Celebrating the Baltic Way : Traditions:; A unique corner of Europe makes Russian and Scandinavian elements its own

“Come on up,” says Asta Anderson, a large, comfortable Estonian woman. “We have our living room on the second floor.”

Living room is scarcely the name for it. Nothing anybody tells you about the importance of hospitality to the Baltic peoples could prepare you for a whole floor of a Santa Monica house turned into a single room, strewn with chairs and sofas practically as far as the eye can see.

It is this vigorous social life, together with a strong identification with their churches, that has preserved the cultural independence of the Baltic nations. They have resisted Russification for centuries and kept their faith (Catholic in the case of Lithuania, mostly Lutheran in Latvia and Estonia) against attempts to convert them, first to Russian Orthodoxy and later to Marxism. Easter has a special meaning in this mostly hopeful season of glasnost .

Despite the fact that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been in the news for the last few years because of their bitter struggle for independence from the Soviet Union, they remain among the least-known groups in this country. One reason is that they’re small nations to begin with; another is that not many people from that area have emigrated here.

Another is simply that the Baltic is one of the more obscure corners of Europe. This glacial plain south of Finland, full of lakes and bogs, has always tended to stick to itself. Lithuania was a pagan nation as recently as 600 years ago, and the Baltic languages were scarcely ever written down before the 19th Century.

Still another reason is the political and geographic handicaps these people have lived under. There are no natural barriers to protect the region, and most of it has been invaded and conquered repeatedly. Lithuania formed a joint empire with Poland in the late Middle Ages, but like the rest of the Baltic has spent most of the past several centuries in obscurity under hostile Russian rule.

The last 50 years of Russian rule have been particularly painful. The three nations won their independence against both German and Bolshevik armies in the Baltic War of 1918-1920, but in 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union colluded to return them to Russian control. Unlike the nations that fell under the Soviets after World War II, they lost all status as independent countries and were made part of the USSR.

The Baltic is famous for its rich heritage of folklore, including literally hundreds of thousands of folk songs. Many Baltic traditions have a particularly gentle and innocent quality. For instance, a number of Baltic superstitions oblige people to have fun in order to guarantee a good harvest. On Shrove Tuesday, Estonians go ice-skating so the flax will grow high. Lithuanian children swing on swings on Easter so the crops will be good.

A Latvian tradition was to set up a long swing ( supulis ) on Easter so the young men could swing their girlfriends as high as they could. “And, of course, there was a lot of squealing and giggling,” says Brigita Jerumanis, wife of the Latvian honorary consul in Los Angeles. “It was a lovely romantic tradition.” The Estonians have a unique custom of cutting down a birch tree for Easter and bringing it into the house like a Christmas tree.

“It’s a unique little part of the world,” says Danguole Varnas, who lives around the corner from St. Casimir’s Lithuanian Catholic Church in the Los Feliz area. She speaks with a gentle, meditative humor as a crowd of children runs through the house among the mountains of materials for her Lithuanian folk-dancing and folk-singing organizations.

The Easter food traditions of the Baltic nations have a lot in common. The whole region is lush dairy country and supports an important fishing industry, so the ingredients are similar. The three countries share dishes with their neighbors--Lithuania with Poland, Latvia and Estonia with Scandinavia. Because of the long Russian occupation, the Russian Easter cake ( kulich ), with or without its rich cheese topping ( paskha ), is known in all the countries. And nearly everybody makes rosolje , the Russian/Scandinavian salad of beets and herring.

Estonians and Latvians begin the Easter meal with a Scandinavian-type buffet of pickled fish and salads, then move on to a rich meat dish such as prune-stuffed goose or veal in aspic. The Lithuanians, like the Russians, concentrate on the meats and share with the Russians the custom of making the “butter lamb” ( avinelis )--butter molded into the shape of a lamb, with raisins for eyes and a halter of parsley around the neck.

All three nationalities bake sweet, egg-enriched breads and cakes for Easter. Estonians and Latvians make a rather Scandinavian coffee cake (but made with saffron, which is associated with Christmas rather than Easter in Scandinavia) and breads baked with sweet cheese toppings, which they call korbid or Biezpiena Maize. The Lithuanians make boba , a tall cake in the kulich category, and Keckeliu Tortas, an almost flourless cake that is so rich it doesn’t need a frosting--it practically is a solidified lemon frosting.

