Culinaria Russia. Ukraine. Georgia. Armenia. Azerbaijan.

Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan: countries on the chreshold of Europe and Asia. The many different landscapes and countless peoples and ethnic groups have left their mark on the culture and cuisine of these lands, and created a wealth of traditions that vary from region to region and coun try to country. This book invites you to accompany us on a unique culinary journey -from the Carpathians to the Pacific, and from the Arctic Circle to the Caspian Sea. Sit down with us beside the stove in Russia. Marvel at the gigantic zakuska tables and the opulent feasts of the Tsars. Warm to the Russian winter with ice fishing, steam baths, and tea from a samovar. Learn all there is to know about vodka and caviar, and discover many different peoples and their specialties. Travel to the Ukraine, the home of Crimean cham-pagne, borscht, and the great writer Nikolai Gogol. Wander through markets and the Black Sea metropolis of Odessa. Marvel at fine wines that have been stored in the Massandra winery for more than a hundred years. Get to know Georgia, where the lemon trees bloom and the tamada proposes toasts at festive banquets. Learn centuries-old tips for healchy cooking and experience the autumn festival Alaverdoba, celebrated by Christians and Muslims together in the region that may have been the birthplace of wine. In Armenia, meet the oldest Christian popular culture in the world. Wonder at animal sacrifices and professional readers of coffee grounds in a country where wheat and grape varieties have remained unchanged for thousands of years and bread is still baked in earch ovens. Learn how the Yezidi make cheese in the mountain pastures and the Armenians compete with the French with their konyak. In Azerbaijan, cross the border between West and East. Celebrate che ancient pagan festival of Novruz in the "Land of Fire," and visit the rice fields and tea plantations in Lankaran. Let the ancient caravanserais and oriental perfumes transport you back to the time of the Silk Road. This book reveals 372 pages of food and drink from these five eastern countries with their wealth of tradi-tions, and provides answers to many questions. How is caviar harvested, and how did Beef Stroganoff get its name? What is a wedding pirog, and how is mustard produced? Where do noodles come from, and why is salmon so healchy? How is Easter celebrated in Russia or Christmas in the Ukraine? Exciting and informative text on countless culinary and cultural topics, more than 800 photos, and over 250 recipes create the desire to enjoy this journey of discovery through space and time with all your five senses.