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Fisherman’s lunch
/ Herring with cottage cheese /
In a traditional fishermen lunch, herring is slightly salted, served with boiled potatoes and sour cream with herbs. And of course – freshly baked or fried bread.
This meal is served both as a main course and as a snack. In the second case, finely chopped herring is mixed in curd mass. Sometimes the cottage cheese is replaced with thick sour cream.
Just like with the gray peas, slightly salted herring with potatoes is a part of the degustation menu and may be ordered in most restaurants in Riga.
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Gray peas
/ Fried peas with pork and sour cream /
One of the most famous traditional foods in Latvia. Among the local peasants, gray peas were popular already many centuries ago. Nourishing and healthy, this was the perfect meal for gaining energy and strength for the whole day.
This meal may be only prepared from the local peas. You guessed it, there’s no other place on earth where this particular kind is grown. And of course with some fried pork and warm grease. It’s best served with kefir and sour cream.
Worth to mention that inexperienced gourmets should be careful when mixing up these products in their belly. Reaction might be quite unpredictable. It’s best to try gray peas and milk products separately at first, then see if the combination of both works for you.
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Lampreys of Carnikava
/ Fish with no fins and scales /
Carnikava is a small city located around 30 km in the Northeast from Riga. It is believed to be the birthplace of another Latvian treat – Lamprey.
It’s a fish that has no fins or scales, and can also be seen on the flag of Carnikava. This porky fish may be found swimming in the river of Gauja.
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In Riga, this fish can be bought in nearly any shop. If you want to buy it fresh, then the best choice would be going to the central market or one of the larger supermarkets where they have separate areas for various fish.
As for tasting a freshly cooked lamprey, it would definitely be a good idea to choose one of the fish restaurants in Riga. Zvejnieka dēls, which in translation would mean son of the fisherman, is our choice. You will find it on Kaļķu iela 2.
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Summer Solstice cheese
/ Traditional cheese with caraway /
A true classic of the Latvian kitchen. The English translation for the name of it is not quite precise, however. Jāņi – it’s the celebration of summer solstice in Latvia. That is why the most precise name for this food would be John’s cheese (Jāņu siers).
Interestingly enough, there are only six cheese makers in Latvia that have been given an official clearance to produce this cheese.
Most of the traditional meals you’ll find in this article, may be tried in restaurant Kaļķu Vārti (Kaļķu iela, 11a).
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Vecrīga
/ Dessert which reminds of profiteroles /
The name of this dessert in translation would be “Old Town”. Just like profiteroles, this dessert is quite simple: Cottage cheese cream inside of a pastry. And that’s all!
Vecrīga is sometimes also said to be the Latvian version of French eclair. Perhaps that’s due to the similarities in how simple both traditional desserts are compared to others of the same category.
You can try out this dessert together with Riga black balsam in most cafes around the city. One of those places is located on Mazā Pils street 4 and it’s called Parunāsim Grēcinieku 24–1.
