“Bread and Salt”: A Podcast Series on Cultural Diplomacy in Ukraine
By Natasha Hill, MALD 2022 alumna of The Fletcher School
In the words of Winnie the Pooh, “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words, but rather short, easy words like, ‘What about lunch?’” Food can foster relationships in an easy and relatable way. While culinary diplomacy as an academic or professional concept is rather new, food has been utilized as a powerful diplomatic asset for centuries, from kingdoms inviting neighboring leaders to engage in a meal, to the trading of various foods through the opening of global trade. UNESCO’s recognition of various foods from around the world as cultural heritage, including Georgian wine, Neapolitan pizza, and couscous (with four nations submitting an application together), shows the importance of cuisine to a country’s identity and culture. Food can allow people to learn about a country’s history and politics in a simple, understandable way. That’s why I created the podcast series “Bread and Salt,” which explores Ukrainian culinary diplomacy.
When various nations came under Soviet rule throughout the 20th century, their national cuisines were blended into the new Soviet culture. In 1952, “The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food” was published, providing readers with Stalinist propaganda and hundreds of recipes. To further unify the newly created Soviet republics, the dishes included in this cookbook originated from all over the USSR. Recipes from Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Crimea were detailed throughout. Even after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, these recipes remained common throughout the post-Soviet States. However, the Russian Federation also held onto the food traditions they gained from the blending of so many cultures and often claim them as their own. For many, spats over who gets to claim the origin of food can be light-hearted, such as the disagreement between Turkey and Greece over the origins of baklava. However, in the case of Russia and the former Soviet States, the battle over cuisine harbors significant political undertones. For Ukraine, Russia’s claims to their cuisine signified much deeper tensions.
After Russia annexed Crimea in the winter of 2014 and later ignited a war in Donbas, tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated. Ukrainians feared that Russia wanted to erase their cultural identity. While many believe in sharing food and national dishes, there’s a difference between sharing a cuisine with others versus someone else claiming that cuisine as their own. Russia’s claims to neighboring states’ cuisines as its own corresponds with its desire to deny those nations’ cultural heritage. Shortly after the 2014 invasion, Chef Ievgen Kloptenko successfully petitioned UNESCO to recognize borsch as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safe Guarding, in what he sees as a fight for Ukraine’s identity. Chef Kloptenko noted that he does not desire to withhold borsch from any nation, but sees it as something that can unite surrounding countries while also asserting Ukraine’s independence. Olena Shcherban, the Ukrainian Miss World 2000, described borsch’s importance perfectly, saying, “Borsch is art, borsch is language, borsch is culture, borsch is the history of my Ukraine.”
Apart from UNESCO’s recognition of Ukrainian borsch as a threatened cultural heritage, there are projects dedicated to educating the public on Ukrainian culinary history, or їzhakultura, which promote Ukrainian cuisine and culture. Following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, chefs mobilized to feed refugees and to use Ukrainian cuisine as a tool to educate the world on Ukraine and the history of Ukrainian-Russian relations. While learning about food may seem trivial in a time of crisis, “Bread and Salt” uses food as a tool to educate listeners on the history and politics behind what is currently happening. Please enjoy this three podcast series on culinary diplomacy, Ukraine, and the current food crisis, featuring various experts in the field.
Podcast Guests:
Sam Chapple-Sokol is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, where he founded the fermentation club. He, along with Paul Rockower, helped popularize the field of culinary diplomacy. Chapple-Sokol has worked as a pastry chef at the White House and an editorial director for World Central Kitchen and is now the editorial director at José Andrés Media. Listen to the episode here.
Yurii Kovryzhenko is the Ambassador of Taste for the Global Gastronomy® gold medalist and a Ukrainian food expert. Chef Kovryzhenko has established restaurants in various countries, most recently Mriya Neo Bistro in London, and has traveled the world promoting food as a diplomatic and educational tool. Since the war in Ukraine began, he has been tirelessly educating the public about Ukraine, raising funds for Ukraine through the #CookForUkraine campaign, and preparing meals for various fundraisers throughout London. Listen to the episode here.
Igor Piddubnyi is a master’s student at the Kyiv School of Economics and a junior researcher at the Center for Food and Land Use Research. He specializes in research concerning decentralization and land use and is involved in the Kyiv School of Economics analytical group on sanctions against Russia. Listen to the episode here.