"Falling Cloudberries" is filled with the recipes that have woven their way through the life of Tessa Kiros and her family, from the sweets handed out at Scottish fetes on days off from a Greek school in South Africa to the rice puddings with rosewater and cinnamon made in a shed by her Cypriot grandfather (who also had a fondness for pickling baby birds) and the gravlax with dill prepared by her Finnish mother.In this dream-like journey across the globe, recipes and narrative merge with images of food. The book features over 150 recipes, all of which have been lovingly collected and adapted by Tessa since early adulthood, or remembered and recreated from childhood. They are as diverse in style and flavour as the extended family and households through which they've travelled. Some are redolent of roses, cinnamon, cassia and cardamom, mint and citrus, from the Greek side of the family, others are Scandinavian in origin, sprinkled with berries or dill and spread with mustard. Chilli, garlic, oregano, cumin and red onions appear, and there are chocolate, vanilla, cream and pistachio confections from childhoods the world over.
A Peruvian housekeeper makes a contribution, and a Thai soup appears, simply because Tessa couldn't imagine her life without it.