Looking for cool boiling away from the metropolis in search of places that are not overcrowded, looking for nice places are still little known, of a great low cost holiday we went to the Baltic Sea.
a journey into the emerging countries of the European Union, a vacation "behind the Iron Curtain" to 20 years to the fall of the Berlin Wall that has brought us from Poland (Warsaw) to Russia (St. Petersburg) through the Baltic Republics ( Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn). We have discovered the fascinating capital, a pleasant resort on the sea \u200b\u200band lakes, beer at bargain prices and traditions such as the sweet banya.
focusing on those aspects related to this food blog, the first mention deserves the covered market in Riga, the largest in Europe, scenically located inside of 5 hangars where the Zeppelins were produced, a stone's throw from the historic center of the Latvian capital. 
the fish sector where few qualities present (salmon, sturgeon, trout, carp, cod) are present in countless variations, mostly preserved (dried, marinated, cooked, smoked) or bizarrely presented (whole trays of heads of salmon, perhaps to prepare the soup, or pull up live carp from the tanks directly on the counter). Photogenic and banks of stored products, where boxes and boxes in their colorful and shiny metallic evening dress make it look more appealing products that contain, certainly not very attractive to those accustomed to the daily fresh Mediterranean products.
short range even on the benches, outdoor department fruits and vegetables: cucumbers (variety and size of a thousand - who would have thought-fresh or preserved), two or three colors of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and cabbages. Fantastic, eye and mouth, the berries an ... satisfaction scofanarsi pound of sweet raspberries for the price of a 125g Italian vaschettina that we make them seem a luxury for important tables. Quite amazing (although I hate wandering around in the butcher because they do not tolerate the smell) the hangar of the meat, especially abundant in poultry and pork in various forms (even whole hams still raw) and strange game (elk, deer, beavers ...) and where I was almost hit by a truck headed pig (grrrrr ....) driven to full speed.
Almost all women with the sale, strong Baltic of all ages and wonderfully flawed imparruccate, few people even among the buyers. And in general in those parts seem to be women to have in hand the everyday life of society, the overwhelming majority for example, to drive public transport.
Among the delicious taste, the Pierogi in Poland, spread in a variety such as "ravioli" (boiled with an outdoor meal more like Eastern Europe that our egg) or type panzerotto (baked with a Outdoor type bread dough). In both cases, the fillings are meat, meat and vegetables or just vegetables, spices ... served variously in Poland (I had already tasted in Krakow) pierogerie in which only serve this dish in many variations. 
For Lithuania, flat land of forests and lakes, to signal the mushrooms and berries as well as a lot of game (wild boar, beaver, various birds ...). One of the more interesting things and are the typical cepelinai (huge potato dumplings, compact size of a fist, filled with minced meat and vegetables - but I have also eaten in small version, without filling and served with a sweet blueberry sauce - definitely insipid) and the national dish is the soup cold beet red (the color pink alien decided ... but all in all good).
Latvia seem famous (but are spread everywhere and remind bliyni Russians) for invented pancakes (flour or potatoes) served at every meal with a thousand sweet and savory combinations (eggs, ham, cheese, salmon, wild berry sauce, cottage cheese and so on and so forth).
Throughout this holiday we have accompanied the many local beers with what the menu in English is offered as snacks with beer "(in Russia the company is also" snack with vodka ", often based on herring ) which consists of sticks of brown bread-sometimes with fennel-fried in butter, I'm afraid! and nibble to accompany the drinks, sometimes dipped in creamy cheese sauce. Absolutely unhealthy but definitely very good, an unusual junk food! In some places you can drink beer with accompanying fish snack (which is no coincidence that they are not sold in supermarkets between chips and nuts, but always and only beer in the hallway): dried squid strips, small fish, salmon sticks ... I did stock up!
