The older generation never ceases to remember how delicious the food was in the USSR, but is it really so?

We are used to being told that the Soviet Union was the best country to live in with advanced production technologies. Soviet people were brought up with the conviction that everything that surrounds them was created by the minds and hands of a Soviet citizen. But was it really so? Words differ from deeds even in the most insignificant things. For example, “The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food,” which became the Soviet encyclopedia of proper nutrition, does not talk at all about the nutrition of a Soviet citizen, either in 1939 or 1956.



Instagram Many who lived in the USSR for decades remember with nostalgia the taste of the products of that time. And indeed, for violating production technology they could be shot or sent to prison. The quality of products was strictly monitored by GOST standards and regulatory authorities. The food industry was on the brink of survival, and no amount of repression could bring the country out of the hunger crisis.



Instagram Then, by order of Stalin, the then People's Commissar of Foreign Trade, Anastas Mikoyan, was sent to the United States in 1936 to learn from the experience of the food industry. Mikoyan arrived not only full of impressions, but also with some proposals from the American government. This is how food industry factories with the latest technologies began to appear in the USSR. But we have already talked about this earlier in our articles. After Mikoyan returned from America, it was necessary to raise the gastronomic taste of citizens and teach them to eat healthy and healthy.



Instagram A book about tasty and healthy food The “Book about tasty and healthy food” itself, published in 1939 and later, is a collection of contradictions in the ideology of socialism and dreams of capitalism with nostalgia for the old days. Even in their sweetest dreams, an ordinary Soviet person never dreamed of “Crabs with Hollandaise Sauce” or “Chocolate Mousse”. And the book in the first edition was simply full of French buns, croutons, canapés and crackers. But it was a stunning success and sold like hotcakes. Some learned new words and names of dishes, while others, on the contrary, remembered how delicious it was.



Instagram Mikoyan was obsessed with newfangled research and development. The food had to be not only satisfying, but also healthy and natural. All kinds of GOSTs, standards and rules made it possible to produce products of the highest quality using the latest equipment. Mikoyan dreamed of a well-fed nation, perhaps in some places his dreams were too childish. To create a balanced diet, Mikoyan invited the country's chief nutritionist to write a book. Manuil Pevzner was obsessed with calories. Thanks to him, dietary tables appeared that doctors prescribed for various diseases.



Instagram Recipes for dishes in the USSR But everything new is well forgotten old. And, of course, no one came up with new dishes. All the dishes in the “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food” are a collection of recipes from different peoples of the world. Moreover, we got very little from Russia. With each reprint of the book, the dishes changed their names and became simpler. The crouton was replaced by crouton, the pudding by jelly. When Kalmyks were deported to Siberia in 1943, Kalmyk tea was replaced with Indian tea. The same thing happened with dishes of Jewish cuisine and many other peoples of the USSR.



Instagram Today, if you get your hands on “The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food”, published in 1939, it is a real treasure. Using this book, the most ordinary housewife can prepare dishes that are now considered haute cuisine. And at the same time, most dishes are quite budget-friendly and today are available in any supermarket. What dishes did you like most in the USSR? Write your recipes in the comments.