From the Soviet diaspora to wine pairings with food from Africa: New cookbooks explore global tastes

Whether you’re mapping out a local food crawl, pairing wine with Nigerian suya, or rolling dumplings, these titles are packed with stories as satisfying as the food.

Here’s what’s new on the shelf from New England authors and groups. They’re worth a pre-order.

Cha McCoy, a certified sommelier, and Layla Schlack, a Connecticut-based food writer, have spent the last three years writing a guide to pairing wine with foods from Africa and beyond, and they include a tour of wine regions across the globe. Throughout the book, you’ll see pairing lists and menus to easily find wines to savor with whatever food you are craving, from Jamaican jerk chicken to Mexican elote. The book will be available in early November. Pre-order it here.

Polina Chesnakova’s book is a collection of stories and recipes from growing up and cooking in the Soviet diaspora. This is her third cookbook and it’s a “love letter to the food of her childhood,” she writes. Chesnakova was born in Ukraine to Russian and Armenian parents from Georgia. Now she lives in Rhode Island. In the pages, you’ll find Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and golubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls) and medovik (honey cake). Pre-order a copy, which will be released in mid-September, here.

Thea Engst, a Massachusetts-based author and cocktail recipe developer, has been writing a new book that will feature recipes that can transport you to glitzy parties and restaurants in Manhattan. It’s a stylish collection that brings the essence of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda from Sex and the City to life -- one cosmo at a time. The book will be released in early November. Pre-order it here.

Boston-based America’s Test Kitchen just published a whole recipe book about Korean recipes that were passed down from Nam Soon to her daughter, Sarah Ahn, a social media star. Recipes include kimchi jjigae, Korean fried chicken, and ooyoo cream donuts. Order it now.

Jamie Coelho, the editor-in-chief of Rhode Island Monthly magazine, has spent most of her free time in the last year working on a book that will take you on food crawls throughout Rhode Island. The book will be published on July 15, but you can pre-order it now.

Sean Turley, an apple forager, historian, and photographer from Portland, Maine, focused his book on apples historically grown in New England. This field guide sheds some light on apple terminology and identification, and includes original illustrations and photographs so you can better understand what you’re reaching for when its apple-picking time. Order it here.

Know of another book coming out this year? Let me know by sending me an email here.

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Alexa Gagosz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.