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Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe
A celebration of the food, flavors, and heritage of Eastern Europe—from the Black Sea to Baku, Kiev to Kazakhstan— Mamushka features over 100 recipes for fresh, delicious, and unexpected dishes from this dynamic yet underappreciated region.
Olia Hercules was born in Ukraine and lived in Cyprus for several years before moving to London and becoming a chef. In this gorgeous and deeply personal cookbook, she shares her favorite recipes from her home country with engaging and loving stories about her culinary upbringing and family traditions.
Featuring personality and panache, Mamushka showcases the cuisine from Ukraine and beyond, weaving together vibrant food with descriptive narratives and stunning lifestyle photography. From broths and soups to breads and pastries, vegetables and salads to meat and fish, dumplings and noodles to compotes and jams. You’ll also find some of Olia’s favorite dishes, like a Moldovan giant cheese twist and garlicky poussins, to sublime desserts such as apricot and sour cherry pie and a birthday sponge cake with ice cream, strawberries, and meringue.
Including new flavor combinations, vibrant colors, seasonal ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques, Mamushka ’s earthy dishes appeal to home chefs everywhere. Join Olia on this delicious and diverse culinary tour through Eastern Europe.
Olia Hercules was born in Ukraine and lived in Cyprus for several years before moving to London and becoming a chef. In this gorgeous and deeply personal cookbook, she shares her favorite recipes from her home country with engaging and loving stories about her culinary upbringing and family traditions.
Featuring personality and panache, Mamushka showcases the cuisine from Ukraine and beyond, weaving together vibrant food with descriptive narratives and stunning lifestyle photography. From broths and soups to breads and pastries, vegetables and salads to meat and fish, dumplings and noodles to compotes and jams. You’ll also find some of Olia’s favorite dishes, like a Moldovan giant cheese twist and garlicky poussins, to sublime desserts such as apricot and sour cherry pie and a birthday sponge cake with ice cream, strawberries, and meringue.
Including new flavor combinations, vibrant colors, seasonal ingredients and straightforward cooking techniques, Mamushka ’s earthy dishes appeal to home chefs everywhere. Join Olia on this delicious and diverse culinary tour through Eastern Europe.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2015
381 people are currently reading
1707 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 12, 2022
In 2016, when I was cooking for the Football European Cup (ie. cooking a different traditional dish for every team playing in the evening that day), I had a lot of difficulty finding appropriate Ukrainian recipes. I needed at least 2 (more if Ukraine had gotten through to the knockout stage), and for the second evening, had to resort to Ukrainian Nemiroff Birch Vodka (our rules state that only food and alcohol of the respective countries playing may be consumed). It was made worse by the fact that Russia was also playing, and many of my cookbooks did not differentiate between Russian and Ukrainian food (or that of any other ex-Soviet country). Nowadays, everyone is much more aware of Ukraine as an independent country, and I wanted to know more about its own culture and cuisine. So, when I saw this book advertised, I had to get it.
It is much more than ‘just’ Ukrainian recipes, it is a celebration of food eaten in Ukraine – from all over the ex-Soviet Union – each recipe stating which country the cuisine originates from, if not Ukraine. In the introduction, the author states:
The diversity of the recipes took me by surprise, and has awakened in me an interest in finding out more about the cuisines of Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia – and all the other Eastern European countries. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, as the Soviet Union was much bigger than Western Europe, and France (or Italy) alone have so many traditional foods specific to tiny regions. Ukraine itself is vast, with quite different climates in the north, south east and west – so rationally you would expect different regional cuisines. However, for people of my age (late 50s), it was too easy to think of all countries behind the Iron Curtain as some sort of amorphous block, all slurping on Borscht and drinking vodka. Now I know much better.
