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Eating in Latvia
Eating in Latvia
This is the best thing that could happen to a traveler in Latvia - the food. The world should learn about bread and milk products here. Latvia is very rich in this aspect. An average supermarket has a much greater selection of most food products than those in the rest of Europe. Welcome to the country of real bread, milk products, ice cream, sweets (loose sweets, made by Laima) etc. In the open air markets of Riga, Liepaja and other cities and towns, the local fruits, vegetables and mushrooms are a great option, such as freshly picked wild strawberries or blueberries from the forests, or some big strawberries, apples, rhubarb pie and a crunch made of fresh stalks straight from the garden. This is, of course, available mainly in summer and autumn season.
Latvian cuisine comes from its peasant culture, and is based on crops that grow in Latvia's maritime, temperate climate. Rye, wheat, oat, peas, beets, and potatoes are the staples; smoked bacon, sausage, and other pork products are favourites, smoked and raw fish is common. Many types of food are flavoured with caraway seeds, especially cheese and bread. A cheese similar to smoked gouda, but softer, is the cheapest and, arguably, tastiest variety. Latvian rye bread is heavy and flavourful, and goes well with hearty Latvian meals like pea soup, potatoes, and schnitzels. Restaurants in larger cities often offer stews in clay pots.
Latvian cuisine is typical of northern countries, especially close to Finland; it's high on butter, fat, and grains, low on spice except for caraway and black pepper. If you are from the Mediterranean, you might find it bland, but if you come from England or the Midwestern US, you're not likely to have trouble getting used to it.
A more exotic Latvian dish is a sweet soup made from rye bread (maizes zupa).
Some specific food in this area:
Biezpiena sierins - curd actually, but with sweet taste
Kefirs - specific dairy product (vegetarian)
Kiselis - thickened stewed fruit (usually cherry or rhubarb) served for dessert (vegetarian)
Griki - buckwheat, eaten as main course
Skabeti kaposti - sauerkraut
Piragi - bacon and onion wrapped in a thin-ish yeast dough. A real classic of Latvian cuisine.
Other mentionable food and dishes:
Smoked cheese - goes very well with wine
Eclair - cake with sweet cream inside
Eel - fish that looks like a snake, European eel
Frikadelu zupa - meatball soup with bullion (high fat)
Biesu zupa - red colored beetroot soup (vegetarian and non-vegetarian)
Rosols - salad with sour cream (Salad Olivier), usually non-vegetarian
Kotletes - meatballs served with potatoes
Gailenu merce - chanterelles sauce in sour cream, usually served with potatoes (vegetarian)
Siļķe ar biezpienu - herring served with cottage cheese
Commorgan-wieders(old name)- once braised chuck, ground with celery, onions and wrapped in a crepe and resauteed.
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Latvia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
