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The features of latvian food and drinks

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Natalija Strazdina

The document summarizes aspects of Latvian cuisine and culture related to food. It describes how over half of Latvia's population lives in Riga and that Latvians enjoy growing their own vegetables and fruits. It also mentions that many rural families kept livestock before EU regulations but still remember homegrown meat tastes. Fishing, foraging for wild berries and mushrooms, and food preservation methods are also outlined. Traditional dishes include potatoes, meat such as pork and chicken, fish, breads, soups and dairy products like soured cream.

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By NatalijaStrazdina
The features of latvian food and drinks
? There are only 1,993,300 people living in Latvia. More than half of Latvian people (1,018,295) live in Riga, Latvian capital city. ? Latvians love to grow their own. Most of Latvian households have their own allotment, garden, summer house with a plot of land or farmland to grow their own vegetables and fruits. ? Before Latvia joined EU, almost all rural families kept domestic animals for meet, eggs and milk. Most of Latvians stopped keeping animal because of strict EU regulations. But still many Latvians remember the taste of proper meat! ? Latvia is full of lakes and rivers, that is why fishing is very popular. Latvians not only catch fishes, but also take them home and cook or smoke them. ? There are many hunting clubs in Latvia, and Latvian hunters enjoy cooking and eating fowl and busmeat
? potatoes ? carrots ? cabbages ? cauliflowers ? beetroots ? marrows ? pumpkins ? radish ? black radish ? green peas ? broad beans ? beans ? horseradish ? rhubarb ? onions ? green onions ? garlic ? leaf salad ? lettuces ? dills ? parsley ? camomile ? sorrel ? tomatoes ? peppers ? gherkins ? peppermint
? apples ? pears ? plums ? cherries ? blackcurrants ? redcurrants ? goosberries ? strawberries ? raspberries ? cherry plums ? buckthorn
Latvian manufacturing and farming are in decline, that is why Latvians can use all the benefits of their nature. Latvians like foraging in their forests and meadows. Latvian forests are full of edible and very tasty berries and mushrooms.
Bilberry CowberryRaspberry
Alpine strawberryCranberry Forest berries are smaller than garden varieties, that is why it takes hours to get full basket of them. But picking forest berries is definitely worth an effort because these berries are much more fragrant than garden berries.
Boletus edulisLeccinumaurantiacumLeccinumscrabum
CantharelluscibariusSuillusluteusArmillariamellea Russulasp. The tastiest LactariusdeliciosusCortinariuscaperatus is Russulavirescens
Latvian winters can be very harsh with the temperature up to -30 Celsius degrees. That is why Latvians are good at food preservations. Latvian households usually have loads of jars with pickles, mushrooms, jams, juices, compotes, salads etc. Latvians store their winter supplies in basements and cellars. Even apartment houses have basements to allow flats’ owners to store their preserves and vegetables.
? Latvians eat a lot of pickled gherkins. Fresh cucumbers available at supermarkets are not suitable for pickling. Only gherkins –little prickly cucumbers –are the best choice for pickling. Every Latvian can easily tell whether a gherkin is well pickled or not. There are different methods of pickling. gherkins Cucumbers
Sauercraut, directly translated: "sour cabbage", is finely cutcabbage that has beenfermentedby variouslactic acid bacteria.It has a longshelf lifeand a distinctivesourflavour, both of which result from thelactic acidthat forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage. Dishes with sauerkraut are very popular in Latvia. There are some of them: Fresh sauercraut
Latvian Cuisine Traditional Cuisine Cuisine coming from neighbouring countries and countries which ruled over Latvian territory in the past
Latvian food is generally quite fatty and Latvians use fewspices. Latvians value the natural taste of food, that is why generally seasonings aren't very popular. The most common spices in Latvian food are: ? Onion ? Garlic ? Black pepper ? Caraway seeds
? Chicken ? Pork ? Beef
Smoking Hot Cold Latvians love smoked meat and fish!
