Latvian cuisine took a long time to form and develop. It has absorbed many features of Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, and Estonian national cuisines. The basis of Latvian cuisine is meat, fish, and cereals. Most of the dishes are very simple, but filling at the same time.
Throughout history, many traditional dishes have changed somewhat. For example, a dish based on the sour porridge skabputra, to which lard or meat was added for satiety, is no longer popular today and is rarely prepared in Latvian kitchens. Other familiar dishes, such as Yanov cheese, are still not uncommon on the tables.
Everyday cuisine is increasingly becoming more similar to European cuisine. The daily diet in most cases consists of fish, cutlets, vegetable salads and other vegetable dishes. However, on festive table It is still customary to serve national dishes.
Features of national cuisine in Latvia
For Latvians, the main products are:
- Flour.
- Cereals.
- Potato.
- Dairy products.
- Peas.
- Beans.
- Other types of legumes.
- A wide variety of vegetables.
The country's location right on the Baltic Sea coast has made Latvians lovers of fish and seafood, although agricultural crops still occupy the first place in the diet.
What seems interesting to a Russian person is simply the incredible combination of products used in the preparation of some culinary masterpieces, characteristic of Latvia.
Beer or bread soup with the addition of dried fruits, jelly made from black bread or rhubarb with whipped cream will also be very original for tourists. In general, for Latvians, for example, sweet, bread and milk soups are common, which cannot be said about other European residents.
Fish in national Latvian cuisine
The most favorite sea fish species in Latvia are herring, cod, and mackerel. If speak about river fish, then Latvians especially often cook carp, pike, perch and bream. Herring is very loved and revered in the country. It is grilled with vegetables, cooked over coals, and included in sandwiches. It is impossible to imagine Latvian cuisine without fish casseroles. Cod casserole (“Zivju pudiņš”) or herring (“Silju pudiņš”) is often prepared. Any Latvian restaurant serves salmon dishes.
The coast is dotted with many fish farms, where you can taste the freshest smoked lamprey, eel, cod or flounder.
Meat
The most popular type of meat is pork.
In ancient times, Latvians easily cooked and ate pig ears, snouts, and tails. Today you can also try them in many restaurants. They are served there like medieval, almost gourmet dishes.
Latvians often prepare aspic or baked pork knuckle. Lamb, veal, beef, and poultry are prepared, but they are an order of magnitude less popular than pork.
Vegetables and legumes
Latvians almost never do without vegetable dishes. The most popular are the simplest everyday options made from cabbage, onions and potatoes. In a real Latvian lunch, where potatoes and cabbage should be present mandatory, they also add cumin.
Legumes are also not far behind. The most popular dish legumes are served at Christmas. These are gray peas with speck. Almost all Riga restaurants prepare and serve this dish on Christmas Day. Even at Christmas markets it is always offered to visitors. In specialized restaurants that offer purely national cuisine, this dish can be ordered at any time of the year.
Bread
Every day on any Latvian table there is local rye bread and dishes based on it. Latvians use bread to make yoghurts, various desserts and even ice cream. Bread soups are common in this country. Stores sell not only delicious bread with dried fruits and nuts, but also light carrot bread, which surprises Russian tourists a lot.
Sweet
Latvians love sweets very much. In any supermarket you can find amazing buns with cottage cheese, poppy seeds, jam, and a lot of cakes.
And you can go to good restaurant and taste sweet bread soup with whipped cream there.
Traditional dishes
A trip around the country would be incomplete without trying traditional Latvian dishes. We list a few main dishes that are so attractive to culinary tourists in Latvia:
- Homemade cottage cheese with the addition of cumin and eggs is a must try. Among the most popular varieties is the famous Yanov cheese. Its taste is pleasantly salty and yellowish in color.
- Bread and pea soups To some extent, it can also be classified as exotic, which every tourist should try.
- Putra is a porridge of cereals and vegetables, to which meat, fish, lard and sometimes even fermented milk products are added.
