Latvia Food Guide: An Insight

Latvia’s food, like that of many East European countries, is based largely on a combination of meats and starch- both potatoes and grain, supplemented by dairy products and eggs. Vegetables are fairly low down on the priority list of most Latvian diets, but you’ll find fruit- particularly forest berries- appearing in the form of pies- on most menus during the summer and autumn months.

Latvian meals usually start with a soup (cabbage soup is a hot favourite), or with appetisers, such as sprats with onions. Smoked fish- flounder, eel, herring and pilchards- are popular items that appear at almost every meal. Most meals are based on either meat or fish. Among Latvia’s most well known dishes are rasols (a salad of potato, herring, apple and beetroot), cukas galerts (pork in aspic) and debess manna (creamed wheat with vanilla sauce and cranberry sauce).Wine is not Latvia’s specialty- beer is. The country produces a lot of beer of many different types.