Estonian recipe from “Keedu-ja-Majapademise-Raamat,” translated by Asta Anderson .

SAFRANISAI (Saffron Coffee Cake)

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

1 package dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 egg, well-beaten

20 cardamom seeds, crushed (3/4 teaspoon)

Saffron

6 to 6 1/2 cups flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup raisins

1 egg yolk, stirred

Powdered sugar

Heat milk and butter until warm (105 to 115 degrees). Dissolve yeast in liquid and let stand until it starts to foam. Combine yeast mixture with salt, sugar, beaten egg, cardamom, dash saffron and 2 cups flour in large bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead on floured board until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover and let stand in warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Roll out dough into about 24x10-inch rectangle. (Or to fit baking sheet better, divide in 1/2 and roll each into 12x10-inch rectangle.)

Sprinkle dough with raisins. Roll up, jellyroll-fashion. Place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise again until nearly doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg yolk and bake at 350 degrees 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Before serving, sprinkle coffee cake with powdered sugar. Makes 12 servings.

Latvian recipes from “Latvian Cooking,” published by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Latvian Relief Society of Canada, printed by Campbell-Barry Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, 1985 .

PIRAGI (Bacon Dumplings)

Sugar

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

2 packages dry yeast

2 cups milk, scalded

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

7 1/2 to 8 cups flour

Bacon Filling

Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar in warm water. Stir in yeast and let stand until doubled, about 10 minutes.

Place scalded milk in large mixing bowl. Stir in salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and oil. Cool to lukewarm. Mix 2 beaten eggs with sour cream and add to milk. Stir in yeast mixture and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn into floured board and knead well until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let stand in warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough. Divide in 1/2. Roll out each 1/2 into 20x10-inch rectangle and cut each into 56 pieces. Roll out each piece to flatten and fill each center with heaping teaspoon Bacon Filling. Fold up edges and pinch tightly together.

Place about 1 inch apart with pinched seams on bottom (to prevent seam from opening) on greased baking sheets. Bend rolls slightly into crescent shape. Brush tops of Piragi with remaining beaten egg and pierce with fork. Bake at 400 degrees until light-golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Makes about 112 pieces.

Note: Recipe may be cut in half, if desired.

Bacon Filling

2 pounds lean bacon, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Salt, pepper

Stir-fry bacon and onion 5 minutes (do not let too much fat separate). Pour off separated fat and discard. Chill slightly before using. Makes about 3 cups.

BIEZPIENA MAIZE (Cottage Cheese Flat Bread)

1 pound dry-curd cottage cheese

2 tablespoons sour cream

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar or to taste

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup raisins

Refrigerator Dough

1 egg, lightly beaten

Process cottage cheese in food processor. Mix in sour cream, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla. Fold in raisins. Add more sugar to taste if needed.

Gather Refrigerator Dough into ball with floured hands. Roll out on generously floured board into large round, about 12 inches. Pat dough into bottom and sides of buttered 12- or 11-inch round or square baking pan.

Spread with cottage cheese mixture, leaving 1 inch dough around edge. Gently brush dough and filling with egg. Bake at 350 degrees until golden yellow, about 40 to 45 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Refrigerator Dough

1 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons sour cream

3 egg yolks

1 package dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)

1/4 cup sugar

3 1/3 cups flour

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, cut in pieces

Combine whipping cream, sour cream and egg yolks in bowl. Mix well. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar and let stand about 10 minutes.

Combine yeast mixture with egg yolk mixture, 1 cup flour, lemon zest, salt, remaining sugar and liquid ingredients in large bowl. Beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and slowly stir in remaining flour and butter until blended (dough will be soft and sticky).

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before using, let dough stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.

From “Popular Lithuanian Recipes,” compiled by Josephine J. Dauzvardis, published by Lithuanian Catholic Press, Chicago 1955 .

VIRTU TRYNIU MOZURELIS (Egg Yolk Cake)

10 hard-cooked egg yolks

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs

Mash egg yolks in bowl. Gradually add melted butter, sugar, lemon zest and whole eggs, mixing well. Turn into greased and wax-paper-lined 9- or 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes. Invert into serving dish and remove wax paper while warm. Cut in small squares. Makes 16 servings.