Now to the book and recipes. I have tried 9 of the recipes – all were really easy to follow and to make, and only one (the Stuffed Cage leaves) was not excellent – but I think that was down to me, not the recipe. I would certainly try it again – blanching the cabbage leaves a lot longer, and using a knife (instead of just a spoon and fork) to eat it. Most recipes I tried, I will add to my repertoire, but my favourites were the “Cold Beetroot Soup”, the “Armenian Soup with Lamb and Prune Meatballs”, the “Grilled Vegetable Caviar”, the Georgian Kidney Bean Salad”, “Chilli and Garlic Cucumber”, and the “Azerbaijani Rice and Fruity Lamb”. I also really enjoyed the “Armenian Roasted Vegetables”, “Potato Cakes with Goats Cheese”, and must try the “Cured Mackerel” and pickled (or soured) recipes. Tonight, I am having the second helping of the beautiful “Cold Beetroot Soup” – an amazing rich ruby red colour, which would be perfect to serve to visiting Vegans (or anyone else!), and the left-over “Grilled Vegetable Caviar” (it lasts a long time in the fridge) on bread.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes cooking (or just reading about) good and interesting food.
It is much more than ‘just’ Ukrainian recipes, it is a celebration of food eaten in Ukraine – from all over the ex-Soviet Union – each recipe stating which country the cuisine originates from, if not Ukraine. In the introduction, the author states:
“Despite my strong Ukrainian identity, I have always cherished and taken pride in the cultural diversity that we were so lucky to enjoy in Ukraine. My paternal grandmother is Siberian, my mother has Jewish and Bessarabian (Moldovan) roots, my father was born in Uzbekistan and we have Armenian relatives and Ossetian friends. This book is an ode to all those women (and men) that I was raised by and grew up with, and the food they lovingly prepared. It’s food so familiar to me that I hadn’t realized it was something special until I became a chef, and even more so when the conflict in Ukraine erupted, prompting me into frantically documenting the recipes that I was so scared I might suddenly lose. This is the stuff of my childhood, a life that I want to share with you in order to dispel the myths about my home country and its surrounding areas, and to give the messy geo-political mosaic a human face.”
The diversity of the recipes took me by surprise, and has awakened in me an interest in finding out more about the cuisines of Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia – and all the other Eastern European countries. I really shouldn’t have been surprised, as the Soviet Union was much bigger than Western Europe, and France (or Italy) alone have so many traditional foods specific to tiny regions. Ukraine itself is vast, with quite different climates in the north, south east and west – so rationally you would expect different regional cuisines. However, for people of my age (late 50s), it was too easy to think of all countries behind the Iron Curtain as some sort of amorphous block, all slurping on Borscht and drinking vodka. Now I know much better.
Now to the book and recipes. I have tried 9 of the recipes – all were really easy to follow and to make, and only one (the Stuffed Cage leaves) was not excellent – but I think that was down to me, not the recipe. I would certainly try it again – blanching the cabbage leaves a lot longer, and using a knife (instead of just a spoon and fork) to eat it. Most recipes I tried, I will add to my repertoire, but my favourites were the “Cold Beetroot Soup”, the “Armenian Soup with Lamb and Prune Meatballs”, the “Grilled Vegetable Caviar”, the Georgian Kidney Bean Salad”, “Chilli and Garlic Cucumber”, and the “Azerbaijani Rice and Fruity Lamb”. I also really enjoyed the “Armenian Roasted Vegetables”, “Potato Cakes with Goats Cheese”, and must try the “Cured Mackerel” and pickled (or soured) recipes. Tonight, I am having the second helping of the beautiful “Cold Beetroot Soup” – an amazing rich ruby red colour, which would be perfect to serve to visiting Vegans (or anyone else!), and the left-over “Grilled Vegetable Caviar” (it lasts a long time in the fridge) on bread.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes cooking (or just reading about) good and interesting food.
November 15, 2015
I love this book! I've tried many recipes in it so far, and they are all fantastic! And and they are all truly authentic, really the flavors that I grew up with. Plus, all of the recipes are very easy to follow, and the once-daunting cake recipes off of my mother's and grandmothers' recipe collections now seem feasible (and actually quite simple) to make! Well-done Olia!
July 6, 2016
This is really charming book - the author has such an effortless way about her when she tells stories of her childhood and her love of food. I've sadly never been to Ukraine or any of Eastern Europe. I'd really like to go and this book has inspired me even more!
