Latvian cuisine

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Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main dishes. Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia's location on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.

Latvian cuisine has been influenced by other countries of the Baltic rim.[1] Common ingredients in Latvian recipes are found locally, such as potatoes,[2] wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs and pork. Latvian cuisine is markedly seasonal, and every season has its own distinctive products and dishes.[3]

Meals[edit]

Contemporary Latvians usually eat three meals a day. Breakfast is normally light and usually consists of sandwiches or an omelette with a drink, which is often milk. Lunch is eaten from noon time to 3 p.m., and tends to be the main meal of the day; as such it can include a variety of foods, and sometimes, there is also soup as an entrée and a dessert. Between lunch and supper, a smaller meal (launags) is sometimes had, usually consisting of a snack, fresh fruit, sweets or a small portion of savoury food. Supper is usually the last meal of the day. Consumption of ready-made or frozen meals is now common.[4] Another small snack-based meal can be had before bedtime (naksniņas).

Common foods and dishes[edit]

Latvian "Lido" lunch with cold borscht, sauerkraut, cutlet, gherkin, kefir and kvass

Latvian cuisine is typical of the Baltic region and, in general, of Northern Europe. Main dishes are often high in fats. In seasoning, dried spices, such as caraway, black pepper, allspice are used, and fresh herbs, such as parsley, spring onions and especially dill, are held in high regard.

Latvian cuisine originated from the peasant culture and is strongly based on crops that grow in Latvia's maritime, temperate climate. Rye, wheat, buckwheat, oats, peas, beets, cabbage, pork products, and potatoes are the staples. Latvian cuisine offers plenty of varieties of bread and dairy products, with dark rye bread (rupjmaize) considered to be a Latvian specialty. Meat features in most main dishes, but fish also is commonly consumed, especially in the coastal areas next to the Baltic Sea. Both hot- and cold-smoked varieties of meat and fish are common.[3]

Many common dishes in contemporary Latvia have their roots in Slavic, Germanic and Nordic cultures. Popular dishes adopted from Soviet cuisine include pelmeni (pelmeņi) with sour cream, Ukrainian borsch (borščs), stroganoff (stroganovs), dressed herring (siļķe kažokā), shashlik (šašliks), rasol (rasols), plov (plovs), kefir (kefīrs), kvass and solyanka (soļanka),[5] as well as dessert dishes such as medovik (meduskūka) and mille-feuille (Napoleona kūka). German influences can be seen in dishes such as caramelised sauerkraut (štovēti kāposti) and pork cutlets (karbonāde). Polish minced meat patties (Polish: kotlet mielony, Latvian: kotlete) and meat-filled pierogi (pīrāgi) are also very popular.

The most consumed alcoholic beverage is beer,[6] with a vibrant and flourishing craft beer scene.[7] The national liquor is Riga Black Balsam.[8]

Dairy products[edit]

Jāņi cheese, a caraway cheese traditionally served on the summer festival Jāņi.
Latvian cheese with herbs

Latvia is much richer in dairy products than other Western countries. Cottage cheese (biezpiens), sour cream (skābais krējums), soured milk (rūgušpiens) and different types of fresh and dried cheeses are available. Kefir, soured milk and other fermented milk beverages are usually consumed alongside hot meals.[3]

Cottage cheese is frequently mixed with sour cream and fresh herbs as a breakfast dish, as well as added to salads and used in cakes and other desserts like the curd snack (biezpiena sieriņš). In 2012, curd snack Kārums was voted favorite product of Latvian consumers, receiving 20% of votes.[9] For lunch, the cottage cheese is traditionally usually eaten with boiled potatoes, lightly salted herring, spring onions and sour cream.[3]

Since the early 20th century a distinct type of butter is made in Rucava – the Rucava white butter (Rucavas baltais sviests). It is much leaner than normal butter, with a 40% fat content on average. In 2018 this type of butter received the Protected Designation of Origin classification in European Union.[10][11] Hemp butter (kaņepju sviests) is made by finely ground roasted hemp seeds, mixed with butter or hemp oil.[3]

Seeds, nuts, dried fruits, clover or mixtures of dried herbs are often added to cheese. It also frequently smoked or aged in oil, but fresh cheese is served with garlic or herbs.[3] Jāņi cheese, a fresh sour milk cheese with caraway seeds, is made and served during the Midsummer festival Jāņi and considered a symbol of Latvian culture,[12] and was included in the EU Traditional Specialty Guaranteed register in 2015.[13]

Soups[edit]

Cold borscht served with fried potatoes.

Soups are commonly made with vegetables and broth or kefir. Cold borscht (aukstā zupa), fish soup (zivju zupa), sorrel soup (skābeņu zupa) and mushroom soup (sēņu zupa) are also consumed by Latvians.[3] A traditional Latvian dessert is rye bread soup (maizes zupa) made from rye bread, whipped cream, dried fruit and cranberries.[14]

Cold borscht is usually eaten in the spring and summer seasons and consists of kefir or soured milk, boiled beets, chopped radish, fresh cucumbers, boiled eggs and fresh herbs.[3]

Bread[edit]

Slices of white bread and rupjmaize at a restaurant in Riga.

