What are the must-try national dishes of Latvia? National cuisine of Latvia.

The Latvian cuisine took a long time to form and develop. It has absorbed many features of the Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Estonian national cuisines. The basis of Latvian cuisine is meat, fish, cereals. Most of the dishes are very simple, but satisfying at the same time.

Throughout history, many traditional dishes have changed somewhat. For example, a dish based on sour porridge skabputra, to which lard or meat was added for satiety, is no longer popular today and is rarely cooked in the kitchens of Latvians. Other familiar dishes, such as Janov cheese, is still not uncommon on the tables.

Everyday cuisine is increasingly becoming more like European. The daily diet in most cases consists of fish, meatballs, vegetable salads and other vegetable dishes. However, it is still customary to put national dishes on the festive table.

Features of national cuisine in Latvia

For Latvians, the main products are:

Flour.
Cereals.
Potato.
Dairy products.
Peas.
Beans.
Other types of legumes.
A variety of vegetables.

The location of the country right on the coast of the Baltic Sea has made Latvians lovers of fish and seafood, although agricultural crops still occupy the first place in the diet.

It seems interesting to a Russian person simply incredible combination products used in the preparation of certain culinary masterpieces characteristic of Latvia.

Very original for tourists will also be a beer or bread soup with the addition of dried fruits, jelly from black bread or rhubarb with whipped cream. 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

Most Favorite sea views fish in Latvia - herring, cod, mackerel. If speak about river fish, then especially often Latvians cook carp, pike, perch and bream. Herring is very loved and revered in the country. It is grilled with vegetables, cooked on charcoal, is part of sandwiches. Without fish casseroles Latvian cuisine is unimaginable. Cod casserole (Zivu pudins) or herring (Siltu pudins) are 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

Traditional dishes

Traveling around the country will not be complete if you do not try traditional Latvian dishes. Here are a few main dishes that are so attractive for culinary tourists in Latvia:

Homemade cheeses made from cottage cheese with the addition of cumin and eggs are worth a try. Among the most popular varieties is the famous Janov cheese. Its taste is pleasantly salty, and the hue is yellowish.
Bread and pea soups can also be attributed to some extent to the exotic, which every tourist should try.
Putra is a porridge made from cereals and vegetables, to which meat, fish, lard and sometimes even sour-milk products are added.
Braised Chicken Camaro, blood sausage and pancakes, gray peas with bacon - simple and hearty meals loved by both Latvians and visitors.
Klops is a steak under a delicious onion sauce. Meat lovers will definitely appreciate this culinary achievement.
Silkyu pudnsh is a traditional and beloved herring casserole with potatoes. Great option for everyday cooking.
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 crackers for beer with garlic, cheese, tomatoes, seeds, various spices will be offered to you in any restaurant or bar.
The peasant breakfast consists of boiled potatoes, smoked loin, homemade sausage, filled with eggs and milk and baked in a pan.
Sklandrausis is an unusual name for the Russian ear for an open vegetable pie made from rye dough. Outwardly, such a pie strongly resembles a cheesecake. The filling is usually made on the basis of 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 "Bubert" semolina with whipped cream.
Bread yogurt and bread ice cream with lingonberry jam.
Sweet bread soup with cream, jam and raisins.
Cake "Vetsriga" with light stuffing from curd cream.

Excellent drinks

In order to create the most complete impression of Latvian cuisine, it is also necessary to add drinks to it. Their original feature is the addition of birch and maple sap, different types of honey.

Characteristic elements of any Latvian table:

Sour oatmeal, pea jelly, where yogurt or lingonberry juice is added.
Rhubarb kissel with whipped cream or milk.
Bread kvass.

Latvia is also famous for its beers, various types of liqueurs and vodka.

Where to try

There are many restaurants and cafes in Riga with a wide variety of themes. There will be about 50 restaurants in the capital, the menu of which includes traditional dishes. The absolute 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.

The beautiful Baltic country is small in territory, but it contains a huge number of attractions and natural beauties. Charming authentic villages and ancient baroque castles, Gothic cathedrals and wooden Orthodox churches harmoniously coexist on the same territory. In each of the Latvian cities there are places attractive for tourists - from narrow streets to famous beaches. As in all countries of the North, Latvia has excellent ecology, beautiful rivers, lakes, forests.

