10 traditional Latvian foods to try

The dishes below include everyday meals, festive foods, regional specialities and seasonal favourites. Open any dish for more information about its ingredients, traditions and common variations.

01Festive dish

Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi

Large grey peas served with fried bacon or smoked pork and onions, especially associated with Christmas and winter meals.

Open guide 02Savoury pastry

Speķa pīrāgi

Small crescent-shaped yeast pastries filled with bacon or smoked pork and onion.

Open guide 03Regional speciality

Sklandrausis

A small rye tart filled with layers of potato and sweetened carrot, traditionally associated with Kurzeme and Liv culture.

Open guide 04Summer dish

Aukstā zupa

Bright pink cold beetroot soup made with kefir, buttermilk or another fermented dairy base.

Open guide 05Potato dish

Kartupeļu pankūkas

Crisp grated-potato pancakes, commonly served with sour cream.

Open guide 06Regional speciality

Bukstiņputra

A thick potato-and-barley porridge with several household variations.

Open guide 07Festive sausage

Putraimdesa

A traditional blood sausage in which barley groats provide body and texture.

Open guide 08Traditional main

Kartupeļi ar siļķi un biezpienu

Boiled potatoes served with salted herring, fresh curd cheese, sour cream and onion.

Open guide 09Dessert

Rupjmaizes kārtojums

Layers of sweetened rye-bread crumbs, cream and berries or fruit preserve.

Open guide 10Midsummer tradition

Jāņu siers

A traditional caraway cheese closely associated with Latvia’s Jāņi Midsummer celebrations.

Open guide

Many traditional Latvian dishes are filling and based on rye, potatoes, barley, pork and dairy products, while fish, berries, herbs and seasonal vegetables add considerable variety. Smoking, pickling, fermentation and preserving helped make local ingredients available beyond the short growing season, and those methods remain visible in Latvian food today.

Grey peas and blood sausage have particularly strong winter and festive associations. Cold beetroot soup belongs to warm-weather eating, while Jāņu siers is closely connected with Midsummer.

Sklandrausis and bukstiņputra have especially strong western Latvian associations. Look for them in Kurzeme, at heritage events and through producers rather than assuming they will appear on every Riga menu.

Riga has the widest choice of restaurants and markets, but regional inns, bakeries, food festivals and Home Café Days can offer a more local view of Latvian cooking. Check the annual Home Café Days dates and participating locations before planning around an event.

Riga Central Market is useful for seeing ingredients and prepared foods in one place, although availability changes by trader and season.

Dark Latvian rye bread is a foundation of the country’s food culture and deserves attention beyond its use in desserts. Also look for smoked fish, sauerkraut soup, mushroom dishes, honey cake, Gotiņa milk sweets and seasonal desserts made with local berries.

Availability varies by region, season and producer. Markets, bakeries and regional food events often reveal more than a restaurant menu alone.