Amber & Rye

In short, I think this is a fabulous book and a very pleasing addition to my library of recipe books. But to be fair it isn’t just a cook book, it contains a beautifully descriptive narrative of a region of the world that I really knew very little about, and I found this fascinating also. The combination of narrative, photos and interesting recipes that I’d never encountered makes this a great book.
I would definitely recommend this book.
My thanks to NetGalley, Murdoch Books and Zuza Zak for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

What a lovely book! Amber & Rye is much more than a cookbook. It is an experience that we make with Zuza Zak, who takes us on a journey to reconnect with her roots, walk in her grandma's footsteps, and explore the Baltic States. The book guides the reader through a bit of history and context of each of the locations, just enough to set the scene and create the atmosphere.
With each step of the journey, we discover the culinary culture of this part of the world. We explore the use of ingredients which we are not familiar with, and we learn a lot about very interesting cooking techniques like curing, fermenting, pickling and more. I found it fascinating because I did not know anything about the cuisine of this part of the world before I opened this book and I learned a lot.
I am definitely going to try Linda's tomato tart with Latvian green cheese , the fish soups, Greta's Medutis honey layer cake and the pumpkin buns. There is plenty in this book for those of us who wish to explore a new experience for our tastebuds.
I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, to Muroch Books and to Zuza Zak for the privilege of an advance readers copy of this delightful book.

A vibrant culinary journey through the Baltic region. More than a cook book, this is a mixture of gorgeous written passages about a region I'm desperate to return to. In a time when international travel is still limited, this is a perfect book to have on your bookshelf.