Los Angeles, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/25/2014 -- A Russian cookbook now available in English will delight both Tolstoy fans and scholars as well as any lover of traditional international cuisine and food history.

“Leo Tolstoy's Family Recipe Book,” edited by Sergei Beltyukov, features original recipies from Leo Tolstoy’s wife Sophia’s kitchen. The book, originally available in Russian, has now been translated in English for the first time. The new English edition can be purchased at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KI26OWI.

The cook book was featured in the hot releases section on Amazon.com and is bestseller in a multiple categories.

First titled “Cookery Book, second edition,” the original manuscript was revised and corrected in 1874 and published by Stepan Andreevich Bers, who dedicated the book to his sister, Countess Sophia Andreevna Tolstaya. Initially a sort of family joke from a loving brother to the great writer’s spouse, the collection of recipes offers a glimpse into the family life of the author of “Anna Karenina,” “War and Peace” and other masterpieces by Russia’s greatest novelist.

Not just another critical essay or Tolstoy biography, “Leo Tolstoy's Family Recipe Book” is an invitation into Tolstoy’s home, where hospitality was king, no matter where the family lived: the huge Yasnaya Polyana mansion or the writer’s small family residence in Moscow. The Tolstoys’ inner circle knew that they would always get a warm welcome by the diligent hostess – Lev Tolstoy’s wife, Sophia Andreevna Tolstaya (nee Bers).

Every day at the Tolstoy estate, a lavish feast composed of Russian and French dishes was served for the Tolstoy family and their guests. Sophia collected interesting recipes from relatives, family friends and guests. She used these recipes and the help of the family’s home cook to create daily breakfast, lunch and tea-drinking menus.

These recipes and cooking tips eventually laid the foundation for the Cookery Book published in a single copy by her younger brother Stepan in 1874. The book contained 162 recipes, over 50 of which are presented today in “Leo Tolstoy's Family Recipe Book,” as close to the originals as possible.

The “Translation of weights and measures, and terminology” section of the book will make modern Western readers familiar with a few specific ingredients and help them calculate the right amount of ingredients for each recipe. This book also contains excerpts from diaries and letters of Sophia Tolstaya and countless relatives and guests of the mansion, offering a deep and rich understanding of the atmosphere that reigned in the writer’s home.

About Sergei Beltyukov
Sergei Beltyukov was born and raised in Vladivostok, Russia, then moved to Toronto, Canada. He now calls Los Angeles home. While working on a degree in management, he fell wildly in love with the European history and the history of food. Now he owns an international commerce company. When he’s not working at his day job, he’s in the kitchen deciding what to make for dinner. Beltyukov is an amateur cook and historian and a full-time entrepreneur. "Leo Tolstoy's family recipe book" was born out of the many lively conversations had around his kitchen table ?nd of the idea to share Tolstoy’s amazing recipes and stories behind them.

Learn more at about “Leo Tolstoy’s Family Recipe Book” at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KI26OWI.

Media Contact :

Sergei Beltyukov
323-455-8449
sbeltyukov@yahoo.com