Leo Tolstoy's Family Recipe Book

This book features recipes from Tolstoy’s wife Sophia. Sophia Tolstoy’s 1874 “Cookery Book”, which was compiled for her by her brother from her diaries, provides a rich tapestry of the Tolstoy family’s dining habits.
Many of the original versions of the recipes lacked exact descriptions of ingredients and cooking times, but the recipes were edited by chef de cuisine at some of Moscow’s best fine-dining restaurants to insert the missing elements to make the meals you prepare as delicious as possible. So whether you’re looking for a modern revision on a classic or the original recipe right from the 1800’s, you’re guaranteed to find a meal you’ll love.

The book contains not only original recipes from Tolstoy and his family; it also includes diary entries written by his wife Sofia, his children, and others who stayed at his estate. These fascinating passages help illuminate the famous writer’s day-to-day life.

Sergey Beltyukov was born and grew up in Vladivostok, Russia. He later moved to Toronto, Canada, but now lives in Los Angeles with his better half and their cat. Although Beltyukov graduated with a degree in management, his time in college ignited his true passion: European history and the history of food. Today, he runs an international commerce company, but when he’s not managing his company, he spends his time at UCLA taking courses from their Writers’ program and volunteering as an editing corrector for the “All Tolstoy in one click” project, which is a project that aims to digitize the entire works of Leo Tolstoy.

Beltyukov describes himself as an amateur cook and historian as well as a full-time entrepreneur. His family loves to cook and eat at home and frequently entertain friends. For Beltyukov, an ideal dinner party would consist of friends telling stories around a table stacked with unique and new culinary creations.

Leo Tolstoy’s Family Recipe Book was born out of many hours of research and Beltyukov’s passion for unique and delicious meals and the stories behind them. In Beltyukov’s book, food isn’t just sustenance: it’s a culturally-important art form to be celebrated.