Delve into the harsh culinary history of Russia in this episode of The Dark Side of Dining, as host Kenny Mears welcomes back author and food scholar Darra Goldstein to explore how food has continuously shaped, and often plagued, the nation. Goldstein, a professor of Russian literature, reveals that Russia's challenges stem from a combination of geographical hostility (poor soil in the North) and severe political weaponization of food. Historically, natural famines were common due to weather and superstitious agricultural practices, but the 20th century transformed hunger into a tool of political control. Discover the brutal period of Stalin's collectivization, where grain was requisitioned from the fertile Chernozem soil of Ukraine, leading to the deliberate starvation of approximately five million people in the Holodomor. Goldstein hig ...