Event tourism is attractive: festivals of organ music, sand sculptures, musical events in Jurmala. In gastronomic tourism, the emphasis is on the environmental friendliness of products produced in the country. So what to try in Latvia?

Food in Latvia

Latvian cuisine is characterized by three main concepts - simple, satisfying, tasty. Today it is no less important that this cuisine is eco-friendly. It has been formed over the centuries, absorbing the features of the cuisines of neighboring countries - Lithuanian and Estonian, German and Scandinavian, and even Belarusian. Latvian cuisine is based on agricultural and livestock products. As well as the gifts of the Baltic Sea, rivers and lakes of Latvia.

Five of the best and most original products of the national cuisine have become the owners of the European mark "Guaranteed Traditional Product": Janov cheese, Tsarnikovskaya lamprey, gray peas, Sklandrausis pie and salted rye bread.

Top 10 Latvian dishes

It is difficult to call bread a separate dish. But in Latvia it is worth forgetting about all its other types. Because this one is unique, and after receiving the traditional food guarantee mark, it can only be baked in this country, according to ancient recipes. The older generation, perhaps, remembers bread called "Rizhsky" on the shelves of the USSR. Now you can try it only in Latvia. Bread is cooked for at least a day. And it is baked according to the recipe - not in molds, but on special hot stones. The result is a "signature" crust that retains flavor. In the refrigerator, such bread can be stored for almost six months, and does not lose either freshness or useful properties. But it's better to eat it fresh.

Unusual soups

Soups are considered an obligatory dish of the Latvian table, as are porridges. They are characterized by a combination of incompatible products. Not everyone dares to taste milk soup with herring, but this is a favorite dish among Latvians. Add potatoes, onions and green onion. IN beer soup there are cottage cheese, boiled eggs, cumin, butter and rye crackers. All this is seasoned with sour cream.

There are cold soups: beetroot, rhubarb, sorrel, barley on buttermilk, bread soup with dried fruits. How not to try sweet soup blueberries with dumplings! Lemon is added for flavor.

Janov's day, one of the most fun national holidays Latvia, it is impossible to imagine without this cheese, of course, with beer. Refers to soft cheeses, in Adyghe or Feta format, but with special taste- due to the method of preparation and components. The country is considered the ancestor of all local cheeses, its recipe dates back to ancient times, when butter had not even been invented yet. The modern kitchen provides for oil, but is otherwise respected age-old traditions cooking - with obligatory cumin, eggs, cottage cheese and cow's milk. Ready cheese heads are wrapped in oak or maple leaves, then in clean pieces of linen. After this method of storage, loose yellowish pieces of cheese smell like summer and the sun.

Until now, every housewife prepares her own yanov cheese for the holiday. It can be tasted in restaurants, bought in shops, but it is more interesting to buy it from peasant merchants.

Carnikava Lamprey

Not just a delicacy, in the full sense of the word a cult product. It is named after the village of fishermen Carnikava on the banks of the famous Gauja. Fishing here originated more than three centuries ago; already in the second half of the 19th century, a fish hatchery and a fish factory were organized here.

Fashionable event tourism attracts many visitors to Carnikava – on Lamprey Day. This is a whole action, entertaining and entertaining, with contests, dances and fireworks. The main heroine of the holiday can be tasted fried, smoked, stewed, marinated and in jelly. The most traditional old dish is this fish fried on coals. The lamprey looks strange: without fins, bones and scales, and even a serpentine shape. But this oily fish Since the time of Catherine II, it has been considered a delicacy, and deservedly so.

gray peas

The uniqueness of the dish is that the varieties of this pea are selected and grown only in Latvia. Despite the non-holiday name, gray peas are one of the main decorations of the Christmas table. Latvians consider pea seeds to be a symbol of tears. Therefore, they try to eat as much as possible in order to cry less next year. Eating a lot is easy - delicious. Peas boiled until soft are stewed with bacon fried with onions. The dish is very simple and delicious, worth a try. For those who avoid heavy meals, prudent Latvians serve gray peas with a glass of kefir.