This is a book to soak in on a quiet weekend. I could feel my grandma and her amazing cooking (even though she cooked such different food) as I read through the recipes, tagging the ones that I wanted to make. Many of the recipes are indulgent - in flavour, fat and the love one needs to put into them when cooking. This is such a welcome change to all the quick and lean books/blogs that I've been researching and testing recently.
To clarify I do like healthy food and by default I whip up quick and nutritious meals on a busy work day but after working my way through dozens of (sometimes painfully self-righteous) recipes I missed having the warmth of someone who cooked, ate and wrote with joy.
"I used to hate onions when I was little. And then I had some kasha (boiled buckwheat), chicken livers and onions, sweet and caramelized and that was it - I was in love."
Boiled buckwheat and liver don't even remotely sound appealing to me and yet I'm intrigued! A kid fell in love with this dish? Who made it for her? Is the particular combination of ingredients special? Or does one need the nostalgia of that childhood moment in order to fall in love with it too?
"These are basically the most incredible stuffed savoury doughnuts. We often went to Genichesk by the Sea of Azov, the shallowest sea in the world. You had to walk for at least 300m (428 yards) until the water started reaching your knees...a five-year-old's knees at that!"
And she goes on to tell us how her mum and aunt would fry the buns whilst the kids were playing in the shallow sea. I was wooed by the light playfulness of that story. So I made these stuffed buns (Pyrishky). They were rather tasty (I'm afraid I am irrecoverably plagued with British understatement). And I felt joyously fulfilled as I ate them.
My small critique is that it would have been helpful to have the words "for frying" next to the second inclusion of "sunflower oil". The formatting of the recipe was, in general, not as clearly laid out as it could be.
I've tried a couple of other recipes so far and I've enjoyed them too though I have no idea how close my renditions are to the real dishes. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to have someone like the author to give me a taste of these homey treats.
This is a book to soak in on a quiet weekend. I could feel my grandma and her amazing cooking (even though she cooked such different food) as I read through the recipes, tagging the ones that I wanted to make. Many of the recipes are indulgent - in flavour, fat and the love one needs to put into them when cooking. This is such a welcome change to all the quick and lean books/blogs that I've been researching and testing recently.
To clarify I do like healthy food and by default I whip up quick and nutritious meals on a busy work day but after working my way through dozens of (sometimes painfully self-righteous) recipes I missed having the warmth of someone who cooked, ate and wrote with joy.
"I used to hate onions when I was little. And then I had some kasha (boiled buckwheat), chicken livers and onions, sweet and caramelized and that was it - I was in love."
Boiled buckwheat and liver don't even remotely sound appealing to me and yet I'm intrigued! A kid fell in love with this dish? Who made it for her? Is the particular combination of ingredients special? Or does one need the nostalgia of that childhood moment in order to fall in love with it too?
"These are basically the most incredible stuffed savoury doughnuts. We often went to Genichesk by the Sea of Azov, the shallowest sea in the world. You had to walk for at least 300m (428 yards) until the water started reaching your knees...a five-year-old's knees at that!"
And she goes on to tell us how her mum and aunt would fry the buns whilst the kids were playing in the shallow sea. I was wooed by the light playfulness of that story. So I made these stuffed buns (Pyrishky). They were rather tasty (I'm afraid I am irrecoverably plagued with British understatement). And I felt joyously fulfilled as I ate them.
My small critique is that it would have been helpful to have the words "for frying" next to the second inclusion of "sunflower oil". The formatting of the recipe was, in general, not as clearly laid out as it could be.
I've tried a couple of other recipes so far and I've enjoyed them too though I have no idea how close my renditions are to the real dishes. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to have someone like the author to give me a taste of these homey treats.
April 24, 2016
This book was suggested by the NPR Best Books of 2015. When I saw the title I thought, "Mamushka? The dance of brotherly love?" So glad to see the Addams Family reference! I feel like Olia would fit right in with my family.
I must buy this book and make everything in it, especially the pickled things.
I must buy this book and make everything in it, especially the pickled things.
April 10, 2016
I really, really, really wanted to buy this book for myself. I'm very picky in buying books, and cookbooks in particular need to be obviously and essentially useful in order to earn a place in my library. This one is beautiful, and tantalizing, and I really wanted to make the decision to buy it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't convince myself, but not due to any lack of merit on the book's part. I can't eat dairy, and my family doesn't eat a lot of meat, so I couldn't imagine myself turning to this book often enough to justify the purchase. But it's a lovely book and I'm excited to try the recipes I'm copying down before it goes back to the library. Hercules's tone is informal and welcoming, as she writes about the rustic origins of so many of these dishes. It's basically a book full of comfort food that you didn't know would comfort you--and now that you do, you wish a Ukrainian grandmother would always be at your house when you get home from work, with a smile and a steaming pot or platter of something delicious from this book.
Unfortunately, I couldn't convince myself, but not due to any lack of merit on the book's part. I can't eat dairy, and my family doesn't eat a lot of meat, so I couldn't imagine myself turning to this book often enough to justify the purchase. But it's a lovely book and I'm excited to try the recipes I'm copying down before it goes back to the library. Hercules's tone is informal and welcoming, as she writes about the rustic origins of so many of these dishes. It's basically a book full of comfort food that you didn't know would comfort you--and now that you do, you wish a Ukrainian grandmother would always be at your house when you get home from work, with a smile and a steaming pot or platter of something delicious from this book.
August 13, 2016
I absolutely love this book! I got it for Christmas and have tried a few things from it now and everything's been delicious. We had one disaster with one of the pasta dishes, but that was my own fault, really (I tried substituting ricotta for twarog, and I also forgot the salt). All the other things I've tried from it have become firm favourites. As a student, this book is great from the point of view of affordable, healthy meals. While some dishes are very stodgy, most are very healthy and many are made with ingredients that are quite cheap and go very far. The borscht was hearty enough to be an entire meal, and lasted me a few days. I made the stuffed pasta last week with the potato filling and served it with the vegetable 'caviar' and Pampushki, and it was spectacular. Easily fed this family of six leaving them stuffed and satisfied, and didn't break the bank.
March 18, 2018
I love this book! I got it to learn more about my heritage & it didn’t disappoint. Not only is the cover gorgeous, but the overall feel is nice: solid, matte, and mouthwatering photos. I love how at the top of each page she wrote a very brief anecdote (where she got the recipe, her memory of it from her childhood, or her family’s history with it, or where it originally hails from country-wise). I’ve also tried 3 recipes so far & two were delicious (the third was gherkins and they molded, but I think that was my fault). I can’t wait to keep trying more of these recipes!
July 13, 2024
Having spent half of my life in Eastern Europe, many of the recipes in this cookery book felt like a taste of home, while others offered delightful surprises. My favorite chapter was the one on bread, and I've made notes on two soup recipes, though I found some of the others too sour. I've saved several dessert recipes that are lower in sugar, a couple of dumpling recipes, two preserves recipes, and a few vegetable and salad dishes. I'm especially excited to try the Chicken liver, buckwheat, and crispy shallots recipe, as I'm always looking to expand my repertoire with more liver and buckwheat dishes. The idea of a blackberry sauce for savory dishes is intriguing, and I'm keen to try the strawberry and rhubarb syrup with my own reduced-sugar twist. This book offers a wealth of choices, including unique recipes like a dish made with watermelon peel and various interesting bread recipes. The photos are beautiful, and you can easily substitute the prevalent sunflower oil with a healthier option. Happy cooking!
March 23, 2022
I discovered Olia Hercules through her subsequent book, Summer Kitchen, which took my breadth away with its words, photography and design. It is, quite simply, gorgeous and inspirational in an everyday-way. And that’s how I use it, in an inspired and beautiful everyday way. And I can carry over all those cookbook gushing recommendations to Mamushka, which I ordered months ago and arrived yesterday. Order it now, friends, so you can have it asap. I ordered it long before Putin invaded Ukraine, though not long after the American President Trump was impeached for holding up the military assistance that had been funded by the American Congress intended specifically to dissuade such an invasion. This cookbook is a surprise insight into the indominitable Ukrainian spirit we watch in current events resisting Russian invasion at great personal sacrifice, but also a testament to the families, traditions and cultural independence that they fight for. And I will happily, and gratefully, collect in my Alaskan log cabin every recipe I can find for jars of Ukrainian fermented tomatoes. Thank you to the author, Olia Hercules, for these cookbooks and also for modeling how food traditions and kitchen connections can rise to be a global network of significant influence for peace and independence.
November 19, 2024
The cookbook for my reading club this month. A wonderful book filled with stories about the authors family and the recipes that have been passed down through the generations. We had a fantastic feast last night, from appetizers ( Ukrainian beet broth) right through a large sampling of wonderful desserts.
I decided to bake this month and made the Apple Sponge Cake. Simple and obviously delicious as the platter I brought was empty when I went to take it off the table. I made a double batch of it so the husband would have sweets for the week. It has only been on our kitchen table since Saturday and he only has 3 meager pieces of it left.
I decided to bake this month and made the Apple Sponge Cake. Simple and obviously delicious as the platter I brought was empty when I went to take it off the table. I made a double batch of it so the husband would have sweets for the week. It has only been on our kitchen table since Saturday and he only has 3 meager pieces of it left.
September 1, 2022
I loved how each recipe had a brief intro which provided glimpses into the author's life. The recipes sound delicious! Olia Hercules makes the recipes approachable, too, so you feel like you can make them at home even if you don't have much experience with Eastern European food.
April 30, 2016
Edit: I made bortsch and chicken tabaka more than 5 times already... That means something!
First of all the cover is so beautiful. On the inside the book looks great too, mind you. Its not another of these minimalistic or overly stylised pictures. There are pictures from Ukraine and of author's family. Olia's writing about her family, traditions and memories is an added value to the book.
I made Borscht recipe and its delicious. I make a big pot and have it for next few days. Chicken tabaka is another delicious and interesting recipe. Varenyki, pampushka... So yummy!
Now I am not big on pickling or red meat and here are quite a few thigs with that. The desserts seem appealing but I rarely make desserts nowadays so I havent tried any- yet!
Overall its heartwarming, beautiful to look at and useful book. Especially if like me you do love a good borstch and are familiar with eastern european cuisine.
First of all the cover is so beautiful. On the inside the book looks great too, mind you. Its not another of these minimalistic or overly stylised pictures. There are pictures from Ukraine and of author's family. Olia's writing about her family, traditions and memories is an added value to the book.
I made Borscht recipe and its delicious. I make a big pot and have it for next few days. Chicken tabaka is another delicious and interesting recipe. Varenyki, pampushka... So yummy!
Now I am not big on pickling or red meat and here are quite a few thigs with that. The desserts seem appealing but I rarely make desserts nowadays so I havent tried any- yet!
Overall its heartwarming, beautiful to look at and useful book. Especially if like me you do love a good borstch and are familiar with eastern european cuisine.
October 31, 2017
I love this cookbook! The ingredient list is not a hard one to obtain and also cost friendly, and everything in it is beautiful, I want to make every single recipe in the book! I made Olia's "Birthday Ice Cream and Strawberry Cake" for my daughter's first birthday and loved it, who can resist a meringue topping! If you want to travel the world by food, this is a good place to begin! I really hope our library decides to get her new cookbook also!
May 17, 2016
I had never gone out of my way to try to find out about the food of the Ukraine, after reading this cookbook I really feel I've been missing out. So many things I want to try from this one. I have to buy this book.
March 26, 2016
Cookbooks totally count toward my goodreads challenge, right? RIGHT?
January 18, 2016
Beautiful book. From the front cover to the personal stories to the photographs - it is absolutely glitteringly gorgeous.
January 1, 2023
I received this book for Christmas and couldn’t be more in love with it. So many familiar Ukrainian dishes, both some I knew and many new ones. I really appreciated the authors personal input and family history to the book. So many other great new-to-me Eastern European recipes to try as well. Can’t recommend Mamushka enough (and love where the name came from).
October 29, 2025
These recipes remind me of some of the recipes handed down by my grandparents and great grandparents who came from Odessa. The beets, cabbage, potatoes, horseradish, and pork are all stables in many of those recipes. Not a fan of borscht but I can definitely smell it just looking at the pictures!
June 3, 2020
Very simple to follow (mostly) recipes. Some nice twists on recipes from my childhood that I'd like to try. A bit too much sunflower oil.
October 21, 2021
I liked this so much because of the variety of Eastern European cuisine featured
November 21, 2022
trochę zabawnie się czytało, bo autorka, pisząc dla zachodniego czytelnika, musi też siłą rzeczy wyjaśnić rzeczy oczywiste w Europie Wschodniej. :D
March 7, 2022
That Baked Ukrainian Cheesecake recipe alone is worth the price of admission.
PS Slava Ukraini.
PS Slava Ukraini.
March 3, 2024
A really beautiful cookbook with a ton of interesting history, but the two recipes I made (mushroom soup and a polenta -like dish) didn't match the flavor or texture described in the book. I think too much liquid coupled with not enough cook time was advised for both.
January 16, 2016
[Gerecenseerd voor Hebban/Culinair]
Alleen al de inleiding van Mamoesjka doet je watertanden en lekkerbekken. Olia Hercules vertelt liefdevol over haar geboorteland Oekraïne, met zijn zachte winters en lange, hete zomers, waar eten een feest is van kleur en smaak en de culturele verscheidenheid groot. “’s Zomers renden we door velden vol zoete, besnorde peulen, die we vlak voor onze mond open lieten springen, zodat de verse groene erwtjes over onze tong rolden.” Jeugdherinneringen, familiebanden en (kook)tradities koppelt zij in Mamoesjka aan haar vakmanschap als chef-kok en foodwriter.
Hercules verwoordt in een welhaast knusse stijl haar liefde voor lekker eten en koken. Zij profileert zich geenszins als de deskundige die het allemaal beter weet. Een verademing, dat een professional als zij schrijft: “Geen van de recepten is bindend. Ik hoop juist u ertoe te verleiden ze aan te passen aan uw eigen smaak. Koken gaat het best op intuïtie. Als het deeg te nat en te zacht aanvoelt, trek u dan niets aan van wat er in het recept staat. Misschien is het in uw keuken vochtiger dan het in de mijne was toen ik het recept maakte; gebruik dan gewoon wat meer meel.”
Mamoesjka bevat zo’n honderd recepten, merendeels uit Oekraïne, maar ook uit o.a. Georgië, Moldavië en Azerbeidzjan. Bij elk recept staat de herkomst vermeld, alsmede de Russische naam van het gerecht, zowel in Cyrillisch als in Latijns schrift. Er is een onderverdeling in categorieën, vermeld in de inhoudsopgave voor in het boek. Er zit één niet-alledaagse en daarom extra interessante categorie tussen: Deegballetjes en noedels. Hercules legt prima uit hoe je noedeldeeg maakt en gevulde deegbuideltjes. Achterin staat een register om het zoeken naar de recepten te vergemakkelijken.
Na de inleiding volgt een opsomming van onmisbare ingrediënten. Niet alles is bij ons algemeen verkrijgbaar, in de receptuur wordt frequent verwezen naar Poolse winkels. Google wijst uit dat de dichtstbijzijnde voor mij op 45 kilometer afstand zit … Hercules draagt hier en daar weliswaar alternatieve ingrediënten aan, maar het is toch een beperking (waar zij uiteraard niets aan kan doen).
De inwendige lay-out van Mamoesjka is in orde, van de buitenkant word ik niet blij: de hardcover is kwetsbaar, alle hoeken zijn na kortstondig behoedzaam gebruik al gedeukt.