- Stewed Camaro chicken, blood sausage and pancakes, gray peas with bacon - simple and hearty dishes, loved by both Latvians and visitors.
- Klops is a steak with delicious onion sauce. Meat lovers will definitely appreciate this culinary achievement.
- Silkyu Pudniš is a traditional and everyone’s favorite casserole of herring with potatoes. Great option for everyday kitchen.
- Boiled potatoes with cottage cheese, to which sour cream, herbs and salt are added. Cottage cheese and potatoes are a common composition for Latvia, but somewhat exotic for Russia.
- Rye croutons for beer with garlic, cheese, tomatoes, seeds, and various seasonings will be offered to you in any restaurant or bar.
- A peasant breakfast consists of boiled potatoes, smoked loin, homemade sausage, filled with eggs and milk and baked in a frying pan.
- Sklandrausis is an unusual name for the Russian ear for an open vegetable pie prepared from rye dough. Externally, this pie strongly resembles a cheesecake. The filling is usually made with carrots, potatoes, sour cream and eggs.
The most unusual desserts
Latvians are incredibly fond of desserts. Tourists should definitely try here:
- Cake "Alexander" with raspberries and cranberries.
- Traditional Bouberte made from semolina with whipped cream.
- Bread yogurt and bread ice cream with lingonberry jam.
- Sweet bread soup with cream, jam and raisins.
- Cake "Vecriga" with light filling from curd cream.
Excellent drinks
To create the most complete impression of Latvian cuisine, it is necessary to add drinks to it. Their original feature is considered to be the addition of birch and maple sap, different types honey
Characteristic elements of any Latvian table:
- Sour oat and pea jelly, to which yogurt or lingonberry juice is added.
- Rhubarb jelly with whipped cream or milk.
- Bread kvass.
Latvia is also famous for its beers, various types of liqueurs and vodka.
Where to try
Riga has many restaurants and cafes with a wide variety of themes. There are about 50 restaurants in the capital, the menu of which includes traditional dishes. The vast majority of places offering traditional dishes are located in Old Riga:
These are only the most popular establishments; in fact, there are dozens and dozens of restaurants both within the Old City and outside it, and you can choose a truly unique place for hearty lunch or a romantic dinner.
To the question Beer soup. How to cook? given by the author Kind-hearted the best answer is There is this... called Norwegian soup, but it's only for colds... Are you interested?
Half a liter of milk, 1 bottle of beer, 6 tbsp plain wheat flour, 3 tbsp sugar.
Thoroughly dilute the flour in cold(!) milk, boil, stirring, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes and pour in the beer, also brought to a boil in another container. After mixing the liquids, turn off the heat, add sugar, stir. Drink while eating black bread crackers.
But it's real medicinal soup, warms up the bronchi and a cold nasopharynx
Source: Personal experience
Answer from 20090114
[guru]
Soups are usually cooked...how can it not be tasty...
Answer from Mansion[guru]
Soup with beer
- milk - 1/4 cup egg - 1/2 pcs.
- sugar - 1-2 tsp.
- beer - 60 g
- bread - 100 g
Beat the egg with sugar, mix it with beer and pour into the hot boiled milk. The resulting mixture is heated, without bringing to a boil, and poured into wheat bread, cut into cubes.
Answer from Neurologist[newbie]
meat big pieces large tomatoes, lots of onion rings, pour light beer, add spices and simmer for a long time on low heat! tasty
Answer from Katerina Gorina[guru]
German beer soup: 0.5 liters of light beer, 1 tablespoon of flour, 1-2 eggs, 1-3 tablespoons of sugar, cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest (to taste). Mix cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, flour and pour into a pan with beer. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, stirring frequently. Beat the eggs with sugar and pour in a thin stream into the beer boiling with spices. In a few minutes the soup is ready. It must be served hot.
