THE 1952 “BOOK OF TASTY AND HEALTHY FOOD” IN THE SYSTEM OF IDEOLOGICAL MYTHS OF THE USSR

Abstract

The article examines the 1952 “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food” in the context of the development of mass agitation and propaganda in the USSR. This colorful and richly illustrated publication was not only a guide to cooking, but also set the task of planting the idea of the achievements of socialist construction in people’s mind. The book proclaimed the triumph of the Soviet food industry and housing construction development. It was the first to describe such a social space as the kitchen, a place for cooking, and it dealt with a personal kitchen, and the appearance of gas stoves and refrigerators. The author shows that the guide, not least of all set the goal of stimulating the buying activity of citizens in order to replenish the state budget. The recipes presented in the book were aimed at different income strata of the society and people of various occupations. The book advertised delicatessen products: black caviar, artichokes, champagne, sturgeon, etc. At the same time, some of the recipes were targeted at working women, and the book featured a wide selection of convenience foods produced by the food industry. However, turning to the actual living conditions of citizens in this period allows us to conclude that for many readers the book was just a myth of a blissful life. The analysis of appeals made by citizens to the executive bodies shows that many of them did not even entertain the hope for the change for the better, and the process of modernization of the housing stock continued in violation of the norms of social justice. The abundance of food that was demonstrated in the book existed solely on paper. Even in large cities the distribution of food supplies to regular grocery stores was uneven. The situation in the provinces was even more patchy. In a planned economy, some foodstuffs were shipped over long distances. All this created the prerequisites for food shortage, and the “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food” was intended to fulfill, above all, an ideological mission.