Latvian Food Recipes

Latvian food recipes have a lot in common with Estonian, the two neighbouring countries share a very similar history. The history of German, Russian, Danish and Swedish cultural impact have left their clear mark on the cuisine. In history we find many expanations to why Latvian food have developed the way it has.

A Brief History
Some 10000 years ago hunter-gatherers came to the area. A couple of thousand years BC various Latvian tribes had established themselves in simple agrarian societies, among them the Livonians. During periods Germans, Danes, Poles, Russians and Swedes were dominating modern Latvia; all of them left behind their own culinary contributions. In the 17th century Swedes had control of the whole area, something that lasted less than a century. In the early 18th century Russians won it from the Swedes and it stayed as theirs until 1917 when Latvia won independence; the times were tough during the Russian rule. In 1944 USSR occupied Latvia and they became part of the Eastern Block. Following the dissolution of Soviet the independent republic of Latvia was declared in 1991, in 2004 they joined the European Union. The last few years the Latvian economy has struggled.

Latvian Cuisine And Some Typical Dishes
Latvian food recipes are mostly based on dairy products, rye, wheat, barley, root vegetables (in particular potatoes) and pork. It is a tradition for families to collect wild berries that are made in to jams and compotes. The Latvian love their mushrooms. Spicing is mild. The similarities to German, Russian and Scandinavian cuisines are obvious. Vodka and beer are the favoured beverages. Just like in the other Baltic countries, Latvian food recipes had to adapt quite a lot to the tough conditions during the Soviet rule, a lot of the cuisine was thus lost. Immigration and imports on a free market have changed the cooking habits, fast food and soft drinks are creating health problems just like everywhere else. Here are some examples of typical Latvian foods:

Rupjmaize Dark rye bread that many people eat everyday.
Jänu siers A hard cheese spiced with caraway seeds.
Kvass A traditional beverage fermented from rye bread, low on alcohol.
Karbonade A type of wiener schnitzel made of pork.
Zirnu pikas Balls of mashed peas boiled in water.
Skabu kapostu zupa Cabbage soup.
Buberts A dessert made from milk, wheat flour, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

Submitted Latvian Food Recipes
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