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Indiana-Michigan Series in Russian and East European Studies
Classic Russian Cooking: Elena Molokhovets' A Gift to Young Housewives
Translated, introduced, and annotated by Joyce Toomre.
Contents:
Introduction by Joyce Toomre
Development of Cookbooks in Russia
Biography of Elena Ivanova Molokhovets
Influence of the Russian Orthodox Church
Eastern Influence on Russian Cuisine
French Influence on Russian Cuisine
Mealtimes and Menus
Table Service and Settings
Image of a Russian Household
Water Stoves and Ovens
Food Preservation and Storage
Containers and Utensils
Servants
Health
Markets
Ingredients
Cooking Techniques
Comparison between First and Twentieth Editions
Issues of Translation
Measurements and Conversions
Advice to Modern Cooks
Appendix A: Ingredient by Category
Appendix B: Weights and Measures
Appendix C: Glossary
Elena Molokhovets' A Gift to Young Housewives: Author's Introduction to the Twentieth Edition
Evening Tea
Arrangement of the Kitchen
Recipes: 1. Soups 2. Soup Accompaniments 3. Sauces 4. Vegetables, Greens, and Garnishes 5. Beef, Veal, Mutton, and Pork 6. Domestic and Wild Birds and Salad Accompaniments 7. Fish and Crayfish 8. Pirogs and Pates 9. Aspics and Other Cold Dishes 10. Puddings 11. Crepes, Pancakes for Butter Week, Sippets, and Eggs 12. Filled Dumplings, Macaroni, and Kasha 13. Waffles, Wafers, Doughnuts, and Fritters 14. Ice Creams, Mousses, Kissels, and Compotes 15. Tortes 16. Mazurkas and Other Small Pastries 17. Babas, Buns, Rusks, and Small Baked Goods etc. through chapter 42.
Complete List of Recipes in the Twentieth Edition
Contents:
Introduction by Joyce Toomre
Development of Cookbooks in Russia
Biography of Elena Ivanova Molokhovets
Influence of the Russian Orthodox Church
Eastern Influence on Russian Cuisine
French Influence on Russian Cuisine
Mealtimes and Menus
Table Service and Settings
Image of a Russian Household
Water Stoves and Ovens
Food Preservation and Storage
Containers and Utensils
Servants
Health
Markets
Ingredients
Cooking Techniques
Comparison between First and Twentieth Editions
Issues of Translation
Measurements and Conversions
Advice to Modern Cooks
Appendix A: Ingredient by Category
Appendix B: Weights and Measures
Appendix C: Glossary
Elena Molokhovets' A Gift to Young Housewives: Author's Introduction to the Twentieth Edition
Evening Tea
Arrangement of the Kitchen
Recipes: 1. Soups 2. Soup Accompaniments 3. Sauces 4. Vegetables, Greens, and Garnishes 5. Beef, Veal, Mutton, and Pork 6. Domestic and Wild Birds and Salad Accompaniments 7. Fish and Crayfish 8. Pirogs and Pates 9. Aspics and Other Cold Dishes 10. Puddings 11. Crepes, Pancakes for Butter Week, Sippets, and Eggs 12. Filled Dumplings, Macaroni, and Kasha 13. Waffles, Wafers, Doughnuts, and Fritters 14. Ice Creams, Mousses, Kissels, and Compotes 15. Tortes 16. Mazurkas and Other Small Pastries 17. Babas, Buns, Rusks, and Small Baked Goods etc. through chapter 42.
Complete List of Recipes in the Twentieth Edition
Paperback
First published January 1, 1861
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 28, 2012
Interesting history. Unusable recipes.
December 31, 2013
fun read. I'd like to own a copy to try some of the recipes. well, the less weird ones at least :p
November 20, 2017
4.5 - This was my first introduction to the madness that is US cookery measurements. In a pre-InternetInYourHand days I struggled to convert them. I must dig this book out and try again!
April 20, 2022
First published in 1861, this bible of Russian homemakers offered not only a compendium of recipes, but also instructions about such matters as setting up a kitchen, managing servants, shopping, and proper winter storage. Joyce Toomre has superbly translated and annotated over 1,000 recipes and has written a thorough and fascinating introduction that discusses the history of Russian cuisine and summarizes Elena Molokhovets' advice on household management. A treasure trove for culinary historians, serious cooks. and cookbook readers, and scholars of Russian history and culture.
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Amazon review
A very interesting look into the cooking of Russia
This is such a classic that it was intended, in the past, to be given to young housewives to be a much-used reference. As such, in addition to the predictable recipes for coulibiac (fish in pastry crust), sturgeon, borscht, kasha and Russian sweets, there is a wide variety of household food preservation and preparation you just don't find in today's cookbooks. Such as--butchering a pig and then portioning out, preserving and preparing the resulting meats. NOT for vegans or the fainthearted, believe me. Also, there are recipes for improving the flavor of homemade vodka (including how to make birch charcoal for the purpose.) And how to make imitation butter from mutton fat, how to get rid of the off-flavor in butter that is going rancid.