Swedish beer soup: 0.5 liters of beer (half dark and light), 1 tablespoon flour, 1 egg, 1 yolk, 2-3 tablespoons milk, 1-2 tablespoons sugar, lemon peel, ginger, salt. Pour the beer into a saucepan, add lemon peels and boil. Mix half the flour with 1 spoon of cold milk and pour into boiling beer. Grind the egg with the remaining flour, sugar and salt, then add milk, stir thoroughly and pour into the soup. Boil for 5 minutes over low heat. During this time, beat the yolk with a few spoons of soup and add to the pan. The soup should be served hot.
Estonian beer soup: 0.3 liters of milk, 0.2 liters of beer, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 100 grams of bread or white bread. Beat eggs with sugar, pour into cold beer and stir. Boil milk and add the prepared mixture to it. Boil the resulting mixture and pour over the diced bun. Then cool and serve.
Polish beer soup: 1 glass light beer, 1 glass water, 2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon sugar, cloves, cinnamon, red ground pepper. Pour beer into a saucepan, add water, cloves, pepper and boil. Grind the yolks with sugar and add to the boiling mixture, stirring constantly. The soup is eaten hot. You can serve it with fried vegetable oil black bread croutons.
Danish beer soup: 0.5 liters of light beer, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 3 tablespoons of cream, 1 egg yolk, 200 grams of black bread, 0.5 cups of water. Slice the bread small cubes and add water, let it soak well for a few minutes. Grind sugar with yolks, add cream and beer. Boil the resulting mixture. Add soaked bread to the boiling mixture. The soup is served hot.
American beer soup: 1 glass of beer, 0.5 glasses of water, 100 grams of black bread, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of whipped cream. Crumble the bread (or finely chop it), pour in beer and let it brew for 2 to 10 hours. Boil the mixture, add lemon zest and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Bring the mixture to homogeneous mass, add sugar and heat again a little. Pour ready soup into a plate and top with whipped cream.
Cabbage soup with beer: 1 glass of beer, 2 glasses of water, 2 bouillon cubes, 600 grams of cabbage, 2 tablespoons of cream, 1 tablespoon of flour, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, salt, ground black pepper. Melt the butter, add the cabbage and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Pour boiling water over the bouillon cubes, stir until completely dissolved and pour into the prepared cabbage. Let the resulting mixture steam for 1 hour. Mix the flour thoroughly with the cream and salt and pour into the soup in a thin stream. Let simmer over low heat for another 10 minutes. Serve the soup hot, adding pepper to taste.
Answer from User deleted[newbie]
I tried it in a cafe and I almost puked
Answer from Elena Kolesnikova[guru]
yes, very good with pasta pies
Answer from Marinochka[guru]
Yes, there are such soups, here are a couple of recipes:
1. Polish beer soup with sour cream
You will need:
1 bottle of light beer,
3 raw yolks,
200g sour cream,
50g sugar.
Boil beer, add sour cream, yolks, mashed with sugar.
2. German beer soup
You will need:
1 bottle of light beer,
flour - 1 tbsp,
50g sugar, 2 eggs,
cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest.
Boil beer, add cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, flour and yolks, mashed with sugar.
Serve black bread croutons with the soup.
Traditional Latvian cuisine combines dishes characteristic of the entire Baltic region, as well as German, pan-European and Russian cuisine. It is mainly prepared from fish, smoked meat and fermented milk products.
National dishes Latvian dishes are distinguished by their simplicity and satiety. Vegetables are valued here vitamin berries, and sometimes they create real masterpieces from them. In green markets in small towns you can buy environmentally friendly products or ready meals.
Traditional dishes of Latvian cuisine
We have collected the most common dishes in Latvia for you, and we recommend you try them.
Putra- vegetable and cereal porridge with lard, smoked meat or really satisfying fish. Although it is considered a simple folk dish, its analogues can be found in many restaurants.
Curdled milk, fermented milk porridges, are popular throughout Latvia, as are all kinds of homemade cheeses like Backstein. A caraway son you can buy without any problems at any market and in many supermarkets. This is a common snack in restaurants.
Latvians love originality, so no one here will be surprised by piquant milk soup with fish, a dish popular in the Baltic coastal regions.