Shashlikisn't Latvian traditional dish, it is probably borrowed from Crimean Tatars, but it is so popular, that it is difficult to imagine social gatherings or celebrations without it. The most popular meat for shashlikin Latvia is pork and chicken. The meat needs to be marinated. For marinades Latvians use: ? Vinegar ? Mayonnaise ? Wine Into marinades Latvians add: ? Onions ? Herbs ? Spices like allspice Mangalwith skewers
For main course Latvians prefer to have chops or cutlets. Chops and cutlets can be prepared from any kind of meat, but the most common is chicken and pork. ChopCutlet
Germans ruled over Latvian territory for long 360 years, that is why Latvians are in deep love with all sorts of sausages.
Aspic is a cold dish in which meat is set into gelatine made from a meat stock. It is very popular dish for celebrations, but aspic is very common thing in Latvians’ fridges too. It’s not possible to make aspic without: 1. A huge stewpan2. Pork head and legs
Tushonka(from Russian) is canned stewed meat
1. Grey peas with bacon2. Bacon buns kefir
Pelmeniis Russian dish. Latvians love them so much! Freezers in Latvian grocery stores are full of them. Pelmeniaredumplingsconsisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleaveneddough. Most of people boil them, but let me tell you one secret –they actually taste better when roasted!
1. Cod 2. Sprats 3. Baltic Herring 4. Salmon 5. Mackerel 6. Pangasius 7. Hake 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Latvians love to cook fish in batter. For main courses Latvians prefer to have fish like salmon, cod, pangasiusand hake. cod salmon
sprats salmon mackerel herring
Herring in a Jacket rollmops barbecued marinated
Small herrings called SALAKA (rus) or RE??ES (lv) are the cheapest fish in Latvia. But it is tasty fish too! Many Latvian people and cats can’t live without this fish. If you buy a bag of salaka, smallest fish will eat your cat, but from biggest ones you can prepare something like this dish:
Buckwheat is the fourth most important product for lunch after potatoes, pasta and rice. Latvians eat large quantities of buckwheat.
Many Latvians prefer to eat porridge for breakfast. Latvians eat oatmeal, but also porridges from other grains. Pearl barley oats rice Corn grits millet Pea grits Manna - croup Barley grits
Many Latvians keep bees themselves. There is bee keeping society in Latvia and many 'honey shops' where you can buy all sorts of honey, bee bread, bee pollen, propolis, beeswax and beekeeping tools. Latvians distinguish and sell separately different sorts of honey: ? Highly liquid honey (white clover, clover honey) ? Liquidhoney(linden, buckwheat, rape honey) ? Thickhoney(dandelion, sainfoin honey) ? Very thick, sticky honey(honeydewhoney) ? Gelatinoushoney (heather honey)
Honey cake Hazelnuts, Baked apples walnuts and with honey cranberries and nuts in honey
You can find all sorts of dairy products on Latvian supermarkets’ shelves. But there are some products especially valued and used by Latvians: ? soured cream ? cottage cheese ? curd snacks ? buttermilk ? kefir ? clabber ? Ligocheese ? melted cheese ? smoked cheese ? Russian cheese
Latvians can’t do without soured cream. They add soured cream everywhere where they can. They add it to soups, use as salad dressing, make sauces from it, use as the base for cake dough.
Latvians make pancakes, cakes, doughnuts, pies with cottage cheese. Or they use it as filling for pancakes or make cold snacks with it. Latvian curd snacks are brilliant!
Latvians make very tasty pancakes using kefir or buttermilk or clabber. Latvians drink kefir like milk. Kefir or clabber is the base for very tasty beetroot cold soup.
Ligocheese –a special cheese for summer solstice celebration Melted cheese Smoked cheese Smoked cheese sausage Russian cheese
You can find all sorts of bread on supermarkets' shelves. There will be white, grey and dark rye bread. Dark rye bread plays a very important role in Latvian’s life. It is unlike other rye breads you have tasted and it is still made according to old recipes -often made by hand. Latvian meals are always served with bread of some type. Dark rye bread is usually made of rye flour, buttermilk, salt, water and caraway seeds. There is Bread Museum in Aglonawhere you can see how bread is made and taste different bread types.
