Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main dishes.Fish is commonly consumed due toLatvia's location on the eastern shore of theBaltic Sea.
Latvian cuisine has been influenced by other countries of theBaltic rim.[1] Common ingredients in Latvian recipes are found locally, such aspotatoes,[2]wheat,barley,cabbage,onions,eggs andpork. Latvian cuisine is markedly seasonal, and every season has its own distinctive products and dishes.[3]
Breakfast is normally light and usually consists of sandwiches or anomelette 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 anentrée 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. Consumption of ready-made orfrozen meals is now common.[4] Another small snack, known asnaksniņas, is popular before bedtime.
Latvian cuisine is typical of theBaltic region and, in general, ofNorthern 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'smaritime, temperate climate. Rye, wheat, buckwheat, oats, peas, beets, cabbage, pork products, and potatoes are the staples. Latvian cuisine offers plenty of varieties of bread anddairy 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 fromSoviet cuisine includepelmeni (pelmeņi) withsour cream, Ukrainianborsch (borščs),stroganoff (stroganovs),dressed herring (siļķe kažokā),shashlik (šašliks),rasol (rasols),plov (plovs),kefir (kefīrs),kvass andsolyanka (soļanka),[5] as well as dessert dishes such asmedovik (meduskūka) andmille-feuille (Napoleona kūka). German influences can be seen in dishes such as caramelisedsauerkraut (štovēti kāposti) and pork cutlets (karbonāde). Polishminced meat patties (Polish: kotlet mielony, Latvian: kotlete) and meat-filledpierogi (pīrāgi) are also very popular.
The most consumed alcoholic beverage isbeer,[6] with a vibrant and flourishing craft beer scene.[7] The national liquor isRiga Black Balsam.[8]
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 thecurd snack (biezpiena sieriņš). In 2012, curd snackKārums 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 inRucava – theRucava 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 theProtected Designation of Origin classification inEuropean 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 festivalJāņi and considered a symbol ofLatvian culture,[12] and was included in the EUTraditional Specialty Guaranteed register in 2015.[13]
Soups are commonly made with vegetables andbroth or kefir.Cold borscht (aukstā zupa),fish soup (zivju zupa),sorrel soup (skābeņu zupa) andmushroom soup (sēņu zupa) are also consumed by Latvians.[3] A traditional Latvian dessert is rye bread soup (maizes zupa) made fromrye bread,whipped cream, dried fruit and cranberries.[14]
Cold borscht is usually eaten in the spring and summer seasons and consists of kefir orsoured milk, boiled beets, choppedradish, fresh cucumbers, boiled eggs and fresh herbs.[3]
Rye bread (rudzu maize) has been a nationalfood staple for centuries and is included in theLatvian Culture Canon and the EUTraditional Specialty Guaranteed register.[15] The bread is similar to Russian or Germanblack bread and is made from coarse rye flour,malt and caraway seeds and traditionally baked in awood-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) andmayonnaise is often served as a starter in restaurants and bars. Historicallywhite bread (baltmaize) was considered a delicacy and was eaten only on festive occasions.[14]
A popular pastry is thespeķrauši, wheat or rye flour buns filled with finely cutstreaky bacon and onions. Sometimes caraway seeds are also added to the dough. Speķrauši are commonly served during winter solsticeZiemassvētki and summer solsticeJāņi.[3] Kliņģeris, a large sweetpretzel with dried fruits and spices, is usually served as a dessert on special occasions, such asname days and birthdays.Sklandrausis is a traditional dish in Latvian cuisine which has aLivonian 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 theEuropean Commission.[16]Potato pancakes with smoked salmon and sour cream are also very popular.
Ancient Latvians brewedbeer (alus),mead (miestiņš) and honey beer (medalus) before the 13th century, both celebratory occasions and everyday use. After theBaltic 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 apreservative andflavoring agent.[17] A craft brewery drawing upon the ancient brewing traditions isLabietis [lv] that uses a wide variety of herbs, flowers, berries, and spices in their brews.[18]
A very popular drink in spring is freshbirch sap.[3] Traditionally, it was preserved by addingraisins, 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 andsparkling wine,mulled wine and birch sapschnapps.[20]
Kvass, traditionally brewed from fermentedrye orblack bread, has also remained popular in Latvia. In theLatvian 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 thenorthern climate, winemaking has become more common in Latvia. In addition to that, raspberry, black currant, and otherfruit wines are also being made, as well asciders.[3] Wine Hill ofSabile used to be registered in theGuinness Book of Records as the most northern open-air vineyard in the world.[21] Since 1999 the town also hosts an annual wine festival.
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 variousBoletus andCantharellus.[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]
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