonderful Recipes from the Old Country Like My Mother Used to Make.

1. This is Ms. Kanin's tribute to her mother, a cookbook and a memoir rolled into one. These dishes nourished her family physically and spiritually for generations. The recipes range from old world favorites to family inventions and new acquisitions, all tried & true. Her challah (and its cinnamon swirl bread variation) is one of the best I have had. Her cakes, potato kugel, blintz, and knishes were very nice. Although not a glamourous book (no color photos), I like its helpful sections about cooking technique and nutrition. It is a great fun to read too.



2. Just as her mother always said to her, "Eat! Eat!" Ruth Kanin says the same to you with this warm platter of favorite Jewish recipes, Lithuanian dishes, and Russian standards.

   Some 125 recipes, which were once handed down from mother to daughter are offered in an easy to follow format that uses modern cooking techniques without acrificing any of the old world flavor.

   Chopped liver, Chicken soup with Matzo Balls, Capoosta: Russian Cabbage Soup, Fried Kasha, Baked Chicken Sadie, all the home, hearth and love traditional dishes are there.

   Also included is a section offering holiday menus and cooking tips.

   Nosh - treat yourself to hearty, satisfying old country dishes.

No comments about Cookbook for Germans from Russia.

1 comments about The Classic Cuisine of Soviet Georgia: History, Traditions, and Recipes.

1. Much better than the Darra Goldstein version. Unfortunately in order to really get authentic Georgian flavors, often one needs some very hard to get spices and other ingredients.

2 comments about MENNO FOODS and FOLKWAYS #2 (Mennonite Foods & Folkways from South Russia).

1. Mennonite isn't just a church denomination, its a culture. I grew up Mennonite Brethren, so I grew up with much of the WONDERFUL food mentioned in this book. If you've never been to an MB potluck, you've never truly eaten. However, the recipes aren't the only things that make this book such an incredible buy. The vignettes about the culture and traditions of the Mennonite faith are a great read. They help explain what makes us so unique. (Even if many of these traditions have faded over time.) Whenever someone asks "what's a Mennonite?", this is the first book I hand them.



2. Appreciate this volume, as well as Vol 1, as this is my history too. The author has done an amazing job.

1 comments about Russian Festive Cooking.

1. "Russian Festive Cooking" is a short (48 pp. & about 55 recipes), but useful cookbook. The recipes are from all parts of Russia (including some of the independent states that formed after the fall of the USSR). These are not holiday dishes, but are the sort of good food one wants to have for a small (or large) party. Most of the recipes have a very good color photo of the finished dish, which will help cooks to prepare the food properly. The book is high quality and is printed on very good paper. I found the recipes to be straight-forward and clear. However, there are dishes included that must be started days ahead, to prepare them properly. (Some of the dishes require fermentation of one or more ingredients.) Be sure to read the recipes carefully and to prepare a small dish for your family, before attempting to make food for any party, or for visitors.
   
   This is the sort of book that a good American cook will have, to prepare something unexpected for guests. Also, Slavic-Americans, with ancestry in Eastern Europe or the former USSR, may enjoy these foods as 'soul-food'. In fact, this book might be a good gift for Slavic-Americans.

2 comments about Recipes: Russian Cooking (Foods of the World).

1. It's a very good book (recipies, cultural information), but I was a little dissapointed that it didn't have colored pictures of the final dish. Many years ago Time-Life did publish one which included excellent colored pictures. On the whole the recipies were very well described in a logical, cohesive and comprehensive manner. If we have a good imagination we could anticipate what would look like. It would also be very good if the book had conversion information - a ingredient expressed in oz to grams, and provide ingredient substitute information (perhaps listed at the end of the book?).



2. As another reviewer has pointed out, this is NOT a pretty picture book of wonderful presentations. No, this is a pretty down to earth work which gets into the nitty-gritty of cooking. Do not look for conversion tables or all of those "you can substituted this for that" little notes. No, you actually had better know your way around a kitchen. Not that the book is not well written; far from it! The directions are quite precise, measurements exact, and this little work is filled with cultural observations and bits of information, that while may not come up in everyday conversation, are never the less nice to know.
   
