Alas this day had to come - this is the last official episode of the DARK season!

In Episode 15 I delve into the historical culinary trials and tribulations of Russia with Darra Goldstein, Professor Emerita of Russian at Williams College (USA) and author of The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food. We discuss the importance of ‘black’ rye bread which is at the heart of any traditional Russian meal; the folklore surrounding it and how Russians survived during periods of privation.

Useful Links

You can find out more about Darra and her work on her website which contains some mouthwatering sample recipes. You can also follow Darra on Instagram.

Darra’s books include:

* The Kingdom of Rye: A Brief History of Russian Food

* Beyond the North Wind: Recipes and Stories from Russia

* Fire and Ice: Classic Nordic Cooking: Classic Nordic Cooking

* Darra has written a range of books on preservation co-authored with Cortney Burns. Topics include vegetables, fruit and drinks.

* Darra is also Editor In Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of Food Studies.

If you’re interested in ancient grains like rye you may also want to check out Ruth Nieman Substack and her book Freekeh, Wild Wheat & Ancient Grains: Recipes for Healthy Eating.

This is the last official episode of the season but there will be a few inter-season episodes dropping over the coming months to sustain you! Listen to the end of episode 15 to discover the theme for Season 4.

If you enjoyed this season please consider leaving a small tip to help support the podcast for future seasons.

Don’t forget to check out the Comfortably Hungry Substack!

Don’t forget you can follow me on Instagram or Bluesky @mrssbilton or find out more about my work on sambilton.com.

A huge thank you to Thomas Ntinas of The Delicious Legacy for doing the sound mixing on this season of the podcast.

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