Why the Author of the Iconic "Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" Died of Starvation (8 photos)

In the USSR, "The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" was incredibly popular. It was reprinted many times and was a staple on many a homeowner's bookshelf. Soviet editions didn't carry the author's name, merely stating that the publication was overseen by Anastas Mikoyan, People's Commissar for the Food Industry. But the book did have an author: Elena Molokhovets, an orphan, a graduate of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, the wife of the architect Franz Molokhovets, and the mother of ten children. This talented woman devoted a significant portion of her life to the popular cookbook, but she herself died of starvation in Petrograd.





The collection's title, "A Book on Tasty and Healthy Food," was not original. The original version was published in 1861 and was called "A Gift to Young Housewives, or a Means to Reduce Household Expenses." Its author, Elena Ivanovna Molokhovets, became the first woman in history to share her recipes and housekeeping tips with a wide audience.



Elena Ivanovna Molokhovets

The part of the title "A Tool for Reducing Household Expenses" was not a coincidence. Molokhovets truly gave housewives numerous tips on how to manage their households efficiently and simply save money. Elena Ivanovna believed that a young wife didn't have the time to learn the intricacies of housekeeping firsthand. While she was gaining experience, which would take years, the ship of family happiness could be wrecked on the rocks of everyday life.





The very first edition of the famous book

"Culinary Pirates" of the 19th and 20th Centuries

The author included over 1,500 recipes in the very first edition. The book was published 29 times, with a total circulation of 300,000 copies. Pirated versions were also published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fraudsters were not averse to profiting from Elena Molokhovets's fame. Researcher A. Kravetsky wrote about these forgeries as follows:

"The fraudsters' activities were facilitated by the fact that the first editions of the book were signed not with the full name, but with the four letters 'E. M...ts'. The Moscow bookseller Ioganson hired a teacher for 500 rubles, who compiled a compilation and called it 'A Real Gift to Young Housewives,' and on the title page, instead of the author's name, were the letters 'E. M...n'. To combat counterfeit editions, Elena Ivanovna began signing the books with her full name. This was of little help. Soon, 'A New Gift to Young Housewives' by E. Morovich appeared, then 'An Expensive Gift to Young Housewives' by Malkovets, and finally 'A Complete Gift to Young Housewives,' with Morokhovtsev listed as the author."



One of the many pirated versions

The author was treated no less unfairly during the Soviet era. Ninety percent of her book was ripped off and republished multiple times, beginning in 1939. The author, of course, was not mentioned at all. By that time, Elena Ivanovna Molokhovets was no longer alive. She died of starvation in Petrograd in 1918. This remarkable woman lived to be 87 years old, and fate was anything but kind to her.

A little about the author

Elena Molokhovets, née Burman, was born in 1831 in Arkhangelsk. Her father, State Councilor Ivan Ermolaevich Burman, was a civil servant, and her mother was a housewife. But Elena was left an orphan while still a teenager. She entered the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens in St. Petersburg, graduating with honors in 1848.



Soviet edition, 1954

After completing her education, Elena returned to Arkhangelsk and married. Her chosen one was Franz Molokhovets, a renowned architect in his time. Soon, the young family moved to her husband's new posting location, Kursk. It was in this southern city that the first edition of the cookbook was published in 1861.

A Tragic Fate and a Horrible Ending

In 1866, the Molokhovets family moved there. The writer's husband died there in 1889. She outlived him by 30 years. Elena Ivanovna's life was replete with tragedies. She buried eight of her ten children. Molokhovets died in December 1918, when hunger and cold reigned in Petrograd. There was no one to care for the elderly woman. For the Soviet regime, which was just gaining strength, she was a class enemy.



Soviet publications featured advertisements for various products.

Not a single publication reported on the death of this woman, famous throughout the empire. What could one expect from a refined noblewoman who, in her book, advised "giving the greaves to the servants?"

"When the meat is cooked on the bones, remove it, chop it up, and use it as mince for pies, loaves served with soup, for forshmak, etc., or give it to the servants."

"The ox's head is used for jellied meat, for the poorest class and for the servants."

"Every 10-15 minutes, pour the melted fat into a pot until it's all melted and only the greaves remain, which are then given to the servants to serve with some kind of porridge."



This was blatant decadence and bourgeoisism! Molokhovets was buried without ceremony in one of Petrograd's cemeteries and immediately forgotten. But her book continued to live independently of its author. Under the USSR, it was published annually, beginning in 1939. Interestingly, the Soviet cookbook was filled with advertisements. Readers were told about products produced in the Soviet Union that they had hardly ever seen.

Criticism of Molokhovets in the USSR

In the post-war years, the recipes from "The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food" were perceived as mockery. In 1957, the poet Arseny Tarkovsky wrote a poem about this:

"Where are you, lightly salted writer,

Molokhovets, weak-willed toady,

Bliss of ten-pound carcasses

Owners of ten thousand souls?

In what paradise? Purgatory? Torture?

Bone-crushing pit?

And where are your bream?

With asparagus in the mouth? Bordelaise crayfish?

Croesus lobsters? Imperial mayonnaise?"



Modern edition of the book

It should be added that the recipes from Molokhovets's book are still popular. Many authors include them in their collections, some even citing the source. For passionate admirers of Elena Ivanovna's culinary art, the restaurant "Dream Molokhovets" is open in St. Petersburg. There you can sample a variety of dishes created from original recipes.

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