Lozhka

A celebration of Eastern European comfort food: 80 seasonal soups, stews, and porridges, each spoonful offering nourishment, memory, and flavor.

I couldn’t love this book more. — Diana Henry

Just as you would tuck into a bowl of Alissa’s quince borscht or linger over her boozy, chocolate- and smetana-layered trifle, I promise you will want to do the same with this deeply felt gem of a book. — Polina Chesnakova

In Lozhka, award-winning writer and co-founder of #CookforUkraine, Alissa Timoshkina, celebrates Eastern Europe through one of its most humble and powerful symbols: the spoon. Blending soulful recipes with rich storytelling, she brings together history, memory, and cooking in a portrait of the region that is both deeply comforting and strikingly contemporary.

From herb-scented soups and hearty grain stews to pillowy dumplings and custard-soaked desserts, each dish carries a sense of meaning, memory, and belonging. Drawing on a wide range of traditions, including Ukrainian, Jewish, Tatar, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, and Roma, among others, Lozhka reveals a borderless cuisine shaped by resilience and generosity.

Vibrant, vegetable-forward, and full of smoky, tangy, and creamy flavors, these recipes are made for today’s kitchens while honoring centuries of tradition. More than a cookbook, Lozhka is a journey through kitchens, cultures, and shared histories—an invitation to slow down, gather around, and savor the stories carried in every spoonful.