Food of Latvia

Latvian cooking is rustic and comforting, with dark rye bread, potatoes, pork, peas, dairy, fish from the Baltic and forest berries. Grey peas with bacon, bacon-filled buns and cold beet soup are well-loved, and sweet rye-bread desserts are a signature. Meals are shared at family tables and summer gatherings.

National dish

Pelekie zirni ar speki

Grey peas simmered and served with crispy bacon and onion, a signature dish.

Staples

  • rye
  • potatoes
  • pork
  • peas
  • dairy
  • herring
  • berries

Signature flavors

  • caraway
  • dill
  • onion
  • sour cream
  • marjoram

Main dishes

Pelekie zirni ar speki

Grey peas simmered and served with crispy bacon and onion, a signature dish.

Key ingredients: grey peas, bacon, onion
Frikadelu zupa

A pot of meatballs with potatoes and herbs in broth.

Key ingredients: ground meat, potatoes, carrots
Karbonade

Breaded fried pork cutlet with potatoes.

Key ingredients: pork, breadcrumbs, egg
Kartupelu pankukas

Crisp potato pancakes with sour cream.

Key ingredients: potatoes, onion, egg, flour
Skabi kopusti ar gaļu

Sour cabbage braised with pork.

Key ingredients: sauerkraut, pork, onion
Fried Baltic herring
Fried Baltic herring

Small fried herring with potatoes.

Key ingredients: herring, rye flour, butter

Breakfast

Rupjmaize
Rupjmaize

Dense dark rye bread with butter.

Key ingredients: rye flour, caraway
Biezpiens

Fresh curd cheese with sour cream and jam.

Key ingredients: curd, sour cream, jam
Auzu putra
Auzu putra

Oat porridge with milk.

Key ingredients: oats, milk, butter

Street food

Piragi

Baked buns filled with bacon and onion.

Key ingredients: yeast dough, bacon, onion

Soups

Aukstā zupa

Cold pink beet and kefir soup with egg, a summer favorite.

Key ingredients: beets, kefir, cucumber, egg, dill
Skabeņu zupa

Sorrel soup with egg.

Key ingredients: sorrel, potatoes, egg
Zivju zupa
Zivju zupa

Creamy fish soup with root vegetables.

Key ingredients: fish, potatoes, cream

Salads

Rasols
Rasols

A creamy potato salad with herring, apples and pickles.

Key ingredients: potatoes, herring, apple, pickles, mayonnaise
Biešu salāti

Cooked beets with sour cream.

Key ingredients: beets, sour cream

Breads

Sklandrausis
Sklandrausis

A sweet carrot-and-potato tart in a rye crust.

Key ingredients: rye flour, carrots, potatoes, caraway

Desserts and sweets

Rupjmaizes kartojums
Rupjmaizes kartojums

Layered dessert of rye bread crumbs, whipped cream and lingonberry jam.

Key ingredients: rye bread, cream, berries

Drinks

Kvass
Kvass

Fermented rye bread drink.

Key ingredients: rye bread, water
Kefir
Kefir

Cultured milk drink.

Key ingredients: milk

Fruits and produce

Cranberries
Cranberries

Tart bog berries.

Key ingredients: jam, juice
Strawberries
Strawberries

Summer berries.

Key ingredients: cream
Blueberries
Blueberries

Forest berries.

Key ingredients: pie
Sea buckthorn
Sea buckthorn

Coastal orange berries.

Key ingredients: juice
Explore Latvia on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Northern Europe

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Baltic herring from Poland: Oliwier Brzezinski, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Market Bread, Riga, Latvia: Ken Eckert, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Oatmeal (1): Renee Comet (Photographer), Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Quail 07 bg 041506: Jon SullivanThe original uploader was Y6y6y6 at English Wikipedia., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Салат Оливье 03: Pannet, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Suitu sklandrauši: Silvija Dalge Tetere, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Rupjmaizes kārtojums: Krists Luhaers, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mint bread kvas: Mr.Icon (Mricon), CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kefir in a glass: Quijote at Russian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cranberry bog: Photo by Keith Weller, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) single2: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Blueberries: The original Uploader was Oven Fresh at English Wikipedia, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Hippophae rhamnoides-01 (xndr): No machine-readable author provided. Svdmolen assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)