Sour pearl barley porridge skābputra It is prepared from curdled milk and cereals, souring for several days for a special aroma; it is not for everyone.
Sausages kupaty with lingonberries and lingonberry sauce are unusual, and their recipe is quite complex, so try this dish in Latvia, you won’t regret it.
Silkupudins considered good cold snack, this is a casserole with herring and potatoes. Simple and satisfying, it is popular everywhere.
Also try the onion steak bedbug, a rather fatty and voluminous dish of Latvian cuisine, which is difficult not to get enough of.
Sklandrausis can be found in many cafes and shops, restaurants and fairs. This regular pie with vegetables and it's really tasty.
Latvian dessert bouberte prepared from semolina porridge with whipped cream, nuts, vanilla and cranberry sauce.
Among the non-alcoholic drinks in Lithuania, which are also considered dishes, we can name various types of jelly putels with rhubarb, milk, cream or fruit. Bread kvass is available almost everywhere.
Almost all alcoholic drinks in Lithuania are good. Riga's Melnais Balzams is beyond competition. Among light beers, Aldaris Luxusa, Aldaris Zelta and Bauskas Gaisais are popular, and among dark beers - Porteris and Bauskas Tumsais.
The culinary traditions of the Slavic nation and Western European people have shaped the national Latvian cuisine. A similar influence is reflected in the ready-made traditional recipes of the original chefs of Latvia. Cooking experts of international rank easily determine the presence of elements of German, Estonian, Lithuanian, and Belarusian cuisines. Simplicity of cooking is the main rule of Latvians. Local chefs prefer natural products farmers, livestock breeders. The territorial location of the state is the hallmark of food in Latvia based on the gifts of the Baltic Sea.
In order to visit the country, you must obtain a visa to Latvia in advance.
Traditional first courses
The Latvian feast has certain traditions. Soup is the main hot dish on the menu of local national food restaurants. The first glance of a visiting tourist is easily confused by the inconsistency of the ingredients of the dishes, which are significantly inferior to the unsurpassed taste qualities of preparation by skilled Lithuanian chefs. Residents and foreign visitors of the state are offered a rich list of traditional soup dishes:
- “Milk broth with herring” (main ingredients – milk, chopped potatoes, pieces of herring, onions, sour cream);
- “Blueberry broth with dumplings” (dumplings – flour, eggs, starch; broth – milk, blueberries, sugar);
- “Beer broth” (the beer component is filled with boiled eggs, cottage cheese, bread crumbs, sour cream, butter);
- “Mushroom broth with milk” (preference is given to oyster mushrooms, milk, overcooked onions, diced potatoes, seasonings);
- “Bread soup” (milk base, pieces of bread crumbs, dried fruits, cinnamon powder);
- "The broth is cold" ( vegetable ingredients– beets, cucumbers, fresh herbs, potatoes are seasoned liquid kefir, it is possible to use eggs, sliced meat);
- “Pea soup” (a traditional Russian soup recipe supplemented with smoked meats);
- "Putra" (liquid) creamy milk soup based on cereals, legumes).
Traditional main courses
The simplicity and richness of Latvian cuisine characterizes the flavor national traditions. Products homemade meat, vegetation forms the basis of the recipe of the Slavic people. This category of national dishes is characterized by the serving of fatty, rich sauces. The basis of the thick gravy is butter, high fat cream. The list of popular foods in Latvia classified as main hot courses is:
- “Klops” (chopped pieces of meat seasoned with onion sauce);
- “Meat casserole” (the side dish is crushed potatoes);
- "Blood sausage" (type sausage product based on bovine (pork) blood);
- “Blood pancakes” (the pancake recipe involves using the blood of a pet instead of milk);
- "Camaro" ( special kind stewed chicken);
- “Milk pearl barley” (porridge with added smoked meat);
- “Bean cutlets” (a dish made from minced vegetables);
- “Peasant's Breakfast” (the preparation of the dish is based on smoked brisket homemade, boiled potatoes filled with a mixture of eggs and milk);
- "Sklandrausis" ( rye dough baked in the form of a basket filled with eggs, carrots, potatoes in mayonnaise).
