Culinary Walk Through The Traditional Delicacies In Latvia

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Today we will take you to Latvia. It is located in the temperate climate zone and is characterized by long and cold winters and hot and short summers. Due to the harsh climate of the country and the relatively poor quality of the soil, Latvians have always worked hard to provide for themselves. For this reason, food in Latvia is on a pedestal.

Bread, for example, has a special place in the minds of the people there and respect for it is encouraged from an early age. Although Latvian cuisine is traditionally based on agricultural products, meat is a very important part of this country's cuisine.

People living on the 500-kilometer Latvian coastline have always fished, so it is an integral part of their diet. Fishing is also practiced inside the country, but freshwater fish as well as crabs are considered a delicacy there.

Latvia's eating habits are many and varied. To this day, there are preserved eating habits that are similar to the customs prevalent during World War II. After that, more and more residents moved to live in larger cities, which led Latvians to arrange their eating habits according to the work they did.

Nowadays, it is very rare to see people there preparing food in their homes. However, many of the ancient customs of eating are practiced and today traditional dishes are always present at the table of the ordinary Latvian both every day and on holidays and special occasions.

In Latvia, there have always been great lovers of dairy products such as milk, cottage cheese, cream, cheese and butter. These products have always been part of the local table, and at every meal. Locals have the ability to find delicious and edible products in the wild - foods that should not be grown, but simply collected.

For a long time in Latvia benefit from the fruits in the summer - wild strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, and in the fall - mushrooms and nuts.

Beekeeping traditions in this country have developed over the centuries and today honey is highly respected there. In almost every Latvian farm you can find your own beehives and the income from honey production is among the main incomes of many of the local population.

In families living along the coast, smoked fish is still popular, and in many other areas people also eat smoked eel - spider mite, flounder, lamprey and cod. If you attend breakfast in an ordinary Latvian family, you will notice that it is moderate before the start of the working day.

As everywhere in the world, in Latvia people start the day with a cup of coffee or tea and eat sandwiches with cheese, sausage, tomatoes or cucumbers. For many Latvians, the day cannot start without a glass of milk, which is usually done at breakfast. Boiled eggs and omelets are also revered among the population.

Lunch can take place between 12 and 15 o'clock. It depends a lot on the start of each person's day. They usually eat a hot lunch, which consists of fried meat, which can be pork steak, fried meatballs, sauteed fillet or steak or chicken, or fish, which can be salmon, trout, cod or sardines.

They do not go without potatoes, which can be fried, boiled or mashed. They also eat boiled rice or buckwheat, as well as fresh salad. Some locals eat the soup as an aperitif, which usually accompanies the main course. The soup is usually made with pork, but can also be made with fish. Meat soups can also contain beans, peas, sorrel or nettles.

IN Latvian cuisine you can find a rich variety of desserts. Usually desserts there are prepared with dairy products, fruits, with added gelatin or potato starch.

During their lunch, Latvians drink fruit juices, tea or coffee. Dinner is served between 18:00 and 19:00. If you have the honor of attending a Latvian dinner, you will notice the great variety of dishes - they can serve you soup, salad, hot food, and more traditional food, such as milk-based soup.

However, there are many people who do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and who buy ready-made or frozen food or eat sandwiches or muffins and drink tea. Pizza has also become one of the favorite and easy to prepare dishes there.

Everyone has heard of Latvian beer at least once. There it is a traditional drink, so it is impossible and unthinkable to imagine a Latvian family gathering or a holiday without beer. In Latvia, beer is traditionally made from barley and hops.

Honey is also a common ingredient in beer. It is added during the brewing of beer, and then the finished product is called mead. In this country they have many beliefs related to nutrition.

One of the most important characteristics of table etiquette in Latvia is to offer others a portion of your food if you eat something different from them. Locals are very enthusiastic when it comes to eating bread, and in many homes the first piece is called the farmer's son when it is cut.

Young, unmarried women compete for this piece because each of them wants to marry the farmer's son - understand a man who has his own home and farm. People in Latvia are still considered superstitious when it comes to salt. Whoever you ask, everyone knows that if there is too much salt in a dish, then the chef is in love.

If the salt accidentally spills on the table or on the floor, it means that there will be a scandal in the house. The very way of eating there is a serious thing that requires people to be calm and decent, to show respect for the food and those who prepared it. There they believe that the head of the family should take the lead at the table.

Those who sit in the corner of the table must fear that they will be cursed, that they will not marry for seven years. Everyone there also knows that if a fork or spoon falls on the floor, a woman will arrive in the house, and if it is a knife - the guest will be a man.