Another indispensable dish of the Latvian Christmas table. This pie, always made from baked lard rye dough, also belongs to ancient dishes. It began to be baked in the 17th century, when potatoes were brought into the country. Previously, this cake symbolized the sun. Hence its open shape and bright carrot-potato filling. The pie has another, also common name - Sklandic gingerbread. In fact, it is least of all like a gingerbread. Lush sides, golden filling sprinkled with cinnamon - all this is more like a cheesecake. The pie is worth trying not because it is marked with a European sign. It's just delicious.

blood pancakes

A very ancient dish, as well as tender and tasty, despite the awesome name. The dough for pancakes is made not with milk, but with carefully filtered blood - pork or deer. It is diluted to the consistency of low-fat milk, and then - according to the recipe. regular test for pancakes. Be sure to try. With butter, lingonberries or jam, it's just delicious. In addition, useful: trace elements in these pancakes contribute to the normal functioning of the heart and blood vessels.

Seafood

And this is not only smoked herring, which is known under the name of the famous Latvian sprats. Everything that the Baltic Sea gives is transformed into delicious casseroles- from cod, from herring, etc. Latvians also love fish stewed in milk with onions and carrots. Parsley and other aromatic herbs are added to it, served under cream sauce.

Ordinary herring is cooked with onion sauce or fried on coals. It turns out a delicacy. Skillful Latvian chefs even cook flounder on a grill so that a simple dish is eaten like culinary delight. Still worth trying smelt in batter

This crispy cookie is also an attribute of Christmas and new year holidays. In translation, its name means cookies with pepper or cookies with spices. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and allspice are added to it from the heart. They give spicy taste.

Biscuits have been common throughout Northern Europe since the 13th century. Recipes have improved: honey, nuts, cumin, vanilla, lemon or orange peel- who likes what. In stores in Latvia, before the holidays, they sell spicy dough for baking piparkukas and the cookies themselves in the form of various figures. Glazed angels, stars, houses create an indescribable Christmas atmosphere.

Old Riga

The name of the famous cake is translated as Old Riga. There is no person who has visited Riga and has not tasted the most tender pastry with the essential coffee. It has been a symbol of the Latvian capital for a very long time. Served in almost all coffee shops. Outwardly, they look like a common “shu” cake. The filling is cottage cheese with cream and vanilla. Everything is prepared from the freshest ingredients, without the slightest deviation from the recipe. It turns out an exquisite indescribable dish that can only be tasted in old Riga.

Latvia is known to many as an agrarian country. Therefore, it is not surprising that the local cuisine is based mainly on agricultural products. In this publication, I would like to consider the most interesting national dishes of Latvia. Recipes with photos will be presented later in the article.

The specifics of Latvian cuisine

Culinary traditions countries have developed due to the influence of several gastronomic trends. The first concerns the traditions of the German part of the population. It was this people who taught the Latvians to use all kinds of marinades, smoked meats, and pickles. Another direction was formed among the local peasants, whose daily diet consisted of dairy products, cereals, meat and potatoes. The combination of such influences is responsible for the formation modern kitchen Latvia.

The coastal location of the territories of the state caused the emergence of a wide range of fish dishes. Most recipes involve the use of marine products, in particular cod, herring, herring, mackerel. Almost every Latvian restaurant offers salmon dishes.

Latvian cuisine looks incomplete without the local rye bread, which is used in organizing any feast, is considered a national treasure. The product is used even in the composition of soups, desserts, yogurts.

As you can see, the Latvian national cuisine has many specific features. We will not dwell on the traditions of the region. Let's proceed directly to the consideration of names, recipes and cooking tips local dishes.

Putra

What you must try from national dishes Latvia? It is worth starting with a dish known as putra. The food is unique to Latvians and has no analogues in the world. This national dish of Latvia is prepared as follows:

Take a set of ingredients: fish, meat, cereals, potatoes.
Products are boiled until cooked in separate containers.
The components of the future dish are mixed.
Add kefir and cottage cheese.
The resulting mixture is kept for a day in a cool room or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
The next day, the finished putra is served at the table.

