Until the Last Pickle: A Memoir in 18 Recipes

by Yuliya Patsay

Born to a Jewish mother and Ukrainian father during the final years of the Soviet Union, Yuliya Patsay grew up believing bread lines were a fun way to spend an afternoon, drafts caused pneumonia, and that Lenin was everyone's benevolent grandpa.  



After trading pickled herring and Soviet winters for San Francisco fog and year-round produce (the real American dream!) she found herself occupying two parallel the first grounded in her Soviet roots and the second in her burgeoning 'Amerikanskiye' beliefs.



Irreverent, nostalgic and vulnerable, Until the Last Pickle, is a memoir replete with remembrances, anecdotes, and exactly 18 recipes. It's an exploration of identity and belonging - at once, deeply personal and broadly relatable - told through the lens of one family's "totally average" immigration journey.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2024

Reviews

[Yuliya]

I couldn't possibly leave an unbiased review...because I'm the author :) Hope you all enjoy it!

[Lisette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book! Yuliya is witty, cheeky and dynamic, and I found the book fun to read in how it interspersed her childhood memories, family's experiences, and cultural comparisons throughout the book--while centering it around Soviet/Jewish food and traditions.

I'm about the same age as the author and also immigrated with my parents at a young age, so I identified with a lot of the topics that Yuliya wrote about--from attempts to easily (but not always successfully) adapt to the new country, to dealing with desires to also conceal (but eventually embrace) one's identity--weird foods, customs, and all.

I also studied Russian when I was at university, so I got a bit of a kick reading the Cyrillic littered throughout. And I cackled reading about Yuliya's dad's snafu with "hot appetizers" while managing a Mexican taqueria--probably one of the funniest "lost in translation" stories I've read.

Highly recommend for anyone who's immigrated from one country to another, is curious about Soviet culture and cuisine (and who could even try some of the recipes!), is just wanting a fun read--or a combination of all three.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a surprise this book was for me! It was humorous, sassy, and sarcastic at the same time it was sweet and loving. The author was born to a “Jewish mother and Ukrainian father” in the Western Ukraine part of the Soviet Union and lived there until the family moved to San Francisco so the reader is introduced to the history, social, and cultural background of the Soviet Union. My grandson is currently studying the Cold War in U.S. History so we’ve had some interesting conversation thanks to Yuliya Patsay. Loved the illustrations and the family photographs. By the time you are finished with this 170 page book you feel the author is a friend who has taught you a bit about immigration, and how to celebrate New Years (all of them) properly.

[Micah Riot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wished there was more memoir and less recipes. And less cheekiness. I’d love a longer more serious more detailed version of this book. I’d totally read it.