If you are a home-brewer, this is a surprisingly good book for making such things as mead and fruit wines and liquers. One caveat for the whole book; measurements are either baffling, in Russian terminology that has no English referent, or "two wineglasses" , etc. And for brewers, it requires some basic knowledge of the process.
For cooking, there are a lot of beef and fish recipes but the borscht recipes were disappointing as there were only of few of these and there are LOTS of ways to make borscht. However, for interesting reading on food history and technique, and for some authentic Russian cooking, this book is absolutely fascinating reading.
Joanna D.
---
Beautiful Russian history
I would just like to point out that the traditional method of cooking in Russia was, and still is in some parts, based around the huge oven that dominated the home. There is no thermostat so no two families ever cooked the same recipe exactly the same way. When the oven was very hot it was used for baking bread and pies (pirogi) and, when cooler, meals were cooked in earthenware pots and allowed to simmer for hours. Readers should keep in mind that cooking is about individuality and relish the chance to try a new recipe and make it their own. Russian food is very different to what most of us are used to and this book not only presents fantastic recipes but fascinating insights into Russian life, a lively culture from the world's largest country.
Ochi Chernye
---
Amazon review
A very interesting look into the cooking of Russia
This is such a classic that it was intended, in the past, to be given to young housewives to be a much-used reference. As such, in addition to the predictable recipes for coulibiac (fish in pastry crust), sturgeon, borscht, kasha and Russian sweets, there is a wide variety of household food preservation and preparation you just don't find in today's cookbooks. Such as--butchering a pig and then portioning out, preserving and preparing the resulting meats. NOT for vegans or the fainthearted, believe me. Also, there are recipes for improving the flavor of homemade vodka (including how to make birch charcoal for the purpose.) And how to make imitation butter from mutton fat, how to get rid of the off-flavor in butter that is going rancid.
If you are a home-brewer, this is a surprisingly good book for making such things as mead and fruit wines and liquers. One caveat for the whole book; measurements are either baffling, in Russian terminology that has no English referent, or "two wineglasses" , etc. And for brewers, it requires some basic knowledge of the process.
For cooking, there are a lot of beef and fish recipes but the borscht recipes were disappointing as there were only of few of these and there are LOTS of ways to make borscht. However, for interesting reading on food history and technique, and for some authentic Russian cooking, this book is absolutely fascinating reading.
Joanna D.
---
Beautiful Russian history
I would just like to point out that the traditional method of cooking in Russia was, and still is in some parts, based around the huge oven that dominated the home. There is no thermostat so no two families ever cooked the same recipe exactly the same way. When the oven was very hot it was used for baking bread and pies (pirogi) and, when cooler, meals were cooked in earthenware pots and allowed to simmer for hours. Readers should keep in mind that cooking is about individuality and relish the chance to try a new recipe and make it their own. Russian food is very different to what most of us are used to and this book not only presents fantastic recipes but fascinating insights into Russian life, a lively culture from the world's largest country.
Ochi Chernye
March 1, 2025
This book reminds of Escoffier or Emily Post a bit: hugely labor intensive recipes using archaic ingredients without much in the way of modern convenience, owing to the fact it was first published in 1861. Amusing foray into 19c history of Russia and its habits. I learned that my family recipe for borsch is almost one to one with the most popular Ukrainian recipe here, and many things my family makes to this day (sauerkraut, pickles, bliny, pirogi, salads) are made exactly the way Molokhovets describes, which is a welcome testament to tradition. I mostly wanted to read it for the household organizing tips (she has some very specific ideas about how a home is arranged, for instance) but the style or writing gave me hours of merriment. Unsure if it reads well in translation, however...
January 5, 2015
I made the potato pudding tonight. #475 p. 195
I can't actually say I read this, but I looked through it and tried that potato pudding. It's a large volume, a culinary reference book that would be interesting to own. But mine was from the library and I had to return it. I wonder which recipe the next person will try.
In Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing, Anya Von Bremzen goes into how this book has changed in its historical incarnations and what it means (or meant) to women specifically in the former Soviet Union. What she says is far more pertinent than what I could say. But the potato pudding was good.
I can't actually say I read this, but I looked through it and tried that potato pudding. It's a large volume, a culinary reference book that would be interesting to own. But mine was from the library and I had to return it. I wonder which recipe the next person will try.
In Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing, Anya Von Bremzen goes into how this book has changed in its historical incarnations and what it means (or meant) to women specifically in the former Soviet Union. What she says is far more pertinent than what I could say. But the potato pudding was good.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews