Salat Olivier for Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking

For Cook the Books Club this round we have been reading Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, by Anya Von Bremzen, the title of her memoir a bit tongue-in-cheek, as it might have been called Mastering the Art of Soviet Living.  Covering three generations of Russian life, which included millions dead, famine and food lines, before she and her mother fled to America from the repression of a Brezhnev era USSR.

At times horrific, sometimes sad and occasionally even funny, Anya's memoir is historically significant, though I was left somewhat confused, due to the held fantasy of an ideal socialism which never panned out. Russia's successive dictators led their country in a vast experiment, attempting to manipulate society, without regard for human nature, leaving former moral codes and God behind; those controlling powers having deemed religion "the opiate of the people." Von Bremzen seems in the end, to have a surprisingly  retained, lingering nostalgia for this failed socialist dream, looking down on Putin and Capitalism.  She at least has an excuse, having spent years of indoctrinated schooling in her home country.  Here in America it's astonishing how many seem to believe we should travel down that same path.  That it might work?  A scary thought.  This book should be required reading for Social Studies, Political Science or maybe Cultural Anthropology.  Definitely lots of food for thought here.


 Anya held a secret fixation with Lenin, despite her mother's anti-Soviet hatred of all he stood for.  However as a child she considered herself a "Mature Socialist."  That whole story is the funniest bit in her memoir.  At the age of 9-10 years old, a "proper black marketeer" she is bartering bits of Juicy Fruit gum and M&M's for money, services and favors, and eating at a nice restaurant from her proceeds, instead of attending a "silly ballet" class.  She wasn't actually in favor of emigrating, but did agree to it out of love for her mother.

What would have made the reading flow better, or easier, would be more translating of Russian words.  Why leave so many scattered here and there for us to stumble over?  Bits lost without translation.  As in: "A dewy-cheeked Kyrgyz Eve called out..."  (p.277) and what is a "ritzy Petrus" when it's at home?  Or, "old, noble Barolos"?    A dictionary in back might have been a good idea.  Minor nit-picking.

There was so much I would like to try as far as food, especially the Kulebiaka and the Georgian Walnut-sauced Chicken, but will save those special occasion dishes for when we have more people at our table.  What I did settle on was the Soviet style Potato Salad, Salat Olivier.  Though just substituting our own breadfruit - very potato-like, for the potatoes, celery instead of cucumber, and added some radish. Also left out the apple, as that was not traditional anyway, but an addition by Anya's mother.

This version of potato salad is not all that far off from what I'm accustomed to.  The main difference is probably adding crab meat and cooking the carrots.  We both enjoyed our Russian Salad, and I'm linking it up to the August Foodies Read Challenge and with  Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event,  in addition to our Cook The Books  Round-up.  Please do visit for good reading suggestions, and lots of yummy food.