Olia spent summers in Mariupol, dashing through the massive food markets, eating dried fish with her grandparents, and picnicking on the beaches alongside tourists from around the world, including Russians.
However, in 2014 those neighbors mounted siege after siege upon Mariupol. The rounds of assault and resistance became so commonplace that Olia’s grandmother, who worked at the now infamous Azovstal Steel Plant, got used to them. Olia's family never suspected the full-scale besiegement that began February 24, 2022.
For 20 days, Olia, who now lives in Austin, Texas, lost touch with her grandmother and aunt while she used her training as a historian to meticulously track the information trickling out of Mariupol. After 30 days in a basement amid shelling, as her mother’s health failed, Olia’s aunt decided she would rather die trying to escape than staying the basement. This is Olia’s account of Mariupol as it was, her story of living through the first 100 days of Russia’s war on Ukraine, why she believes Russia will never fully succeed, and how she is preserving recipes as an act of resistance and hope.
Highlights
- Why was Mariupol immediately targeted for besiegement?
- Olia’s aunt and grandmother in hiding for 30 days
- “Even the act of cooking was unsafe”
- “I’d rather die trying to escape than in this basement”
- Their dramatic escape
- What are these filtration camps we keep hearing about?
- How Olia has coped
- What Olia is doing now - trying to preserve evidence of Russian crimes
- 50% of Ukraine is occupied or has fled
- Why Olia has hope for Ukraine
- “The fight is over, they just won’t accept it”
- “Russia just needs a lot of therapy”
- The support from Olia’s community in Austin
- The markets of Mariupol
- Mariupol and food culture in port cities
- Olia’s new mission is to preserve recipes that are being erased
- Reputable organizations to donate to
Listen to Olia Now
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
How To Contact Olia Koutseridi
Instagram: @ogi_the_yogi
Sign up for Olia's Substack Buy a Burnt Basque Cheesecake for Ukraine Support Liberty Ukraine: https://
The Storied Recipe Needs Your Help!
Please leave a 5-star review for the podcast right here!
This link will give all review options available on your device. Simply choose any option, click, and leave a review. Thank you!
The Storied Recipe Print Shop
Where every print tells a story.
High end prints for your kitchen walls: Download and print immediately.
The Storied Recipe Newsletter
The Storied Recipe is a community that believes food is a universal love language. Join for episode & recipe updates every Friday mornings. (And occasional free gifts!)
More Episodes with Food Professionals
- 176 Riding Waves and Whipping Up Kaiserschmarrn with Anna and Marco at Mellowmove Surf Camp
- 175 Food, Feminism, Fury (and Family!): Geraldine DeRuiter's Tale of the Nesselrode Pie
- 174 Onsite Interview: Exploring 500 Years of History at Auerbachs Keller in Leipzig, Germany
- 170 A Cookbook Worth the Wait with Murielle Banackissa
Would love to hear from you!