   We have here a 112 page oddly sized, spiral bound book that gives us a good representation of Russian dishes. Chebureki, Manty, Uzbek Palov, Kapsarullid (lot of these cabbage dishes), Sult, Bitki s Zapravkoi Gorchichnoi, Chuchkella. Gozinakh, Khalva....what, you don't read Russian? Well fear not. Each dish is accompanied by an English translation and written description of the dish.
   
   While at first glance some of these dishes may seem rather exotic, upon closer examination it becomes quite apparent that the sneaky Russians have infiltrated even our kitchens and the reader will find many dishes and offerings quite familiar. Let's face it, Lokshyna, Zapechena, if you squint your eyes, becomes Egg Noodle and Spinach Casserole very quickly. On the other hand, Braised Veal with Caviar Sauce, Jellied Veal, Skewered Pork with Pomegranate Syrup and Ground Lamb Sausage probably did not show up at your last church pot-luck.
   
   All in all this is an intriguing little book. We have tried several of the recipes and all have turned out quite well.
   
   This is one of a series of ethnic cooking that Time-Life published first in 1969 and updated in 1977. They are a good addition to any kitchen arsenal and make for some interesting eating and reading. I must give this a four star recommendation even though there are no pictures. Actually, I am not overly fond of pictures as my dishes never turn out looking anything like what you see in the fancy and slick new books of today. If you can find a set of these books, including this one, grab it...you will not be sorry.
   
   Don Blankenship
   The Ozarks

5 comments about The Art of Russian Cuisine.

1. Knowing Russian cooking I haven't been impressed at all...



2. It took me a long time to find a good Russian cookbook. This is the best one I discovered so far.
   I was born in Russia, however, never learned how to cook Russian food. I missed my grandmother's cooking from my childhood. So, I started looking... "Taste of Russia" & "Please to the Table" are wonderful cookbooks with great recipies. However, they are not the recipies I remember my grandmother cooking. "The Art of Russian Cuisine" includes almost all the recipies I could think of.
   I definitely recommend this book to those of you who wants to taste the real Russian food, the one that Russians cook daily or for holidays.



3. Love her quotes from Russian literature and summary of food preparation at the beginning of each chapter -- reading these intro sections makes your mouth water. In addition, most of the recipes are Russian or Franco-Russian, in contrast to certain other "Russian" cookbooks which include an overwhelming number of non-Russian ones from Commonwealth or Baltic countries (if I wanted recipes from those regions I wouldn't be shopping for a Russian cookbook, would I?)

   I have tried many recipes in this book, and most have turned out quite well (her borshch is excellent). However, i use some as a general guide and improvise, and to jog my memory of the time i used to cook with my grandmother -- they are just not up to her standards. A number of them seem "sovietized" (my opinion, i've never lived there, but i know money was tight and some unusual or expensive ingredients were difficult to find for many years).

   Example: my granny's paskha recipe calls for 5 lbs. bakers cheese, 20 yolks, 4 cups sugar, whipping cream, nearly 2 lbs. butter, lots of vanilla beans (among other things); Volokh's recipe is quite frugal in comparison.

   I realize that good food takes time, but some recipes are WAY too time consuming, particularly those in the Pirogi section due to the way the chapter is structured, which forces you to flip back and forth between pages to assemble.

   Overall, an excellent, comprehensive collection of Russian recipes (with a few from non-Russian Commonwealth regions). The Wild Game chapter is particularly impressive.




4. I grew up in Russia.
   Very good recipes, an excellent introduction to Russian cooking tradition.
   Not the most complete.
   The book is excellent at taking into account the availability (or the lack of) certain ingredients in US supermarkets.



5. I ordered this book November 2, and by the 30th it still hadn't arrived. When I contacted the seller she said that she had sent it out the next day, so it must have gotten lost in the mail. However, after reading the other negative reviews, I saw that this is not an uncommon complaint. She offered to send me a used copy, but having ordered and paid for a new one, I thought this ridiculous. I chose a refund fearing that it would take another month to never receive the second book. I would really like to know who's in charge of shipping out her products because they're horribly incompetent. Bad service.