Several centuries ago, such a dish had the number one status on the table of Latvian peasants. Nowadays, it has been completely forgotten. You can order the national dish of Latvia in Riga only in a few restaurants.

Potatoes with cottage cheese and herring

Let's talk about another national dish of Latvia - potatoes with cottage cheese and herring. Even at the end of the last century, you could see it on the menu of any local restaurant or public dining room. Now this traditional dish is not so in high demand. The combination of these products may seem inorganic. In fact, the ingredients complement each other perfectly.

The national dish of Latvia involves the use the following components:

Potatoes - about four pieces.
Cottage cheese - 250 grams.
Onions are one thing.
Large herring.
Pickled cucumbers - 3 pieces.
Chopped dill and parsley - a tablespoon.
Sour cream - 3-4 tablespoons.

The recipe for the national dish of Latvia is extremely simple. Separately, boil the potatoes and lay on half the plate. Add sliced herring, chopped onion in half rings, cottage cheese with sour cream and pickles. Top everything with herbs.

The dish is served to the table with several slices rye bread.

beer soup

One of the main national dishes of Latvia is extraordinary. The following products are used as components:

Beer - 0.5 liters.
Egg - 1 piece.
Sugar - 100 grams.
Cumin - 2 tablespoons.

First, the beer is brought to a boil, pre-mixed with cumin. Sugar is ground with egg yolk. The resulting composition is poured into hot beer. The ingredients are kept on low heat until the first signs of boiling. The dish is served to the table along with toasted croutons and hard cheese.

Silkmeisee

The national dish of Latvia, whose name sounds like silkumaisee, at one time was no less popular than the above recipes. To prepare this traditional dish, herring is cut into small slices and poured with milk. The ingredients are mixed with hard-boiled eggs. Add a spoon vegetable oil and a similar amount mustard powder. Together with chopped dill, all components are mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

Cut rye bread with a thickness of no more than one and a half centimeters. The slices are slightly dried in the oven or oven, and then spread with butter. The previously prepared herring mixture is laid on top. Sausages cut into thin strips are used as the top layer.

Baltic beetroot

Extremely unusual dish looks beetroot, which add smoked cod. The product is traditionally served chilled. Cooking becomes especially relevant on hot summer days.

The dish is prepared on the basis of the following ingredients:

Medium-sized beets - 2 pieces.
Fresh cucumber- one joke.
Smoked cod - 200 grams.
Chicken eggs- 2 pieces.
An apple is one.
Large burgundy onion - half.
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons.
A bunch of green onions.
Salt, black pepper - to taste.
Sour cream - a tablespoon.
Rye bread - a few slices.

Boil the beets, after cleaning the peel with a metal brush. Water is not poured out, but decanted into a deep bowl. They return here boiled beets after cutting into strips. Rye bread is also placed in the liquid. The container is covered with a lid and put in a cold place overnight. Take out the bread from the saucepan. The base of the soup is salted and peppered. Add chopped small cubes apple and cucumber.

Boil hard-boiled eggs and knead thoroughly. Cut the onion into half rings. smoked cod torn into fibers by hand. Chop green onions. The ingredients are lightly fried for olive oil. Products are distributed on plates and poured with beetroot. As a finishing touch, use a spoonful of sour cream.

Peasant breakfast

The traditional Latvian dish is known not only within the country, but is also in demand in neighboring countries. An arbitrary amount of smoked loin and homemade sausage is used as ingredients. Boil young potatoes based on the number of people available. A few chicken eggs are driven into a glass of milk and mixed until a homogeneous consistency. Spread on the pan boiled potatoes, sausage and loin. The ingredients are poured with a milk-egg mixture, and then baked until golden brown.

Buberts

Buberts is pretty interesting original dish national cuisine of Latvia. The meal is an unusual semolina porridge. The product is prepared on the basis of the following ingredients:

Semolina - 100 grams.
Milk - 500 ml.
Chicken eggs - 2-3 pieces.
Grated chocolate - a small handful.
Sugar - half a tablespoon.
A pinch of salt.
Sauce based on cranberries, starch and sugar.

