A revelatory journey into the world of traditional Ukrainian summer kitchens, filled with evocative photography and gorgeous traditional recipes from borsch to poppy-seed babka.
Shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Book Awards 2021
Olia Hercules owes some of her earliest and fondest memories to the 'summer kitchens' of her parents, grandparents, neighbours and friends in Ukraine.
These small buildings are separate from the main house, and always positioned near a fruit plot or veg patch so families can enjoy the home-grown produce as it ripens, and preserve the surplus in preparation for winter. The number of summer kitchens is dwindling these days, but there is still so much we can learn about making the most of the vibrant summer produce throughout the rest of the year. Summer Kitchens contains recipes such as Borsch with duck and smoked pears, Burnt aubergine butter and tomato toast, Pot roast chicken with herb creme fraiche, Nettle, sorrel and wild garlic soup and Poppyseed babka.
With beautiful photography and writing on the people and lush landscapes of Ukraine, this book will transport you to idyllic summer kitchens past and present.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781408899090
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 1210 g
Dimensions: 246 x 189 mm
Summer Kitchens is a complete revelation. This wonderful book is such a stunningly beautiful evocation of spirit of place and sensibility, and I long to cook my way through it - Nigella Lawson
This is an important book. As a record of a way of life that wastes nothing and respects people, land and season, delight in the old ways runs through it like a silver thread. Wonderful stuff, and timely - Elisabeth Luard
What a wonderful world Olia and this book transport us to. Pure magic in its recipes and its storytelling - Anna Jones
Reading my way through Summer Kitchens has set me off falling in love with Ukraine. I’ve never been there but Olia’s beautiful words, her do-able and delicious sounding recipes, and the snapshots and scenery are all absorbing. I'm so pleased she is sharing these culinary secrets - Melissa Hemsley
Packed with beautiful recipes and photographs of makeshift kitchens that proliferate in veg gardens her native Ukraine’ - Daily Telegraph
For those seeking new cuisines and inspiration, it’s a lovely guide - Sunday Times
In her evocative new book, Summer Kitchens, Ukrainian writer Olia Hercules shares memories of her homeland … Appetising recipes for fresh, preserved and fermented garden-grown produce - Elisabeth Luard, Oldie
Celebrates the food of those long, hot Ukrainian summers, and the structures in which they were – and are – often cooked - Sunday Telegraph
Summer Kitchen is a cookbook with an edge. This books gives a lovely introduction to summer kitchens, which are out houses separate to the main house, usually used within summertime to prepare, cook and preserve food.... More
I read this book courtesy of NetGalley. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have learnt a great deal about Ukraine and the lives of ordinary folk centred around the kitchen. The book has stunning photography and... More
This is a wonderful cookbook that drops you into the middle of Ukraine. I confess I knew very little about Ukraine cuisine ahead of browsing, and so this was very informative. Full of anecdotes, historical context and... More
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