Baltic by Simon Bajada

This book celebrates traditional dishes from each country and adapts them to create nearly 70 delicious recipes suitable for home kitchens the world over. Baltic cuisine is a mixture of Russian and German culinary influences with spices thrown in such as cardamom and cinnamon because the region is a historic trading point with Byzantium. Rather than strive to be authentic to the core, author Simon Bajada has selected those Baltic recipes most suited to international palates, curating a mix that is a combination of traditional and contemporary Baltic cuisine tasty, basic, hearty food that makes use of simple techniques.

Start your day with Curd pancakes with sour cream & blackberry jam, and learn how to make Black bread and Latvian hemp butter, or try some Summer's milk soup. Baltic is your starting point for experimenting with the flavours of this resurgent cuisine.

The atmospheric photography captures the colour and vibrancy of the produce, local culture and landscapes as these countries emerge from 50 years of Soviet rule, reconnect with the past and embrace new promise for the future.