French cuisine in Russia and Russian literature

Abstract to the book "French Cuisine in Russia and Russian Literature" by V. L. Zadvorny: Medieval France was one of the first European countries to create cookbooks, which helped preserve the continuity of the gastronomic tradition, dating back to the times of Roman Gaul. It is not surprising that the influence of this national cuisine on pan-European and especially Russian gastronomic culture is very great. In his book, V. Zadvorny traces this influence using Russian classical literature, analyzing how Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Tolstoy, Goncharov, Leskov, Chekhov and many others wrote about French dishes. Separate chapters are devoted to the history of the French cookbook, dining tradition, wines, restaurants of St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as French gastronomic terms that have entered the Russian language. Read more…