Butterbrot Layered Latvian Rye Bread Dessert Sweet Rye Bread Soup Crackers with Garlic Rye Bread with Dried Fruits and Nuts
Latvian stomach starts aching if its owner does not eat soups. It is considered that a person should eat soups if not every day, then at least three-four times a week. There are some popular soups: SolyankaBorschtSorrel soupMeatball soup
Latvians usually drink tea without milk. They like to drink tea with lemon. Many Latvians like coffee and hot chocolate. In many Latvian grocery stores you can buy coffee-like chicory drink too. All Latvians share their love to herbal tea. Gathering herbs for teas is a very popular pastime in Latvia. Latvian herbal teas are both tasty and healthy. From our grandmas we have inherited the magnificent know-how on nature powers. chicory
Latvians usually don’t drink raw tap water. Tap water needs to be at least boiled to drink it. Latvians drink raw water from wells and wellsprings. If they cannot collect their favourite water from their favourite source, Latvians simply buy their favourite bottled water. The term ‘mineral water’ in Latvia means really salty water. Many Latvians love to drink it on everyday basis, but the rest of Latvians drink it for healing purposes when they have an upset stomach.
Compotes and kisselsare popular cold drinks in Latvia. Kompotis a non-alcoholic clear juice obtained by cooking fruit in a large volume of water, likestrawberries,apricots,peaches,apples, rhubarb,gooseberries, orsour cherries. Kisselis a viscous fruit dish, popular as a dessert. It consists of sweetened juice, thickened witharrowroot, cornstarchorpotato starch, and sometimesred wineor fresh ordried fruitsare added
Kvassis afermentedbeverage made fromblackor regularrye bread.
Riga BlackBalsam is a traditionalLatvianherballiqueurmade with many different natural ingredients mixed in pure vodka, giving a 45%abv(90 proof) drink. It can be had as it is,on the rocksor mixed withschnapps,akvavit, orvodka, or warm, in tea, coffee or black currant juice, or mixed withsoda wateror asoft drink, or in any variety of cocktails. It is also occasionally enjoyed as a topping on ice-cream. The drink itself is black and very bitter, but with a distinct sweetness
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The features of latvian food and drinks

  • 3. ? There are only 1,993,300 people living in Latvia. More than half of Latvian people (1,018,295) live in Riga, Latvian capital city. ? Latvians love to grow their own. Most of Latvian households have their own allotment, garden, summer house with a plot of land or farmland to grow their own vegetables and fruits. ? Before Latvia joined EU, almost all rural families kept domestic animals for meet, eggs and milk. Most of Latvians stopped keeping animal because of strict EU regulations. But still many Latvians remember the taste of proper meat! ? Latvia is full of lakes and rivers, that is why fishing is very popular. Latvians not only catch fishes, but also take them home and cook or smoke them. ? There are many hunting clubs in Latvia, and Latvian hunters enjoy cooking and eating fowl and busmeat
  • 4. ? potatoes ? carrots ? cabbages ? cauliflowers ? beetroots ? marrows ? pumpkins ? radish ? black radish ? green peas ? broad beans ? beans ? horseradish ? rhubarb ? onions ? green onions ? garlic ? leaf salad ? lettuces ? dills ? parsley ? camomile ? sorrel ? tomatoes ? peppers ? gherkins ? peppermint
  • 5. ? apples ? pears ? plums ? cherries ? blackcurrants ? redcurrants ? goosberries ? strawberries ? raspberries ? cherry plums ? buckthorn
  • 6. Latvian manufacturing and farming are in decline, that is why Latvians can use all the benefits of their nature. Latvians like foraging in their forests and meadows. Latvian forests are full of edible and very tasty berries and mushrooms.
  • 8. Alpine strawberryCranberry Forest berries are smaller than garden varieties, that is why it takes hours to get full basket of them. But picking forest berries is definitely worth an effort because these berries are much more fragrant than garden berries.
