Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi: grey peas with bacon

Dried grey peas are soaked, boiled until tender and combined with fried bacon or smoked pork and onion. The result is earthy, smoky and filling, with the peas retaining more shape and bite than a smooth pea purée.

The familiar English description is “grey peas with bacon”. Speķis can refer to fatty or smoked pork products rather than one universally standard bacon cut, so the meat and richness vary by cook.

Latvia’s national tourism authority describes grey peas with bacon as a traditional Christmas-table dish and connects peas with prosperity and vitality in Latvian folklore. That festive association is strong, although the dish is not limited to one day of the year.

Winter menus are the most natural place to look. Outside the colder months, availability depends on the restaurant and its decision to keep traditional dishes on the menu.

Latvia also has an EU-registered protected product called Latvijas lielie pelēkie zirņi, or Latvian large grey peas. A plate described simply as grey peas does not automatically establish that a protected product was used; ask the producer or restaurant if that distinction matters.

Modern cooks also use grey peas in salads, spreads and other dishes. Those versions show the ingredient’s range but are different from the bacon-and-onion preparation featured here.

Traditional Latvian restaurants, country inns and winter food events are the most likely settings. Riga gives the widest choice, while regional events may offer a more seasonal or household-style version.

Menus may translate the dish as grey peas with bacon, grey peas with pork or peas with speck. The Latvian name is the most reliable phrase to recognise.

The standard version is not vegetarian because the pork and its rendered fat are central to the dish. A meat-free modern version may exist, but it should be treated as a variation rather than assumed from the name.

Ask about dairy and other additions if these matter. Portion size also varies: some menus serve grey peas as a substantial main dish, while others offer a smaller side or tasting portion.