📝 Item Description:
✨ Why This Book is Special:
This is not just a recipe book; it is a profound piece of Western Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The First Ukrainian Practical Kitchen: The book includes carefully preserved culinary recipes by Olga Fedorivna Franko, which originally saw the light of day back in 1929 in Kolomyia under the title "The 1st Ukrainian General Practical Kitchen".
Cooking as an Art Form:
As beautifully highlighted in the book’s foreword, our grandmothers elevated cooking to the rank of fine art. It reflects the soul of the Ukrainian home—where the kitchen table is a sacred space covered with a traditional white tablecloth, featuring round bread like the sun, and a warm hearth that embodies the spirit of peace, love, and high moral ideals.
A Literary Connection:
Olga Franko was the daughter-in-law of the legendary Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko. This edition even features unique poetic reflections on the "earthly mission" of cooking by Halyna Mazurenko, a prominent poet of the Prague School of Ukrainian Poetry.
🥣 What’s Inside?
You will find a wide, authentic range of traditional Galician (Western Ukrainian) cuisine:
Delicious historical snacks and appetizers.
Genuine Carpathian and Ukrainian Borscht and traditional soups.
Hearty meat and fish dishes (including vintage butchery diagrams like the one shown in image).
Traditional Ukrainian baking, cookies, pastries, and sweet jams.
📋 Item Specifications
Author: Olga Franko (Ольга Франко)
Title: The Practical Kitchen / Практична кухня
Publisher: Kamenyar, Lviv (Каменяр, Львів)
Year of Publication: 1992 (Second Edition)
Language: Ukrainian
Format: Hardcover / Pocket-sized hardcover
Dimensions: 170 mm x 145 mm (Approx. 17.0 x 14.5 cm)
Pages: 238 pages + beautiful vintage color illustration plates
Circulation: Limited vintage print run (50,000 copies)
🔍 Condition Report
Overall Condition: Good Vintage Condition.
Cover: The hardcover shows minor shelf wear, light natural aging, and vintage character consistent with its 30+ years of age.
The spine and binding are firm and intact.
Pages: Inside pages are crisp, completely clean, and fully readable.
Includes wonderful mid-century style color food photography plates.
Note on Authenticity: There is a lovely, authentic handwritten personal gift inscription in blue ink on the flyleaf dated 09.02.1993 (shown in image_3.png), adding to its unique vintage charm.
✈️ Shipping & Handling
Safe Packaging: Carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and shipped in a sturdy box to preserve its vintage condition.
Worldwide Tracking: A tracking number will be provided immediately upon shipping.
Combined Shipping: Happy to combine shipping costs if you purchase other items from my store!
Capture a piece of authentic Ukrainian culinary history!
If you have any questions or need extra pictures of specific sections, please feel free to ask.