This book offers a cultural and culinary glimpse of the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its aftermath through the life of one family. Part historical account, part recipe collection, it takes food as the vital element that survived war, persecution, bankruptcy, displacement and exile. To cook these recipes is both to celebrate that survival and to reflect on another time and another world, from the piquant delicacy of tomato soup enriched with rice to the rich sumptuousness of diverse cakes.