The Ukrainian author behind ‘Home Food’ talks about the power of food and its beautiful ability to unite us—even amongst conflict.
After Russia invaded Ukraine , Olia Herculesthought about memory and conservation — among many other things as conflict escalated in her base land . The author and Captain James Cook sprung into activity . She lift money to send bullet - proof vests to volunteers in Ukraine and , alongside food writerAlissa Timoshkinaestablished#CookForUkraine , a worldwide supper club through which restaurants and cooks donated investment trust for the war - torn country .
See , for Hercules , cooking is more than the bare preparation of a repast . It ’s about support each other . link with people , channeling comfort and warmth , sift through memories associated with different dishes — this is the power of food .
Whether she is forming the moolah forvarenykyand reflecting on her childhood or whisk up borscht for her sons , every ingredient holds weight and significance . In her latest cookbookHome food for thought , Hercules delve into the significance of food and its power to share and uphold civilization , especially those less explored , sport recipes from her married man , neighbour , and fellow chef .
Olia Hercules|Photo by Joe Woodhouse
We spoke to Hercules about passed - down recipes , home - cooked meal , and how intellectual nourishment , even in the most turbulent situations , unify us .
Thrillist : What made you want to put this cookbook together?Olia Hercules : I always think of myself as more of an anthropological discoverer , not just a Captain Cook . I ’m used to telling other people ’s story and histories , and during the pandemic , I feel like I became more observant , and that ’s when I smelled linden tree diagram blossoms , and they reminded me of Ukraine . After that , I wrote the first essay in the book ; clobber just started pouring out of me .
At first , [ the playscript ] was supposed to be a simple collection of family recipes , but I also have these essays about connecter . It feel to me it did n’t really matter where you are from and where you ended up . I farm up in Ukraine , then I lived in Cyprus , then I sound to Italy , then I end up here [ in London ] .
Vegetable Gratin Balkan-Style|Photo by Joe Woodhouse
With solid food , when you talk about it or even partake in food together there ’s just some magic that happens because it ’s such an elemental matter that everybody does . It ’s a dainty stop where different cultures can in reality understand each other quite well .
In your book , you write : “ We all have so much more in vulgar than what separate us , and good food and good stories are universal . ” Why is food such a unifying component in our lives?We need food to live ; it ’s something everybody does . Certain foods can take you back to feeling like a child , when you were a little bit less burdened by the world . It ’s this thing we all have in common , these moment that translate into so many culture . There ’s a formula where chef Jeremy Lee talks about his lentil soup , and he aver “ Sometimes , when I deplete it , I experience my grandmother ’s hand on my shoulder joint . ” It ’s all so twine .
I think food has always been political , but not needfully in the sentiency of who it belong to . Food is about identity . I think especially now , in the face of this genocide that ’s happening with the Ukrainian hoi polloi , and Russia just desire to all obliterate us , obscure our spoken language , our civilisation , and with it , our food . It ’s becoming more and more acute .
Olia Hercules with her family|Photo by Joe Woodhouse
One of my dreams now is to document dishes from each part of Ukraine . With so many cities being rase to the ground and people being deported , I just want to record those formula that might disappear or that have n’t had that much tending , to delve into the regionality of thing and talk to people who still remember all of those recipes . For both Ukrainians and people all over the globe , to not let them erase us .
Your book feature recipes by other people , like your husband and fellow chefs . What made you want to admit those recipes?In my cooking life , I do n’t just fake Ukrainian food ; I make protagonist ’ recipes as well . I like telling my story and my family story , but the cookbook was also a style for me to let in other citizenry ’s stories . One of the most authoritative and interesting things to me is to shine the light of where I induce certain recipes from and tell that person ’s write up .
For exemplar , there ’s Barb ’s Bengali chicken [ from ] my neighbor Barb . During the pandemic , I had just given nativity and it was kind of a eldritch and unsettled sentence . We had just moved . And then Barb suddenly just get going get over with this awe-inspiring Bengali food . One was this really spicy variety of roast Bengali chicken . At some point , I was like , “ Barb , would you teach me this ? ” We actually became friends — there was this little second of link . I ’m surrounded by these incredible people who have been so generous , and we ’ve been exchanging food . It ’s really nice to resurrect that touch sensation of community , specially live in a bountiful city .
Peanut and Dulce de Leche Cake|Photo by Joe Woodhouse
What was your best-loved meal your female parent made growing up?She would make these varenyky dumplings , which were in a triangular conformation . One day , I came back from school , and I was so pitiful , and I ca n’t call back what materialise , but I think back I was like , “ All I need in my lifetime is these dumpling to make me sense well , ” and she made them , and I ’ll never forget it . It ’s definitely my last - twenty-four hour period - on - earth meal , especially if it can be made by my mammy because she makes them in a really special style ; she induce the high mallow herself . And then you do the dumpling with loads of butter and sour cream . I ’m drooling just intend about them now . I need to make them , but I know they are not go to be the same as my mom ’s .
What do you hope mass take away from your cookbook?I desire that people find themselves in it , that they can relate and start to pay attention to those little moment , to actually kind of pause and really savor them . And maybe to get inspired to fix something for their neighbor or talk to their grandparent and jot some recipes down . Also to finger a picayune turn more affiliated to everyone . There ’s so much division in good order now ; we often draw a blank that really there are things that we have in vulgar . And you know , even just with your neighbor , perhaps it ’s deserving taking a little patty over and seeing if some kind of a nice family relationship come out of that , and if they ’re from a different country then that ’s all for the better . Maybe they ’ll teach you how to make an amazing Bengali chicken .
