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Olia Hercules head shot - Epicurious

Olia Hercules

Cookbook Author

Olia Hercules was born in the south of Ukraine in 1984. She left her hometown Kakhovka at the age of twelve, when she moved to Cyprus. After finishing school, she moved to the UK where she studied Italian language and International Relations at the University of Warwick. After spending a year in Italy, Olia settled in London, pursuing a journalistic career after completing her Master’s degree. Following the financial crisis of 2008, Olia decided to quit her job as a film business reporter to pursue her dream to cook for a living. She trained at the renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine and then worked as a chef de partie in restaurants, including Ottolenghi, and as a recipe developer before landing a book deal for Mamushka, a cookbook that celebrates her family recipes, from Ukraine and Moldova to Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Mamushka has won the prestigious Fortnum and Mason Award for best debut cookbook 2016. Olia was named the Observer Rising Star of 2015. Her second cookbook is called Kaukasis: A Culinary Journey Through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Beyond and was released in 2017. She lives in London with her son Sasha and partner Joe, writing, cooking and feeding her unceasing curiosity by researching food culture and culinary traditions of countries less explored.

Recipes & Menus

Dark Greens and Noodles With Yogurt

You can use any greens that will wilt in this recipe—chard, kale, and spinach are all delicious with pasta and yogurt.
Recipes & Menus

Dumplings Over a Potato and Mushroom Stew

Serve this dish of dumplings over mushroom stew with a bright winter slaw or some pickles on the side.
Recipes & Menus

Sunshine Broth With Frikadelki

The carrots melt into the broth of this comforting soup with meatballs.
Expert Advice

Make a Giant, Cheesy Khachapuri for a Crowd

You can bake individual, boat-shaped Georgian flatbreads if you’ve got the time—or opt for one jumbo-size version if you don’t.
Recipes & Menus

Frumentaty (Easy Moldovan Flatbreads)

These easy Moldovan flatbreads are made by mixing the filling into the dough rather than stuffing it.
Recipes & Menus

Moldovan Breads With Cheese and Sorrel

The fillings for plachinda often include a salted fresh cheese, as well as spring onions and dill.
Recipes & Menus

Khachapuri for a Crowd

This oversize version of khachapuri, the Georgian cheese-filled bread, is both a time-saver and brilliant way to feed a group.
Recipes & Menus

Adjaran Khachapuri

This khachapuri recipe makes all you need for a meal—a luscious cheesy, eggy, buttery bath to dip bread into.
Recipes & Menus

Plakopsy (Greek Flatbread With Cheese and Spring Onions)

This fried Greek bread—stuffed with feta and spring onions—can be filled with chopped herbs for extra flavor.
Recipes & Menus

Burnt Eggplant Butter on Tomato Toasts

If you haven’t tried eggplant with butter before, this will be a revelation. It is delicious and silky and makes for the best starter or sharing dish. Add some fresh herbs too, if you have them.
Recipes & Menus

Beet Salad With Pickled Mushrooms and Caramelized Shallots

One take on the Ukrainian salad known as shuki, perfect for Easter.
Recipes & Menus

Poppy Seed and Pecan Strudel

It’s not a Ukrainian Easter celebration without makoviy rulet, a poppy seed and nut roll. Here, the process is simplified with store-bought phyllo pastry.
Expert Advice

My Sweet, Herby, Meaty, Springy, Ukrainian Easter Feast

This is how the writer-cook Olia Hercules remembers Easter—and how she cooks it now.
Recipes & Menus

Spring Lamb in Herbs

Any tender herb or green can be used in this riff on a traditional Georgian spring dish, but cilantro and dill make an exceptional, traditional pairing.
Recipes & Menus

Gia's Mushrooms and Egg

This dish is so simple, but I would award it numerous stars and accolades. Just find excellent mushrooms, really good eggs, some aromatics, and a tiny bit of spice, and you have a beauty of a dish.