The chef on supporting her homeland, the power of broth and pining for Ukrainian wine
When Russia invaded Ukraine, I couldn’t eat. And I definitely couldn’t cook for the first month and a half. It was the feeling of guilt. I just felt, “How can I even cook anything when there’s such horror happening everywhere else in Ukraine?” Then, at the first event I did for #CookForUkraine, this woman I’d never met before came up to me and said, “I’ve brought you some broth.” I heated it up at home and had it out of a cup and it was just so life-giving. Then she started sending me a broth every week, and she’s been doing it for two months now. And that’s what I’ve been sustaining myself on.
When I was writing Mamushka, people would say, “Oh, you’re writing a Ukrainian cookbook? Is that about dumplings and potatoes?” I understand it: stereotypes are stereotypes, but hopefully I’ve been able to break some of them. Even when I spoke of Ukraine back then, it was like, “Is that Russia?” No, it’s not fucking Russia! Our culture has for years and years and years been suppressed. Language, food, everything. Continue reading...
