Along with the old-world recipes brought up-to-date, there is a brief portrayal of a way of life of the Ukrainian people, giving a chronicle of customs, traditions and ceremonies. It has been compiled for the benefit of Canadian-born Ukrainians who often ask for information about the background of their ancestors. Savella Stechishin

{HISTORY}

It's not often, so far at least, that a vintage cookbook comes to the shop that specifically focuses on heritage recipes for a particular ethnic group that immigrated to a foreign country. We have only had a few in the shop so far.  Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans highlighted recipes for Polish immigrants in the Chicago area.  The Settlement Cookbook celebrated Jewish culture for immigrants to Milwaukee and Calvin Lee's Chinese Cooking for American Kitchens shared traditional recipes served in his family's restaurant that brought comfort to waves of Chinese immigrants to New York City.  

This cookbook, Traditional Ukrainian Cookery follows that same pattern in that it highlights traditional recipes for Ukrainians who immigrated to Canada. First published in 1957, the recipes were compiled by Ukrainian-Canadian home economist Savella Stechishin (1903-2002).

When Savella first published this book, there were about 450,000 Ukrainian immigrants living in Canada, a large increase from the 10,000 that initially immigrated to the Great White North in the early 1900s. Savella's mission was to keep Ukrainian heritage alive by celebrating the traditional foods of their homeland and by teaching second and third-generation Ukrainian-Canadians the unique customs and culture of their Eastern European heritage. 

An educational force, Savella's pride in her homeland fueled her entire life in Canada. After immigrating from West Ukraine with her family as a young girl, Savella received a teaching degree in home economics from the University of Saskatchewan in the 1930s, went on to help establish the Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada, taught cultural classes to students at the St. Petro Mohyla Institute, wrote a cultural column for the Ukrainian Voice for over two decades and was involved in work for the Ukrainian Museum of Canada. Perhaps most notably though was her work on the domestic front with the publication of her cookbook in 1957. 

Published when Savella was 55 years old, it took her half a dozen years to complete the cookbook which highlighted over 650 traditional recipes mostly gathered from pre-WWII Ukrainian recipe books. The challenge was not in finding wonderful Ukrainian   recipes but in adapting them to modern-midcentury Canadian kitchens with proper measurements and ingredients equal in taste and flavor to that found naturally in the Ukraine. As Savella learned, foreign recipes don't always translate easily in foreign lands and much testing had to be done. Thankfully chapters of the Ukrainian Women's Association across Canada helped test and retest all the recipes to make sure that they were true representatives of traditional Ukrainian cuisine. 

The first Ukrainian cookbook ever published in English, Savella's cookbook became an instant bestseller, beloved by generations of Ukrainian-Canadians. In addition to recipes, it features notes on Ukrainian history, culture, holiday customs, and food presentation. Still in print through the 1990s, Savella's book has sold over 80,000 copies worldwide since its debut, making it not only a classic, go-to resource in both Canadian and Ukrainian kitchens but around the globe as well.

This listing represents the sixth edition published in 1973. A very hard-to-find cookbook these days, we are very excited to offer this one in the shop. 

Interesting recipes include Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Savory Roast Beef, Smetana Sauce with Green Onions, Lokshyna, Linyvi Holubtsi, Stuffed Onions, Potato and Cheese Casserole, Puffy Pampushky, Layered Sweet Nalysnyky, Sour Rye Bread, Babka with Pumpkin, Economical Perekladanets, Pyrih with Cabbage Filling, Uncooked Cheese Paska, Horikhivnyk, Caraway Krendi Pretzels, Crunchy Nut Rurky, Crackling Korzhyky Biscuits, Apple Pastila, and Dried fruit Candy plus so many more!

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1973 Edition, Sixth Printing by Trident Press, Winnipeg
  
• 496 pages
• Contains the original dust jacket
• Beautifully illustrated throughout with drawings by W.W. Dobrolige and black and white photographs 
• This edition features a printing error on page 367 with a publisher's correction sticker explaining the mistake

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition, this cookbook is clean and bright throughout containing no cooking spots, stains or notations. The dust jacket bears a small scuff on the front by the candle and some chipping along the top and bottom edge. The spine is tight and all pages are intact.

{SIZE}

Measures 9.25" inches (length) x 6.25" inches (width) x 1.5" inches (thickness) and weighs 2.4 lbs.