French Cuisine in Russia and Russian Literature

Medieval France became one of the first European countries to create cookbooks, which allowed for the preservation of a continuous gastronomic tradition dating back to Roman Gaul. It is not surprising that the influence of this national cuisine on European... and especially Russian gastronomic culture is very significant. In his book, V. Zadvorniy traces this influence through the lens of Russian classical literature, analyzing how French dishes were described by Pushkin, Vyazemsky, Tolstoy, Goncharov, Leskov, Chekhov, and many others. Separate chapters are dedicated to the history of the French cookbook, dining traditions, wines, restaurants in St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as French gastronomic terms that have entered the Russian language. Vitaly Zadvorniy is a candidate of philosophical sciences, a translator, and the chief editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia.