"Brief, but enlightening. . . . Deeply appreciative of Russian cuisine . . . and the ability of Russian cooks to take whatever was available and turn it into something edible and memorable."
-- "Food Politics""This concise, information-dense, yet delightful book provides a window into the nature and history of Russian national cuisine. . . . Goldstein's book...can be recommended to almost any reader."-- "Economic Botany"
"Replete not only with life and enthusiasm, but also with a deep wellspring of knowledge. . . . A wonderful, rich and thought-provoking book."-- "The TLS"
"A lyrical tribute to the author's decades-long relationship, both professional and personal, with Russian food. . . . If readers want to grasp the sensory and emotional importance of certain well-loved foods and dishes in Russia, they could do no better."-- "The Russian Review"
"The Kingdom of Rye contains an important coda on post-Soviet Russia... Goldstein offers a much more nuanced tale of Russia's location in both Europe and Asia. Here is a country that is entwined in what are now global culinary trends, and a people with a 'national longing for conviviality'"-- "Pearls and Irritations"