The brutal tumult of the 20th century turned Eastern Europe, once a melting pot, into a bloc of relatively homogeneous nation-states.

Alissa Timoshkina wrote “Kapusta” to feature vegetable-forward dishes from the region. Many include meat as well.

In Eastern Europe, “there’s almost a sacred reverence ... but it’s actually talking about a culture and a tradition centuries and centuries back,” says Timoshkina.

This cover image released by Quadrille, Penguin Random House UK shows "Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe" by Alissa Timoshkina. (Quadrille, Penguin Random House UK via AP) ...