Olha Franko (Bilevych, 1896–1987), my grandmother, was a wonderful cook. It's no surprise: from 1920, she lived in Vienna where she attended culinary courses at the Higher School of Home Economics. In 1929, in Kolomyia, she published her first cookbook, Practical Kitchen (Persha ukrainska zahalno-praktychna kukhnia). As a child, I loved being in the kitchen watching my grandmother cook. The recipes in my family have been passed down from generation to generation: from grandmother Olha to my mother Vira, from mum to me, and from me to my children and grandchildren. That's why I want to share these recipes not just within the family, but make them accessible to everyone.
Bon appétit everyone!
Ivanna Miliyanchuk
(From Olha Franko's book "Practical Kitchen") Turkish kysil is a variety of milk pudding popular in Muslim countries, where it is known as "Muhallebi." This name was coined by the Arab general Al-Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra. The recipe for this dessert was found in an ancient Islamic cookbook from Andalusia, noting it was prepared as early as the 7th century, and also in the world's oldest Arab cookbook, the "Kitab al-Habikh."
(From Olha Franko's book "Practical Kitchen") Our little garden was full of fruit trees, and our grandmother would put up all manner of preserves and marmalades. Apples and plums she would pack into clay pots and bake them in the oven. Come winter, she always had something to spread on bread, or to serve with crêpes, biscuits, and cakes…
(From Olha Franko's book "Practical Kitchen" 1929) «Take a pot of green gooseberries, crush them in a mortar, press the juice through a loose cloth and pour it over the rose petals until they are all submerged in the juice…» Today this description sounds almost like poetry. )) Green gooseberry juice was infused with rose petals, then cooked with sugar into a fragrant syrup…
(From Olha Franko's book Practical Kitchen, 1929) Ingredients Preparation
(From Olha Franko's book <em>Practical Kitchen</em>, 1929) A Garden Novelty. In autumn, when the shelves in the shops bow under the weight of all manner of fruits and vegetables, we spot among the produce a dark purple, egg-shaped fruit called an aubergine, or in English, an egg-plant. Some of our housewives eye them with suspicion. …
(From Olha Franko's book "Practical Kitchen", 1929) "Before I was born, the family called Olha Franko simply Baba — with a capital B, no less. From my mother (Ivanna Milianchuk) and from Baba Vira (Franko), you would often hear: 'We must call Baba, visit her, bring her something, ask her.' With great respect …
A young Ukrainian cook stumbles upon a 1929 cookbook — and its author's ghost. The Taste of Freedom is the film that brought Olha Franko back to life for a whole new audience.
