What to eat in the Baltics

Baltic cooking is rooted in what the land and sea provide -- rye, pork, potatoes, dairy, forest berries, smoked fish. The three countries share a climate and a pantry, but each has developed its own traditions. This guide covers the dishes you should try in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and where to find them.

Latvia: rye bread, smoked fish, and grey peas

Latvian food starts with rye bread. Dark, dense, slightly sweet, and often baked with caraway seeds, it appears at every meal. In Riga, Latvia, the bread stalls at Riga Central Market sell loaves that are still warm. The market itself -- housed in five former Zeppelin hangars near the Old Town -- is the single place to start any food tour of the country.

Piragi are small crescent-shaped pastries filled with smoked bacon and onion. They are a staple at celebrations and family gatherings, but bakeries in Riga, Latvia sell them year-round. Grey peas with smoked pork is the closest thing Latvia has to a national dish -- a simple, filling plate of whole dried peas cooked with onion and served with pieces of smoked meat. You will find it at traditional restaurants throughout the capital.

Smoked fish is everywhere, especially at the market and along the coast. Smoked lamprey -- an eel-like fish caught in Latvian rivers -- is a seasonal delicacy available in autumn and winter. To drink, there is Riga Black Balsam, a dark herbal liqueur made from 24 ingredients. It is traditionally mixed into coffee or warm blackcurrant juice.

Lithuania: cepelinai, cold beet soup, and tree cake

Lithuanian cooking leans heavily on potatoes. The national dish, cepelinai, is a large dumpling made from grated potato dough and stuffed with seasoned pork, then served with a ladle of sour cream and fried bacon bits. The name comes from the dumpling's resemblance to a Zeppelin airship. Every traditional restaurant in Vilnius, Lithuania serves them, and portion sizes tend to be generous -- two is usually enough.

Saltibarsciai -- cold beet soup -- is the taste of Lithuanian summer. It is a bright pink bowl of buttermilk or kefir blended with grated beets, cucumber, dill, and hard-boiled egg, served chilled alongside hot boiled potatoes. The colour is striking and the flavour is lighter than it looks. You will see it on menus from June through September across the country.

In Trakai, Lithuania -- a lakeside town 30 minutes from the capital -- the local Karaim community makes kibinai, a half-moon pastry filled with mutton and onion. They are sold warm from small bakeries near the castle. For something sweet, look for sakotis, a towering tree cake made by dripping batter onto a rotating spit over an open flame. The result is a sculpture of golden spikes that you break off piece by piece. Dark rye bread, often flavoured with coriander seed, rounds out the table.

Estonia: blood sausage, kama, and herring

Estonian food has a Nordic edge. Verivorst -- blood sausage -- is the traditional Christmas dish, served with lingonberry jam and sauerkraut. Outside the holiday season, it appears in restaurants that focus on Estonian heritage cuisine, particularly in Tallinn, Estonia's Old Town.

Kama is a uniquely Estonian ingredient -- a flour made from roasted barley, rye, oat, and pea, mixed into buttermilk or quark as a dessert or breakfast. It has an earthy, nutty flavour. Baltic herring, pickled or fried, is served across the country, often with boiled potatoes and sour cream. In the countryside and on the islands, elk and wild boar appear on menus alongside other game meats, especially in autumn.

Vana Tallinn is Estonia's signature liqueur -- a sweet, rum-based drink with cinnamon and vanilla notes. Like Latvia's Black Balsam, it is often added to coffee. For a broader sampling of Estonian flavours, the restaurants around Tallinn, Estonia's Town Hall Square serve tasting menus built around seasonal local ingredients.

Where to eat: practical tips

Markets are the starting point in all three countries. Riga Central Market in Riga, Latvia is the largest, but Hales Market in Vilnius, Lithuania and Balti Jaam Market in Tallinn, Estonia are both worth visiting. Each has a mix of fresh produce stalls, prepared food counters, and small cafes where you can sit and eat.

For sit-down meals, look for restaurants that describe themselves as serving traditional or heritage cuisine. Prices at these places are moderate by European standards -- a main course with a drink typically costs between 12 and 20 euros. In smaller towns and along the coast, roadside smokehouses and farm-to-table guesthouses often serve the most memorable food of any trip through the region.