How is the national dish of Latvia prepared? take egg yolks. The latter are whipped with sugar. Proteins are mixed with salt until foam is formed. Milk is heated on the stove, and after boiling, it is poured into semolina in a small stream, stirring the composition. The mixture is again sent to the fire and boiled for 3-5 minutes until swelling. Then add beaten egg yolks and whites.

Ready buberts are poured into a deep plate. Pour porridge on top cranberry sauce and sprinkle with grated chocolate. Consume the dish after cooling to room temperature.

Milk soup with fish

We note one more national Latvian dish, which is based, it would seem, on incompatible products. As ingredients used:

Potatoes - 4 pieces.
Onions - one piece.
Milk - about half a liter.
Hake - 400 grams.
dried parsley- tea spoon.
Butter - 20 grams.
Salt, black pepper, bay leaf - to taste.

First boil the fish. Chopped potatoes are added to the hake broth and onion. The soup is salted and peppered, put a bay leaf. When the vegetables reach readiness, milk is poured into the composition. The dish is poured into plates, adding butter and parsley.

Apple pie

The apple tree is a widespread tree in Latvian latitudes. Therefore, it is not surprising that many desserts are prepared here using such fruits.

National dish of Latvia - Apple pie- requires the use of the following components:

Flour - 2 cups.
Apples cut into small cubes - 500 grams.
Butter - 300 grams.
Eggs - 4 pieces.
Sugar - one glass.
Baking soda- dessert spoon.

Butter is melted in a saucepan. Add the egg yolks ground with sugar. Mix the ingredients well. Pour flour and soda into the container. Products continue to knead with a spoon until a consistency resembling thick sour cream. Crushed apples are added to the dough, and then beaten egg whites.

Grease a baking sheet with oil. Sprinkle the surface with a thin layer breadcrumbs. The prepared dough is poured here. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 200 o C. The pie is baked for 30-40 minutes.

bread soup

The dish is a traditional Latvian dessert. The food is served cold. The basis is rye bread, which looks rather unusual.

Ingredients for cooking:

Rye bread without yeast - 150 grams.
Boiled water- 2 glasses.
Dried fruits - 150 grams.
Cream of medium fat content - 60 ml.
Cranberries - 50 grams.
Sugar - 4 tablespoons.
Cinnamon and vanilla - a small pinch.
Cookies - to taste.

The bread is cut into slices, after which they are laid in an even layer over the entire area of the baking sheet, previously covered with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. The bread is fried for half an hour. Then the croutons are removed from the oven and cooled. The product is poured with water and left to soak for 35-40 minutes.

Wash dried fruits using a colander and then dry. Soaked bread is ground into gruel. Half the norm of sugar and cinnamon are added here. The mixture is combined with dried fruits. The semi-liquid composition is sent to the stove. The soup is boiled over medium heat for 10 minutes. After cooling, the dish is placed in the refrigerator for several hours.

Take cranberries, rinse under running water and crush with a spoon. The berries are rubbed through a sieve. The resulting juice with pulp particles is added to the dish. The cream is whipped together with the remaining sugar and vanilla and then mixed into the soup. Sprinkle the top with crushed biscuits.

The culinary traditions of the Slavic nation, the Western European people have formed the national Latvian cuisine. Such an impact is reflected in the ready-made traditional recipes of original Latvian chefs. Experts in the culinary art of international rank easily determine the presence of elements of German, Estonian Lithuanian, Belarusian cuisine. Ease of cooking is the main rule of Latvians. Local culinary specialists prefer natural products farmers, livestock breeders. The territorial location of the state is calling card food in Latvia based on the gifts of the Baltic Sea.

In order to visit the country, it is necessary to apply for a visa to Latvia in advance.

