The Personality of Antonina Masilune and Her Contribution to Preserving the Culinary Heritage

Abstract

Cookbooks are an essential type of publication in the field of food heritage preservation. Antonina Masilune (1921–2019) is a cook, popularizer of Latvian cuisine and author of several books, whose cookbooks are known both in Latvia and beyond its borders. The first book by Masilune “Everyday and festive table” was published in 1982, while until now the only cookbook in the world in the Latgalian language (one of the languages that is used in Latvia) “Povōru grōmota” (The Cookbook) was published in 1992. This determined the need, when developing the research, to get to know the food recipe books published by Masilune, with the aim of popularizing the culinary heritage by developing a new graphic design of the first and only book published in Latgalian. The redesigned cookbook will popularize the knowledge and skills of Latgale’s traditional crafts in Latvia and the world today, will introduce readers to the contribution of Masilune, an outstanding cook born in Rezekne (Latvia) and internationally known lecturer, fourth class officer of the Order of the Three Stars, (the highest award in Latvia) to the preservation of the culinary heritage. Research base: associates of Masilune – relatives (n = 5), students of culinary courses (n = 1). Research period – 2021, 2022. The research has a practical significance, because during the research a redesign was developed for the book published in 1992 by Masilune. The research results were obtained using theoretical research methods: research and analysis of scientific, journalistic literature and Internet resources, which reveal the nature of the relevant problem, as well as conducted interviews.