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A review by scritchley
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya von Bremzen
5.0
One of the best food memoirs I've read! I did this one as an audiobook, and the narrator had a pretty great Russian accent, which really put me in the right headspace for contemplating all of these Soviet dishes and memories.
This was one of the least self-centered memoirs I've ever encountered. The author spends a great deal of time telling the story of her mother's experience growing up in Soviet Russia in addition to her own life as she and her mom move to the US during her childhood but still keep ties to family and friends in Russia throughout her life. So it's a mother-daughter combo memoir, but it's also a memoir of Russian history as it played out in the lives of regular people. The book is loosely structured around these dinner parties that von Bremzen and her mother host organized around a different decade of Russian history throughout the 20th century, so we learn about the revolution and every leader of the country. I would love to learn more about the Stalinist food minister, Anastas Mikoyan, who was responsible for the ubiquitous cookbook "Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" that von Bremzen and her mother had during her childhood. The food writing was also exquisite and filled with such longing and respect for the dishes of nostalgia. This book has a lot of heart and expertly navigates the difficulty of feeling patriotism and pride for one's upbringing while also knowing how terrible it was.
This was one of the least self-centered memoirs I've ever encountered. The author spends a great deal of time telling the story of her mother's experience growing up in Soviet Russia in addition to her own life as she and her mom move to the US during her childhood but still keep ties to family and friends in Russia throughout her life. So it's a mother-daughter combo memoir, but it's also a memoir of Russian history as it played out in the lives of regular people. The book is loosely structured around these dinner parties that von Bremzen and her mother host organized around a different decade of Russian history throughout the 20th century, so we learn about the revolution and every leader of the country. I would love to learn more about the Stalinist food minister, Anastas Mikoyan, who was responsible for the ubiquitous cookbook "Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" that von Bremzen and her mother had during her childhood. The food writing was also exquisite and filled with such longing and respect for the dishes of nostalgia. This book has a lot of heart and expertly navigates the difficulty of feeling patriotism and pride for one's upbringing while also knowing how terrible it was.