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[RUSSIAN CULINARY] Prakticheskie osnovy kulinarnogo iskusstva. 11th edition [i.e. The Practical Fundamentals of the Culinary Art. A guide for culinary schools and self-study]

Alexandrova-Ignatieva, P.P.

Item #2240

St. Petersburg: Novoe vremia, 1916. VIII, 957 pp.: ill., 21,5x15 cm. Contemporary quarter-leather binding. Handwritten recipes on the endpapers, dated 1936 and signed Olga Ivanovna Tumakova. Spine is restored, the corners of the boards are bumped. Margins of the pages are slightly browned, tape repair on verso of t.p. and p.54. Otherwise in good condition for the book of its type.

The last pre-revolutionary edition of one of the most beloved culinary books in Russia in the beginning of 20th century.
The first edition of the book was published in 1897 under the title: “A Guide to the Study of the Fundamentals of Culinary Art”;
The cookery books of Pelageya Pavlovna Alexandrova-Ignatieva (1872-1953) meant no less for Russian gastronomic culture than the publications of Elena Molokhovets. The book “Practical Fundamentals of Culinary Art” became the main book in the life of this young lady from St. Petersburg, who graduated from a culinary school and then taught culinary art there for many years, well into Soviet time. The main difference between this book and the works of previous authors (Molokhovets, Avdeeva, Stepanova, etc.) is that this is a textbook, and not just a list of recipes. The main thing the author focuses on is mastering food processing techniques and typical chef’s cooking methods. “For students of culinary schools, both intelligent housewives and simple, semi-literate cooks, this book is convenient in that it contains the entire course that is taken at school, and, therefore, students do not have to waste time on taking notes and consuming him for practical classes. This is the main goal of this publication...”
Some of the recipes include hare cheese, turkey galantine, Muscovite jelly, chamois saddle, barberry jam and other now forgotten recipes.
Here’s a quote on making Belarussian national dish, kalduny: “Lithuanian kolduny differs from pelmenis only in that the minced meat for them is prepared without pork and a little marjoram is put in it. In appearance, they are larger and have the shape of a crescent rather than a cap. The dough for them and the method of cooking them are the same as for pelmeni. Melted butter and vinegar are served to the kolduny; sometimes they are sprinkled with crushed sifted breadcrumbs”.
The book also contains one of the first recipes for Olivier salad, which became one of the most iconic dishes on Soviet and now Russian New Year’s table.
Also included in the book is a “Short Popular Course in Meat Science,” written by the famous veterinarian and husband of the book’s author M.A. Ignatiev.

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Status: On Hold