Traditional first courses

The table feast of the Latvians has certain traditions. Soup is the primary hot dish presented in the menu of local restaurants. national food. The first glance of a visiting tourist is easily confused by the inconsistency of the ingredients of the dishes, which is much inferior to the unsurpassed taste of cooking by skilled Lithuanian chefs. Residents, foreign visitors to the state are offered a rich list of traditional soup dishes:

"Milk broth with herring" (the main ingredients are 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, breadcrumbs, sour cream, butter);
“Mushroom broth with milk” (preference is given to oyster mushrooms, milk, overcooked onions, cubed potato tubers, seasonings);
"Bread stew" (milk base, pieces of bread croutons, dried fruits, cinnamon powder);
"The broth is cold" ( vegetable ingredients- beets, cucumbers, fresh herbs, potatoes are seasoned with liquid kefir, it is possible to use eggs, cold cuts);
"Pea Soup" (traditional soup recipe of Russian cuisine is complemented by smoked meats);
"Putra" (liquid milk cream soup based on cereals, legumes).

Traditional second courses

Simplicity, satiety of Latvian cuisine characterizes the flavor national traditions. Products homemade meat, vegetation is the basis of the recipe of the Slavic people. This category of national dishes is characterized by serving fatty, rich sauces. The basis of thick gravy is butter, cream of high fat content. Scroll popular food in Latvia, belonging to the category of second hot dishes, is:

"Klops" (chopped pieces of meat seasoned with onion sauce);
"Meat casserole" (side dish is crushed potatoes);
"Blood sausage" (view sausage based on bovine (pork) blood);
"Blood pancakes" (the recipe for pancakes involves the use of pet blood instead of milk);
"Camaro" ( special kind stewed chicken);
"Perlovka milk" (porridge with the addition of smoked meat);
"Bean cutlets" (a dish of minced vegetable);
"Peasant's Breakfast" (the preparation of the dish is based on smoked loin home cooking, 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

Due to the close location of the Baltic Sea, food in Latvia is represented by a variety of fish dishes and seafood. Latvians prefer a variety of fish - herring, mackerel, cod, bream, perch, flounder, carp. The following recipes are in high demand:

"Zivu pudins" (fish casserole, the basis is cod);
"Siltu pudins" (fish casserole, the basis is herring);
"Fried herring" (cooking this type of fish in onion sauce);
"Baked herring" (pickled fish is fried with coals);
"Fish in batter";
"Red fish baked" (preference is given to salmon, trout);
"Flounder on the coals" (a special recipe for cooking sea fish on the grill);
"Sprats in Latvian" (herring in oil).

Dessert dishes of Latvia

category required, hearty meal in Latvia is bread baking. This product usually served with main hot dishes. The recipe for bread involves the use of wheat, rye flour various grinding. Especially appreciated by Latvians sour bread, walnut, with cumin, dried fruits. Dessert is considered an obligatory dish of the national cuisine of Latvia. Pastries, sweets occupy a special place among the variety of food of the Latvian people:

"Rice pudding" (sugar sweet pastries with the addition of dried fruits);
"Vetsriga" (a special recipe for baking called "Old Riga");
"Eclairs" ( chocolate dessert with custard);
"Latvian apples" (juicy fruits in puff pastry, doused with fat cream);
"Bubert" (recipe for milk semolina involves the use of grated nuts, fruit nectar);
“Riga bagels” (custard cakes in powdered sugar);
"Piparkukas" ( shortbread with pepper, nuts, cinnamon, clove seasoning);
the category of desserts is made up of the famous Latvian sweets “Korovka”, curd cheese bars “Karums”, ice cream.

If you have not yet decided where exactly you want to go on vacation, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the reasons to visit Latvia.

Food for 6 euros at the market in Riga, video:

The people of Latvia are very popular healthy drinks(0% alcohol) natural production- coffee, tea varieties, birch sap, rye kvass, natural juices, mineral water. The category of typical drinks that include a low alcohol content is local beer, prepared according to the technology of basic traditional recipes. Beer brands - Tervetes, Bauskas Tumsais, Cesu alus, Aldaris Luxusa, Uzavas, Bauskas Gaisais, Piebalgas, Aldaris Zelta - have a high degree of superiority. Great addition this drink considered garlic croutons. National drink of Latvia with high content alcohol is the Black Balsam of Riga.