Van gefermenteerde tomaten tot Moldavische polenta en van taart met abrikozen en zure kersen tot ingelegde makreel, het ziet er op de afbeeldingen allemaal even smakelijk uit. Geen ingewikkelde bereidingen, wel soms tijdrovende.
Leukste receptnamen: Oekraïense drug en Drenkelingdeeg. ..... Lees verder op Hebban.nl.
Alleen al de inleiding van Mamoesjka doet je watertanden en lekkerbekken. Olia Hercules vertelt liefdevol over haar geboorteland Oekraïne, met zijn zachte winters en lange, hete zomers, waar eten een feest is van kleur en smaak en de culturele verscheidenheid groot. “’s Zomers renden we door velden vol zoete, besnorde peulen, die we vlak voor onze mond open lieten springen, zodat de verse groene erwtjes over onze tong rolden.” Jeugdherinneringen, familiebanden en (kook)tradities koppelt zij in Mamoesjka aan haar vakmanschap als chef-kok en foodwriter.
Hercules verwoordt in een welhaast knusse stijl haar liefde voor lekker eten en koken. Zij profileert zich geenszins als de deskundige die het allemaal beter weet. Een verademing, dat een professional als zij schrijft: “Geen van de recepten is bindend. Ik hoop juist u ertoe te verleiden ze aan te passen aan uw eigen smaak. Koken gaat het best op intuïtie. Als het deeg te nat en te zacht aanvoelt, trek u dan niets aan van wat er in het recept staat. Misschien is het in uw keuken vochtiger dan het in de mijne was toen ik het recept maakte; gebruik dan gewoon wat meer meel.”
Mamoesjka bevat zo’n honderd recepten, merendeels uit Oekraïne, maar ook uit o.a. Georgië, Moldavië en Azerbeidzjan. Bij elk recept staat de herkomst vermeld, alsmede de Russische naam van het gerecht, zowel in Cyrillisch als in Latijns schrift. Er is een onderverdeling in categorieën, vermeld in de inhoudsopgave voor in het boek. Er zit één niet-alledaagse en daarom extra interessante categorie tussen: Deegballetjes en noedels. Hercules legt prima uit hoe je noedeldeeg maakt en gevulde deegbuideltjes. Achterin staat een register om het zoeken naar de recepten te vergemakkelijken.
Na de inleiding volgt een opsomming van onmisbare ingrediënten. Niet alles is bij ons algemeen verkrijgbaar, in de receptuur wordt frequent verwezen naar Poolse winkels. Google wijst uit dat de dichtstbijzijnde voor mij op 45 kilometer afstand zit … Hercules draagt hier en daar weliswaar alternatieve ingrediënten aan, maar het is toch een beperking (waar zij uiteraard niets aan kan doen).
De inwendige lay-out van Mamoesjka is in orde, van de buitenkant word ik niet blij: de hardcover is kwetsbaar, alle hoeken zijn na kortstondig behoedzaam gebruik al gedeukt.
Van gefermenteerde tomaten tot Moldavische polenta en van taart met abrikozen en zure kersen tot ingelegde makreel, het ziet er op de afbeeldingen allemaal even smakelijk uit. Geen ingewikkelde bereidingen, wel soms tijdrovende.
Leukste receptnamen: Oekraïense drug en Drenkelingdeeg. ..... Lees verder op Hebban.nl.
October 11, 2015
There were a lot of things I knew I'd miss when I left home, but Ukrainian food didn't actually make the original list. It’s a bit strange seeing as some of my fondest memories of Ukraine have associations with food: the cold, crisp mornings on the fishing lake were made bearable with a few slices of rye bread, salo and a customary swig of warming vodka, while the evenings were spent in great anticipation of my grandmother’s homely cooking. Unfortunately, the recipes didn’t get passed down to me, but having recently had strange cravings for borsch and other Ukrainian dishes, I picked up this book to try and learn more about the food of my roots.
