Honey cake… While living in Latvia, I often overlooked honey cake (medus kūka) as I preferred other pastries. Then this cake became more popular in Australia,...
Easter Eggs
The most prominent Latvian Easter tradition is to dye eggs with natural ingredients – onion skins, parsley, frozen or preserved blueberries and blackberries, grass, leaves, rice,...
Lieldienas (Easter)
Lieldienas (Easter) is a celebration of the arrival of spring and sun, the spring equinox. With the rise of Christianity, Lieldienas was celebrated on the day...
Cottage cheese and semolina cake (Biezpiena plācenis)
Traditionally, round dairy dishes would be served on Palm Sunday (Pūpolsvētdiena) and Easter (Lieldienas). You could make cottage cheese pancakes, or go up a step and...
Pūpolsvētdiena (Palm Sunday)
Pūpolsvētdiena (Palm Sunday, while it is more commonly known as “Pussy Willow Sunday” in the northern part of Europe) marks the beginning of the Holy Week....
Māras diena
Māra is one of the ancient Latvian deities – mother of the land, protector of women and guardian of livestock. In the modern times, Māras are...
Pork aspic (Galerts)
Recipe #20 in my 1920ies cookbook “Vārīšanas un cepšanas māksla” is Suckling Pig Aspic (Sivēna galerts). The original recipe leaves a lot of room for imagination:...
Cabbage filling for pīrāgi
Those who have visited Latvia know that there is more than one way to fill a pīrāgs. Bacon (or speck) and onion is the traditional way,...
Caramel cookies (Riekstiņi)
Riekstiņi (“Little nuts”) is the closest thing to a cookie sandwich you can get in Latvia. It usually is made in the shape of a walnut;...
Gingerbread
Christmas in Latvia cannot be imagined without baking tray upon tray of gingerbread (piparkūkas). It is a national pastime in the days leading up to Christmas...
Ziemassvētki (Christmas)
Celebration of Christmas in Latvia is rich in tradition with a sprinkling of superstition. Although now Christmas has been tamed down to a quiet family celebration,...
New Year’s Eve Feast
Tradition dictates that there should be at least nine dishes on the table when welcoming the New Year. You still have time to whip up some...