Formation of the Latvian cuisine took place over many centuries. Therefore, in the dishes that are considered traditionally Latvian, many features of Lithuanian, Estonian, Belarusian, German and Scandinavian national cuisines are guessed. Most of them are easy to prepare and satisfying. Some national dishes being forced out European cuisine, are less often cooked in Latvian homes, others, for example, janov cheese, are served on the table as often as before. Daily diet citizens includes mainly fish, vegetable dishes(stews, casseroles, salads), cutlets, but on holidays, national dishes are always put on the table in abundance. The main products from which Latvians prepare food are rye and Wheat flour, cereals, potatoes, dairy products, various types of legumes and vegetables.

A Russian tourist in the cuisine of Latvians, and in the cuisines of other Baltic peoples, is sometimes very surprised by the “combination of the incongruous”, 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 of the world, even those that seem to be located in the neighborhood. In everyday life, Latvians cook soups on bread, milk, and even with added sugar.

Gifts of reservoirs

Despite the fact that the basis of the diet of Latvians is agricultural crops, the location of the country directly on the Baltic coast has led to the widespread consumption of fish and seafood by its inhabitants.

Of the marine fish, the most revered in are mackerel, herring, cod and herring; from the river, perch, pike, carp and bream are most often prepared. A special place is given to herring. This fish is grilled with vegetables, cooked on charcoal, casseroles and various types(salted, pickled, boiled) are included in sandwiches, 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 a large number of fish farms where you can enjoy smoked flounder, eel, cod and lamprey.

Seafood is widely used in various salads: shrimp, cuttlefish, scallops, abalone and octopus. They are often mixed with regular boiled rice and herbs, and seasoned with mayonnaise or heavy cream.

Meat

The most consumed type of meat in Latvia is pork. The medieval ancestors of the Latvians loved to treat themselves to pork tails, snouts and ears. A modern person can taste dishes from them in many restaurants, where they are offered as delicacies.

Popular among Latvians are baked pork knuckle and jelly. A lot of dishes are also prepared from veal, beef, lamb, poultry, but not as often as from pork.

Legumes

Legumes are widely used by Latvians in the preparation of soups, second courses, and casseroles. The most popular dish is gray peas with speck (lard). It is customary to cook it at Christmas, which is done with pleasure by both housewives and chefs in restaurants. Guests of Christmas markets always have the opportunity to eat this dish. And for tourists who did not get on the Christmas holiday, you can try peas with bacon 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 also present in many recipes. Unique taste qualities And nutritional value achieved by adding the root and parsley, black radish, horseradish, dill, chicory. Recently, traditional dishes have also been seasoned with cumin.

Bread

In, most likely, there is no such house in which there would be no rye bread or dishes prepared using it. On the basis of rye bread, locals 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 shop 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

Table of an ordinary Latvian hostess and many establishments Catering- this is in most cases a set of national dishes, "optimized" for modernity. To taste real Latvian cuisine “from A to Z”, a tourist should at least once go to a restaurant specializing in cooking, the recipe of which was created in the Middle Ages.

Guests are advised to try the following dishes:

· Cheeses made on the basis of cottage cheese and eggs with the addition of cumin. These include the Yanov cheese mentioned at the beginning of the article, which has an appetizing yellowish tint and an exquisite salty taste.

· Putra - various cereals made on the basis of vegetables and cereals with the addition of meat, lard, fish (optional), less often - fermented milk products.

· Klops - pork or beef steak with an unusual onion sauce.

· Silkyu pundysh - herring casserole with potatoes. It is used both as a festive and as an everyday dish.

· Boiled potatoes with cottage cheese, seasoned with herbs, sour cream and salt. The combination of cottage cheese and potatoes is common for, and it is sometimes shocking for Russians.

For beer, guests in any restaurant will be offered rye crackers with cheese, garlic, seeds, tomatoes and all kinds of seasonings.

Sweets

Buns, cookies, cakes and sweets offered by Latvian stores are not much different from Russian ones. 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 fruits 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 wide variety of excellent locally produced beers.

Most catering establishments are concentrated in. Among them, a tourist can choose a cafe or restaurant in accordance with their preferences and budget.

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