A Taste of the Past

Episode 149: Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

Episode Summary

On todays episode of A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio welcomes Anya Von Bremzen, author, journalist, food writer, and contributing editor of Travel + Leisure magazine, into the studio for a talk about food, and the history of traditional Soviet dishes. Anya also talks about her latest book, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing. In the book, Anya tells the gripping story of three Soviet generations—masterfully capturing the strange mix of idealism, cynicism, longing, and terror that defined Soviet life. On the show, Anya and Linda also welcome Anyas mother, Larisa Frumkina, as she speaks about food history, Russian literature, and various traditional dishes. Tune-in for a truly interesting episode into the history of the USSR and the Russian dishes. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. Bread was something was almost always available. It was something almost sacred. -- Anya Von Bremzen on A Taste of the Past For me, food history starts with Russian literature. -- Larisa Frumkina on A Taste of the Past

Episode Notes

On today’s episode of A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio welcomes Anya Von Bremzen, author, journalist, food writer, and contributing editor of Travel + Leisure magazine, into the studio for a talk about food, and the history of traditional Soviet dishes. Anya also talks about her latest book, Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing. In the book, Anya tells the gripping story of three Soviet generations—masterfully capturing the strange mix of idealism, cynicism, longing, and terror that defined Soviet life. On the show, Anya and Linda also welcome Anya’s mother, Larisa Frumkina, as she speaks about food history, Russian literature, and various traditional dishes. Tune-in for a truly interesting episode into the history of the USSR and the Russian dishes. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA.

“Bread was something was almost always available. It was something almost sacred.”

— Anya Von Bremzen on A Taste of the Past

“For me, food history starts with Russian literature.”

— Larisa Frumkina on A Taste of the Past