National fish dishes
Thanks to the close location of the Baltic Sea, food in Latvia seems to be varied fish dishes, seafood. Latvians prefer a variety of fish - herring, mackerel, cod, bream, perch, flounder, carp. The following recipes are especially in demand:
- “Zivju pudiņš” (fish casserole, based on cod);
- “Siltiu pudiņš” (fish casserole, based on herring);
- “Fried herring” (cooking this type of fish in onion sauce);
- “Baked herring” (marinated fish fried over coals);
- "Fish in batter";
- “Baked red fish” (preference is given to salmon, trout);
- "Flounder on coals" ( special recipe preparations sea fish in the grill);
- “Sprats in Latvian style” (herring in oil).
Dessert dishes of Latvia
A category of mandatory, hearty food in Latvia is baking bread. This product is usually served with main hot dishes. The bread recipe calls for the use of wheat, rye flour various grinds. Latvians especially value sour bread, nut bread, with cumin, and dried fruits. Dessert is considered an obligatory dish of Latvian national cuisine. Baked goods and sweets occupy a special place among the variety of food of the Latvian people:
- “Rice pudding” (sugar pastry with the addition of dried fruits);
- “Vecriga” (a special recipe for baked goods called “Ancient Riga”);
- "Eclairs" ( chocolate dessert with custard);
- “Latvian apples” (juicy fruits in puff pastry, doused with heavy cream);
- “Buberte” (the milk semolina recipe involves the use of grated nuts and fruit nectar);
- “Riga bagels” (custard cakes in powdered sugar);
- "Piparkukas" ( shortbread with pepper, nuts, cinnamon, clove seasoning);
- The dessert category consists of the famous Latvian sweets “Korovka”, curd cheese bars “Karums”, and ice cream.
If you have not yet decided where exactly you want to go on vacation, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the reasons to visit Latvia.
Food for 6 euros at a market in Riga, video:
Healthy drinks (0% alcohol) of natural production are very popular among the people of Latvia - coffee, teas, birch sap, rye kvass, natural juices, mineral water. The category of typical drinks, including a small alcohol content, is local beer, prepared using basic technology traditional recipes. The beer brands “Tervetes”, “Bauskas Tumsais”, “Cesu alus”, “Aldaris Luxusa”, “Uzavas”, “Bauskas Gaisais”, “Piebalgas”, “Aldaris Zelta” have a high degree of superiority. A great addition of this drink are considered garlic croutons. National drink of Latvia with high content alcohol is "Black Balsam of Riga".
The formation of Latvian cuisine took place over many centuries. Therefore, in dishes considered traditionally Latvian, many features of Lithuanian, Estonian, Belarusian, German and Scandinavian national cuisines can be discerned. Most of them are different simple preparation and satiety. Some national dishes, supplanted by European cuisine, have become less frequently prepared in Latvian homes, while others, for example, Jan cheese, are served as often as before. The daily diet of citizens includes mainly fish, vegetable dishes(stews, casseroles, salads), cutlets, but in holidays National dishes are always put on the table in abundance. The main products from which Latvians prepare their food are rye and Wheat flour, cereals, potatoes, dairy products, various types of legumes and vegetables.
The Russian tourist in the cuisine of Latvians, and in the cuisines of other Baltic peoples, is sometimes quite surprised by the “combination of the incompatible,” for example, bread soup with dried fruits, rhubarb jelly or black bread with whipped cream. First courses are generally very different from the cuisines of other countries in the world, even those that seem to be located next door. In everyday life, Latvians prepare soups with bread, milk, and even with added sugar.
Gifts of reservoirs
Despite the fact that the basis of the Latvian diet is agricultural crops, the country’s location directly on the Baltic coast has led to the widespread consumption of fish and seafood by its residents.