Altogether, the book is pretty good, easy to follow and although it isn’t particularly detailed in parts, it really doesn’t have to be. Ukrainian food is pretty simple, flavoursome and cheap and you can’t actually do that much wrong as long as your timings are correct. Annoyingly, Olia didn't give an overall time for cooking, but that's a minor complaint, seeing that her timings seem pretty spot on otherwise. I went wayward on a few recipes, replacing certain ingredients and adding others and everything I’ve tried thus far is delicious. I’ll be working through more of these recipes as and when my cravings take hold. There were a few Ukrainian dishes that I wish were present, but Olia seems to have decided to include eastern recipes, ones from Azerbaijan for example, which I felt were slightly disconnected to Ukraine from the perspective of culture and cuisine. I’m not sure this expansion was strictly necessary, but I guess it doesn’t do much harm other than make the recipes appear slightly random.
Altogether, the book is pretty good, easy to follow and although it isn’t particularly detailed in parts, it really doesn’t have to be. Ukrainian food is pretty simple, flavoursome and cheap and you can’t actually do that much wrong as long as your timings are correct. Annoyingly, Olia didn't give an overall time for cooking, but that's a minor complaint, seeing that her timings seem pretty spot on otherwise. I went wayward on a few recipes, replacing certain ingredients and adding others and everything I’ve tried thus far is delicious. I’ll be working through more of these recipes as and when my cravings take hold. There were a few Ukrainian dishes that I wish were present, but Olia seems to have decided to include eastern recipes, ones from Azerbaijan for example, which I felt were slightly disconnected to Ukraine from the perspective of culture and cuisine. I’m not sure this expansion was strictly necessary, but I guess it doesn’t do much harm other than make the recipes appear slightly random.
December 11, 2018
I learnt a lot of interesting things about the history and development of Eastern European cuisine from reading this book, as well as a few Russian words. I feel like I understand why certain foods became staples due to a history that I don't think feels as relatable and understandable when read in a history book as it can in a cookbook. I've been introduced to a new style of food and cooking, and everything I've made from it has been delicious. It's becoming one of my go to cookbooks, especially as the weather turns ever colder.
December 23, 2015
Beets! Pork! Fermentation! Cabbage! Pancakes!
I've been searching for a Eastern European cookbook like this for years. I love to moon around the Polish deli and buy candy and flatbread at the Serbian grocery. But, uh, I just didn't have recipes for any of that good down home Eastern European food. I only read English and don't have a granny to call on for it. Olia Hercules, thank you for sharing!
I've been searching for a Eastern European cookbook like this for years. I love to moon around the Polish deli and buy candy and flatbread at the Serbian grocery. But, uh, I just didn't have recipes for any of that good down home Eastern European food. I only read English and don't have a granny to call on for it. Olia Hercules, thank you for sharing!
December 20, 2015
I ran across this on a list of best food books of 2015 and decided to buy it in ebook form because the price was right. I've been looking for an eclectic, well formed book of recipes from this region that is virtually ignored by the american restaurant and food culture scene. The author mixes her personal reflections with photos and recipes. I'm hoping to spend one cold Saturday this winter making her recipe for vareniky.
January 16, 2020
There are no words to express enough how much I love this cookbook. I love the stories, I love the recipes - which I didn't know I love until I started to make them. It's enough for me to know that out of 10 recipes I've already tried - all 10 of them were a pure success. Though all those recipes were new to me; I still managed to re-create them. That's what I call a truthful cookbook.
Thank You, Olga, for introducing me to wonderful flavors of Ukranian cuisine.
Thank You, Olga, for introducing me to wonderful flavors of Ukranian cuisine.
May 22, 2017
A lush, lovely delightful cookbook.
While I might not make everything in this cookbook, or even most of it, I may...depending on who I am having over. Not just a cookbook, but a look at an attitude about cooking and culture.
Reccomend this to you if you are a food lover like me.
I will be purchasing this to have in my collection.
While I might not make everything in this cookbook, or even most of it, I may...depending on who I am having over. Not just a cookbook, but a look at an attitude about cooking and culture.
Reccomend this to you if you are a food lover like me.
I will be purchasing this to have in my collection.
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