  • 10. CantharelluscibariusSuillusluteusArmillariamellea Russulasp. The tastiest LactariusdeliciosusCortinariuscaperatus is Russulavirescens
  • 11. Latvian winters can be very harsh with the temperature up to -30 Celsius degrees. That is why Latvians are good at food preservations. Latvian households usually have loads of jars with pickles, mushrooms, jams, juices, compotes, salads etc. Latvians store their winter supplies in basements and cellars. Even apartment houses have basements to allow flats’ owners to store their preserves and vegetables.
  • 12. ? Latvians eat a lot of pickled gherkins. Fresh cucumbers available at supermarkets are not suitable for pickling. Only gherkins –little prickly cucumbers –are the best choice for pickling. Every Latvian can easily tell whether a gherkin is well pickled or not. There are different methods of pickling. gherkins Cucumbers
  • 13. Sauercraut, directly translated: "sour cabbage", is finely cutcabbage that has beenfermentedby variouslactic acid bacteria.It has a longshelf lifeand a distinctivesourflavour, both of which result from thelactic acidthat forms when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage. Dishes with sauerkraut are very popular in Latvia. There are some of them: Fresh sauercraut
  • 14. Latvian Cuisine Traditional Cuisine Cuisine coming from neighbouring countries and countries which ruled over Latvian territory in the past
  • 15. Latvian food is generally quite fatty and Latvians use fewspices. Latvians value the natural taste of food, that is why generally seasonings aren't very popular. The most common spices in Latvian food are: ? Onion ? Garlic ? Black pepper ? Caraway seeds
  • 16. ? Chicken ? Pork ? Beef
  • 17. Smoking Hot Cold Latvians love smoked meat and fish!
  • 18. Shashlikisn't Latvian traditional dish, it is probably borrowed from Crimean Tatars, but it is so popular, that it is difficult to imagine social gatherings or celebrations without it. The most popular meat for shashlikin Latvia is pork and chicken. The meat needs to be marinated. For marinades Latvians use: ? Vinegar ? Mayonnaise ? Wine Into marinades Latvians add: ? Onions ? Herbs ? Spices like allspice Mangalwith skewers
  • 19. For main course Latvians prefer to have chops or cutlets. Chops and cutlets can be prepared from any kind of meat, but the most common is chicken and pork. ChopCutlet
  • 20. Germans ruled over Latvian territory for long 360 years, that is why Latvians are in deep love with all sorts of sausages.
  • 21. Aspic is a cold dish in which meat is set into gelatine made from a meat stock. It is very popular dish for celebrations, but aspic is very common thing in Latvians’ fridges too. It’s not possible to make aspic without: 1. A huge stewpan2. Pork head and legs
  • 22. Tushonka(from Russian) is canned stewed meat
  • 23. 1. Grey peas with bacon2. Bacon buns kefir
  • 24. Pelmeniis Russian dish. Latvians love them so much! Freezers in Latvian grocery stores are full of them. Pelmeniaredumplingsconsisting of a filling wrapped in thin, unleaveneddough. Most of people boil them, but let me tell you one secret –they actually taste better when roasted!
  • 25. 1. Cod 2. Sprats 3. Baltic Herring 4. Salmon 5. Mackerel 6. Pangasius 7. Hake 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
  • 26. Latvians love to cook fish in batter. For main courses Latvians prefer to have fish like salmon, cod, pangasiusand hake. cod salmon
  • 28. Herring in a Jacket rollmops barbecued marinated
  • 29. Small herrings called SALAKA (rus) or RE??ES (lv) are the cheapest fish in Latvia. But it is tasty fish too! Many Latvian people and cats can’t live without this fish. If you buy a bag of salaka, smallest fish will eat your cat, but from biggest ones you can prepare something like this dish:
  • 30. Buckwheat is the fourth most important product for lunch after potatoes, pasta and rice. Latvians eat large quantities of buckwheat.
