![\"piroggen_3\"](\"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/piroggen_3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nOne dish I kept stumbling upon was pirozhki<\/em>. And whenever there\u2019s feasting in a book, you eventually crave a hearty meal yourself. At some point, I came across pirozhki again in the cookbook The World in Lafer\u2019s Kitchen<\/em> and immediately thought of all those Russian banquets. It was quickly decided what we\u2019d be having for dinner.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A pirozhok<\/em> is a yeast dough pastry filled with a mixture of minced meat, bacon, salt, and pepper. In my books, there were countless variations and different fillings \u2014 the full creativity of the well-disciplined kitchens of Russian estates at work. But even the standard filling is delicious enough to try. Preparing them takes some time since you first have to make the dough, then shape and fill the pastries. So it\u2019s not something for the \u201c20-minutes-after-work\u201d kitchen. But they\u2019re worth the effort \u2014 pirozhki are simply tasty. You can even eat them cold the next day. It\u2019s a wonderful culinary tip I probably wouldn\u2019t have discovered without my books, even though pirozhki are not an exotic dish and can even be found in modern cookbooks today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I also find dishes fascinating that no longer exist. I think it was in Dead Souls<\/em> by Gogol, where the translator explained in the afterword what kind of dish it might have been but couldn\u2019t really translate it because it doesn\u2019t exist anymore. That\u2019s not truly tragic, though \u2014 when I look at our mountains of cookbooks, it\u2019s already hard enough to cook through all of them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n At one end, there are ordinary books that mention food or weave cooking closely into their stories. I think of John Saturnall\u2019s Feast<\/em> by Lawrence Norfolk, where a young, talented cook ends up in the kitchen of a manor house. It\u2019s a wonderful novel that vividly portrays the operation, cooking, and preparation of food in the 17th century \u2014 almost tangible through the senses. At the other end are cookbooks, of course, which contain only recipes. In between, there are books like Heute koch ich, morgen brat ich<\/em> by Stevan Paul. Each chapter is introduced by a fairy tale, followed by several matching recipes. Very inspiring \u2014 and for the gourmet, a delight just to browse, since modern cookbooks are often beautifully designed and accompanied by atmospheric photos.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In any case, cooking, eating, and literature belong together \u2014 there\u2019s no doubt about that. And even those who aren\u2019t gourmets or dislike cooking can hardly escape it, because in the end, we all love to feast.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What about you? Have you ever discovered a delicious dish in a book? Do you have many cookbooks, and if so, what role do they play for you? Which books about cooking and eating would you recommend?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a bookworm, one has the privilege of traveling far and wide while lounging comfortably in the reading chair at home. Suddenly, you find yourself in various corners of the world, usually somewhere in the past, and inevitably you\u2019ll end up at one or another lavishly set table. Food and drink have always preoccupied people … <\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n