Of the sea fish, the most revered are mackerel, herring, cod and herring; The river fish most often used is perch, pike, carp and bream. A special place is given to herring. This fish is grilled with the addition of vegetables, cooked over coals, made into casseroles and in various types(salted, pickled, boiled) included in sandwiches and salads. Cod is also often used to make casseroles. Almost every good Latvian restaurant offers salmon dishes.
On the coast of the Baltic Sea is located a large number of fish farms where you can enjoy smoked flounder, eel, cod and lamprey.
IN various salads Seafood is widely used: shrimp, cuttlefish, scallops, abalone and octopus. They are often mixed with regular boiled rice and herbs, and seasoned with mayonnaise or thick cream.
Meat
The most consumed type of meat in Latvia is pork. The medieval ancestors of Latvians loved to treat themselves to pig tails, snouts and ears. Modern people can taste dishes made from them in many restaurants, where they are offered as a delicacy.
Popular among Latvians are baked pork knuckle and jelly. Many dishes are also prepared from veal, beef, lamb, and poultry, but not as often as from pork.
Legumes
Legumes are widely used by Latvians in the preparation of soups, main courses, and casseroles. The most popular dish is gray peas with speck (lard). It is customary to cook it at Christmas, which both housewives and chefs in restaurants do with pleasure. Guests at Christmas markets always have the opportunity to eat this dish. And tourists who arrive on a holiday other than Christmas can try peas with speck in a restaurant specializing in national cuisine.
Vegetables
The most popular vegetables in cooking among medieval and modern Latvians are cabbage, onions and potatoes. Carrots and beets are a little less common, but are also present in many recipes. Unique taste qualities And nutritional value are achieved by adding the root and greens of parsley, black radish, horseradish, dill, chicory. Recently, traditional dishes have begun to be seasoned with caraway seeds.
Bread
In , most likely, there is no such house in which there would not be rye bread or dishes prepared using it. Based on rye bread, local residents prepare yoghurts, all kinds of desserts and, no matter how strange it may sound, ice cream. A frequent guest on the Latvian table is bread soup. And store windows offer an abundance of types of rye and wheat bread With various additives: with dried fruits, nuts and even grated carrots, which causes sincere surprise among guests from Russia.
National dishes offered by specialized restaurants
The table of an ordinary Latvian housewife and many establishments Catering- in most cases, this is a set of national dishes, “optimized” for modern times. To taste real Latvian cuisine “from A to Z,” a tourist should at least once go to a restaurant that specializes in cooking food, the recipes of which were created in the Middle Ages.
Guests can be advised to try the following dishes:
· Cheeses made from cottage cheese and eggs with the addition of caraway seeds. These include the Yan cheese mentioned at the beginning of the article, which has an appetizing yellowish tint and a refined salty taste.
· Putras – various cereals, made from vegetables and cereals with the addition of meat, lard, fish (optional), and less often fermented milk products.
· Klops is a pork or beef steak with an unusual onion sauce.
· Silkyu pundysh – herring casserole with potatoes. It is used both as a festive and everyday dish.
· Boiled potatoes with cottage cheese, seasoned with herbs, sour cream and salt. The combination of cottage cheese and potatoes is common for Russians, but it sometimes shocks Russians.
Guests at any restaurant will be offered beer with rye crackers with cheese, garlic, seeds, tomatoes and all kinds of seasonings.
Sweets
The buns, cookies, cakes and sweets offered by Latvian stores are not much different from those in Russia. But as for the desserts served in cafes and restaurants, they are very original. For example: semolina dessert with chocolate, jam or whipped cream; milk-bread soup with raisins and cream; bread ice cream with jam; other combinations of bread, jam, nuts, dried fruit and dairy products.
Beverages
Without drinks, it is impossible to form a true opinion about Latvian cuisine. Most of them are based on honey and tree sap (maple and birch). Latvians also often prepare sour jelly with the addition of lingonberry juice or curdled milk, rhubarb jelly, bread kvass. Restaurants offer a large variety of excellent locally brewed beers.
Most catering establishments are concentrated in. Among them, a tourist can choose a cafe or restaurant in accordance with his preferences and budget.
goBaltia
