Traditional Ukrainian Cookery

vintage 1979

Hardcover with dust jacket

Rare

The first of its kind in Canada, Traditional Ukrainian Cookery preserves for posterity the Ukrainian way of cooking. Based largely on a number of selected recipes from various Ukrainian cookbooks published in Western Ukraine before the Second World War, several recipes have been contributed by a representative group of Ukrainian-Canadian homemakers.

As author and culinary artist Stechishin states in her Introduction: “the style of this book departs somewhat from the standard way of writing a cookbook. 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.” Might I add, that I’ve referred to my copy of Traditional Ukrainian Cookery many times over the decades precisely to peruse those extremely helpful references; and, yes, I’ve also presented the book as a gift–for it’s sure to be utilized, appreciated, and handed down through the generations as a treasured heirloom.

In addition to recipes featured specifically for Christmas, New Year, Yordan, and Easter, are those explicitly included as a cuisine cornucopia of recipes for sundry delicious, daily consumption: appetizers, soups, soup accompaniments, meat, poultry and game, fish, stuffings, sauces, eggs and cheese, griddle cakes, starchy foods (lokshyna, varenyky [pyrohy], holubtsi, and kasha), vegetables, salads, salad dressings, desserts, dessert sauces, breads and bread pastries, tort fillings and icings, confections, preserves and pickles. Also included are: common food equivalents and translating foreign measurements. This cookery is a virtual encyclopedia of gastronomy and culinary arts.

A graduate in home economics from the University of Saskatchewan, Savella Stechishin worked as a home economist for women’s services of the university and lectured to women’s groups in the field of foods.

In addition to studying, she was also the Dean of Women at the Petro Mohyla Institute, where she organized evening courses in cooking, homemaking, Ukrainian culture and cuisine, and public speaking for young women. Later, she taught in public schools and lectured in Ukrainian Language and in the Department of Women’s Services at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as ran an outreach programs for Ukrainian immigrants. Moreover, she lectured throughout North America and in Western Ukraine (Polish Galicia) prior to its annexation by the Soviet Union in 1939.

As a Ukrainian born in Ukraine, Savella Stechishin, née Wawryniuk, made significant contributions toward the recognition and preservation of the richness and beauty of Ukrainian traditions and handicrafts in Canada. In addition to being awarded many honors, Ms. Stechishin was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1989, was a recipient of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1998, and has been described as “an ethnocultural social maternal feminist.”

She helped establish the Ukrainian Women’s Association of Canada in 1926, which she headed for many years, and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in 1936.