Rye bread (rudzu maize) has been a national food staple for centuries and is included in the Latvian Culture Canon and the EU Traditional Specialty Guaranteed register.[15] The bread is similar to Russian or German black bread and is made from coarse rye flour, malt and caraway seeds and traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven. Another popular type of bread is sourdough bread (saldskābmaize) made from finely ground rye flour and caraway seeds. Fried rye bread with garlic (ķiploku grauzdiņi) and mayonnaise is often served as a starter in restaurants and bars. Historically white bread (baltmaize) was considered a delicacy and was only eaten on festive occasions.[14]

Pastries[edit]

Sklandrausis

A popular pastry is the speķrauši, wheat or rye flour buns filled with finely cut streaky bacon and onions. Sometimes caraway seeds are also added to the dough. Speķrauši are commonly served during winter solstice Ziemassvētki and summer solstice Jāņi.[3] Kliņģeris, a large sweet pretzel with dried fruits and spices, is usually served as a dessert on special occasions, such as name days and birthdays. Sklandrausis is a traditional dish in Latvian cuisine which has a Livonian origin; it is a sweet pie, made of rye dough and filled with mashed potatoes and carrots and seasoned with caraway. In 2013, sklandrausis received a "Traditional Speciality Guaranteed" designation from the European Commission.[16] Potato pancakes with smoked salmon and sour cream are also very popular.

Drinks[edit]

A shot of Riga Black Balsam

Ancient Latvians brewed beer (alus), mead (miestiņš) and honey beer (medalus) before the 13th century, both celebratory occasions and everyday use. After the Baltic Crusades, the local beer brewing was influenced by the incoming Western European techniques. For example, prior to that, many herbs were used, but they were replaced by hops as a preservative and flavoring agent.[17] A craft brewery drawing upon the ancient brewing traditions is Labietis [lv] that uses a wide variety of herbs, flowers, berries, and spices in their brews.[18]

A very popular drink in spring is fresh birch sap.[3] Traditionally, it was preserved by adding raisins, lemon rind, and blackcurrant twigs.[19] Every spring, birch sap is sold in markets and roadside stalls, but it can also be seen in more refined products, such as birch sap lemonade, still and sparkling wine, mulled wine and birch sap schnapps.[20]

Kvass, traditionally brewed from fermented rye or black bread, has also remained popular in Latvia. In the Latvian SSR, kvass was sold by street vendors from carts with big yellow canisters, while nowadays mass-produced kvass can be bought at supermarkets.[20]

With the development of cold-hardy grape varieties more suitable for the northern climate, winemaking has become more common in Latvia. In addition to that, raspberry, black currant, and other fruit wines are also being made, as well as ciders.[3] Wine Hill of Sabile used to be registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the most northern open-air vineyard in the world.[21] Since 1999 the town also hosts an annual wine festival.

Mushrooms[edit]

Latvia has ancient traditions involving edible mushrooms. Wild mushroom foraging is very popular in summer and autumn. Modern, as well as traditional mushroom preparation, is very popular. There are around 4,100 known mushroom species in Latvia, 1,100 of those are cup mushrooms. About ¼ of these are edible. The most popular edible ones are various Boletus and Cantharellus.[22] A traditional mushroom sauce is made from wild mushrooms, onions, garlic, sweet or sour cream and sometimes bacon. It is usually eaten alongside boiled potatoes and brined cucumbers.[3]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Latvian Cuisine." Archived October 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Latvian Institute. Accessed September 2011.
  2. ^ "Potato maintains vegetable supremacy in Latvia". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. December 23, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Ošiņa, Sandra; Ošiņš, Valdis (2014). Traditional and modern Latvian foods and beverages (PDF). The Association of Latvian Rural Tourism.
  4. ^ "The Cuisine of Latvia" (PDF). Latvian Institute. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  5. ^ From Peasant to Pleasant. The Cuisine of Latvia (PDF). Latvian Institute. 2014. ISBN 978-9-98-473651-8. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  6. ^ Vladimir Poznyak; Dag Rekve, eds. (2018). Global status report on alcohol and health 2018 (PDF). World Health Organization. p. 273. ISBN 978-92-4-156563-9.
  7. ^ Jāns (2018-05-24). "LATVIAN BEER (GUIDE)". RigaTours.lv. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  8. ^ Spratte Joyce, Katy (13 May 2020). "Move over world-famous Italian bitters, Latvia's funky, herby liqueur has arrived". Chilled Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Latvian buyers' favourite product – curd snack Kārums". Baltic News Network. November 15, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  10. ^ "No buts, it's Rucava butter!". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  11. ^ "Latvian butter receives European protection". Baltic News Network. 22 April 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Jāņi cheese – a symbol of Latvian identity". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. June 21, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "eAmbrosia". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  14. ^ a b Gross, Daina (June 10, 2016). "Rye Bread". Latvian Culture Canon. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  15. ^ "eAmbrosia". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  16. ^ Strautmanis, Andris (October 13, 2013). "European Commission designates sklandrausis as traditional speciality". Latvians Online. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  17. ^ Zariņš, Viesturs (December 10, 2010). "History of beer in Latvia spans centuries". Latvians Online. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  18. ^ John A. Geck; Rosemary O'Neill; Noelle Phillips, eds. (2022). "Latvia's Labietis: Modern Craft Brewing Across the Pagan–⁠Christian Threshold". Beer and Brewing in Medieval Culture and Contemporary Medievalism. The New Middle Ages. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 181–183, 188–201. ISBN 978-3-030-94619-7. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  19. ^ Guttman, Amy (May 21, 2012). "Move Over, Maple Syrup, Birch Syrup May Challenge Your Sweet Rule". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  20. ^ a b Welscher, Alexander (December 23, 2020). "Raise a glass to the Baltics' most interesting drinks!". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  21. ^ Birziņš, Uldis (July 27, 2015). "Winemaking in Latvia - challenging but not impossible". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  22. ^ "Mushrooming". Celotajs.lv. Retrieved December 12, 2017.

External links[edit]

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