Skip to main content
University of California Press

The Kingdom of Rye

A Brief History of Russian Food
by Darra Goldstein (Author)
Hardcover Paperback eBook
Price: $24.95 / £21.00
Publication Date: Apr 2024
Edition: 1st Edition
Title Details:
Rights: World
Pages: 200
ISBN: 9780520402072
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.25
Series:
Endowments:
Request an Exam or Desk Copy(opens in new window)RightsLink(opens in new window)Read an Excerpt(opens in new window)
Recommend to your Library (PDF)(opens in new window)Rights and Permissions

About the Book

Celebrated food scholar Darra Goldstein takes readers on a vivid tour of history and culture through Russian cuisine.
 
The Kingdom of Rye unearths the foods and flavors of the Russian land. Preeminent food studies scholar Darra Goldstein offers readers a concise, engaging, and gorgeously crafted story of Russian cuisine and culture. This story demonstrates how national identity is revealed through food—and how people know who they are by what they eat together. The Kingdom of Rye examines the Russians' ingenuity in overcoming hunger, a difficult climate, and a history of political hardship while deciphering Russia's social structures from within. This is a domestic history of Russian food that serves up a deeper history, demonstrating that the wooden spoon is mightier than the scepter.
 

About the Author

Darra Goldstein is the Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian, Emerita, at Williams College and founding editor of Gastronomica. She is author of six award-winning cookbooks, including Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface

Introduction
1 The Land and Its Flavor
2 Hardship and Hunger
3 Hospitality and Excess
Coda: Post-Soviet Russia

Acknowledgments 
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index

Reviews

"Brief, but enlightening. . . . Deeply appreciative of Russian cuisine . . .  and the ability of Russian cooks to take whatever was available and turn it into something edible and memorable."

— Food Politics
"Replete not only with life and enthusiasm, but also with a deep wellspring of knowledge. . . . A wonderful, rich and thought-provoking book."
— The TLS
"This concise, information-dense, yet delightful book provides a window into the nature and history of Russian national cuisine. . . . Goldstein’s book…can be recommended to almost any reader."
— Economic Botany
"A lyrical tribute to the author's decades-long relationship, both professional and personal, with Russian food. . . . If readers want to grasp the sensory and emotional importance of certain well-loved foods and dishes in Russia, they could do no better."
— The Russian Review
"The Kingdom of Rye contains an important coda on post-Soviet Russia… Goldstein offers a much more nuanced tale of Russia’s location in both Europe and Asia. Here is a country that is entwined in what are now global culinary trends, and a people with a ‘national longing for conviviality’"
— Pearls and Irritations
"The Kingdom of Rye is a fascinating read filled with culinary history from someone who has spent a lifetime immersed in Russian culture. I emerged from the book not only understanding the history of Russian tsars and serfs but also could almost taste Darra Goldstein's descriptions of such staples as kvass, kasha, and caviar. Bravo!"—Joan Nathan, author of King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from around the World

"Once again, Darra Goldstein has given the world an extraordinary gift in The Kingdom of Rye. Her clear writing, scholarly background, and avid interest in the foodways of Russia make this a book that merits reading every single word. It's a fascinating portrait of a country through time. Thank you, Darra, for this stunning brief history."—Deborah Madison, author of An Onion in My Pocket: My Life with Vegetables

"Darra Goldstein's glimpse into the world of Russian cuisine is colorful, fascinating, and eye opening. The Kingdom of Rye gives humanity and dimension to a culture that, all too often, is portrayed exclusively through the lens of politics. This book is a must-read for anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of Russia."—Molly Yeh, Food Network host and author of Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life on a Farm

Awards

  • Andre Simon Food and Drink Book Awards Longlist 2022 2022, Andre Simon Memorial Fund
  • IACP Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 2020, International Association of Culinary Professionals
  • IACP Awards Finalist (Literary or Historical Food Writing) 2023 2023, International Association of Food Professionals
  • Mary W. Klinger Book Award 2023 2023, Society for Ethnobotany