  • 31. Many Latvians prefer to eat porridge for breakfast. Latvians eat oatmeal, but also porridges from other grains. Pearl barley oats rice Corn grits millet Pea grits Manna - croup Barley grits
  • 32. Many Latvians keep bees themselves. There is bee keeping society in Latvia and many 'honey shops' where you can buy all sorts of honey, bee bread, bee pollen, propolis, beeswax and beekeeping tools. Latvians distinguish and sell separately different sorts of honey: ? Highly liquid honey (white clover, clover honey) ? Liquidhoney(linden, buckwheat, rape honey) ? Thickhoney(dandelion, sainfoin honey) ? Very thick, sticky honey(honeydewhoney) ? Gelatinoushoney (heather honey)
  • 33. Honey cake Hazelnuts, Baked apples walnuts and with honey cranberries and nuts in honey
  • 34. You can find all sorts of dairy products on Latvian supermarkets’ shelves. But there are some products especially valued and used by Latvians: ? soured cream ? cottage cheese ? curd snacks ? buttermilk ? kefir ? clabber ? Ligocheese ? melted cheese ? smoked cheese ? Russian cheese
  • 35. Latvians can’t do without soured cream. They add soured cream everywhere where they can. They add it to soups, use as salad dressing, make sauces from it, use as the base for cake dough.
  • 36. Latvians make pancakes, cakes, doughnuts, pies with cottage cheese. Or they use it as filling for pancakes or make cold snacks with it. Latvian curd snacks are brilliant!
  • 37. Latvians make very tasty pancakes using kefir or buttermilk or clabber. Latvians drink kefir like milk. Kefir or clabber is the base for very tasty beetroot cold soup.
  • 38. Ligocheese –a special cheese for summer solstice celebration Melted cheese Smoked cheese Smoked cheese sausage Russian cheese
  • 39. You can find all sorts of bread on supermarkets' shelves. There will be white, grey and dark rye bread. Dark rye bread plays a very important role in Latvian’s life. It is unlike other rye breads you have tasted and it is still made according to old recipes -often made by hand. Latvian meals are always served with bread of some type. Dark rye bread is usually made of rye flour, buttermilk, salt, water and caraway seeds. There is Bread Museum in Aglonawhere you can see how bread is made and taste different bread types.
  • 40. Butterbrot Layered Latvian Rye Bread Dessert Sweet Rye Bread Soup Crackers with Garlic Rye Bread with Dried Fruits and Nuts
  • 41. Latvian stomach starts aching if its owner does not eat soups. It is considered that a person should eat soups if not every day, then at least three-four times a week. There are some popular soups: SolyankaBorschtSorrel soupMeatball soup
  • 42. Latvians usually drink tea without milk. They like to drink tea with lemon. Many Latvians like coffee and hot chocolate. In many Latvian grocery stores you can buy coffee-like chicory drink too. All Latvians share their love to herbal tea. Gathering herbs for teas is a very popular pastime in Latvia. Latvian herbal teas are both tasty and healthy. From our grandmas we have inherited the magnificent know-how on nature powers. chicory
  • 43. Latvians usually don’t drink raw tap water. Tap water needs to be at least boiled to drink it. Latvians drink raw water from wells and wellsprings. If they cannot collect their favourite water from their favourite source, Latvians simply buy their favourite bottled water. The term ‘mineral water’ in Latvia means really salty water. Many Latvians love to drink it on everyday basis, but the rest of Latvians drink it for healing purposes when they have an upset stomach.
  • 44. Compotes and kisselsare popular cold drinks in Latvia. Kompotis a non-alcoholic clear juice obtained by cooking fruit in a large volume of water, likestrawberries,apricots,peaches,apples, rhubarb,gooseberries, orsour cherries. Kisselis a viscous fruit dish, popular as a dessert. It consists of sweetened juice, thickened witharrowroot, cornstarchorpotato starch, and sometimesred wineor fresh ordried fruitsare added
  • 45. Kvassis afermentedbeverage made fromblackor regularrye bread.
  • 46. Riga BlackBalsam is a traditionalLatvianherballiqueurmade with many different natural ingredients mixed in pure vodka, giving a 45%abv(90 proof) drink. It can be had as it is,on the rocksor mixed withschnapps,akvavit, orvodka, or warm, in tea, coffee or black currant juice, or mixed withsoda wateror asoft drink, or in any variety of cocktails. It is also occasionally enjoyed as a topping on ice-cream. The drink itself is black and very bitter, but with a distinct sweetness