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What to eat in Latvia? Top 23 Latvian Foods

Last update: Sun Mar 16 2025
Top 23 Latvian Foods
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Latvian Foods

01

Pancake

LATVIA and  4 more regions
4.4
Biezpiena plācenīši
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Syrniki is a dessert consisting of fried cottage cheese pancakes that are usually garnished with honey, fruit jam, sour cream, or applesauce. It is part of the Russian (where it's sometimes also called tvorozhniki), Belarusian, Ukrainian, Latvian and Lithuanian cuisine.


Cottage cheese is traditionally first swetened with sugar, then combined with flour into a dough which is fried in hot oil until it develops a golden-brown color. Syrniki can be served for breakfast or consumed as a tasty dessert after a large meal.

02
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Kartupeļu pankūkas are Latvian potato pancakes, a quick mid-week meal that almost everyone knows how to prepare. They are made with a combination of grated potatoes, eggs, and flour, seasoned only with salt and pepper. Fried until golden brown, kartupeļu pankūkas are traditionally served with sour cream and lingonberry sauce.


Although these pancakes were considered a cheap meal, they have recently started to appear on many coffee shop menus in the country.

03
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Ķiploku grauzdiņi is a traditional snack and the Latvian version of garlic bread. In order to prepare it, rupjmaize rye bread is cut into slices, then pan-fried in butter or oil on both sides for a few minutes. The slices are removed from the pan, drained on paper towels, then rubbed with garlic cloves on both sides. Ķiploku grauzdiņi can also be baked in the oven, and the slices are then just drizzled with oil or smeared with butter.


Before serving, this Latvian garlic bread is sprinkled with salt. It's recommended to serve it with a glass of cold beer on the side.

MOST ICONIC Ķiploku grauzdiņi

1
04
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These crescent-shaped pastries are one of the national Latvian dishes that appear in numerous varieties throughout the country. When prepared with yeast, they are traditionally larger in size and served as a snack. The smaller versions, usually made with a thin, buttery pastry, are intended to be eaten alongside various hearty soups.


Nevertheless, all of the varieties are filled with flavorsome mixtures of onions, minced meat, bacon, cabbage, or creamy cottage cheese.

05
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Saldskābmaize is a Latvian term that translates to sweet and sour bread, and it refers to the traditional Latvian rye bread known for its distinct dark color, dense texture, and unique flavor profile that balances both sweet and sour tastes.


The sweet and sour flavor is achieved through a fermentation process that can take several days. The ingredients typically include rye flour, water, sugar, salt, and sometimes malt. The fermentation and the use of rye give the bread its characteristic sour taste, while the added sugar or sometimes honey contributes to its sweetness. 
06
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Aukstā zupa is a refreshing Latvian cold soup with an unusual, deep pink color. It is made with beets, cucumbers, kefir, hard-boiled eggs, and milk sausage. Greens such as dill and scallions are essential, and most people also enjoy the soup with a dash of vinegar.


All of the ingredients are mixed together, seasoned with salt and pepper, and the soup is then left in the refrigerator until well-chilled. It's recommended to serve the soup with a few slices of dark bread on the side. Aukstā zupa is a seasonal dish, so it's practically impossible to find it in restaurants during winter, but most places have the soup on their menus in summer.

MOST ICONIC Aukstā zupa

1
07
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Rupjmaize is a traditional bread consisting of whole-grain rye, baked in a hearth oven and shaped into an elongated loaf. It has a unique flavor that is both sour and sweet. The bread pairs well with smoked fish, cold cuts, and strong, pungent cheeses such as Roquefort.

MOST ICONIC Rupjmaize

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08
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Frikadeļu zupa is a Latvian meatball soup with numerous variations and recipes. The soup is usually prepared with a combination of water, carrots, celery, and potatoes. It is flavored with bay leaves and peppercorns. The meatballs are made with ground beef or pork (or a combination), milk, eggs, onions, flour, and breadcrumbs.


After the mixture is formed into small balls, everything is simmered together until the vegetables and meatballs are fully cooked. When served, this nourishing soup is typically enriched with the addition of sour cream and finely chopped parsley or dill.

09
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Originating in Latvia, karbonāde is the country’s beloved take on the world-famous Wiener schnitzel. This meat specialty is typically made with a thinly pounded pork cutlet that is coated in a combination of flour, beaten eggs, and (sometimes) breadcrumbs before it is fried to perfection.


A savory chanterelle mushroom sauce is usually spooned over the finished pork schnitzel before serving, while sides such as boiled potatoes with dill, french fries, cabbage salad, pickled vegetables, and slices of rye bread often accompany the whole dish. 

MOST ICONIC Karbonāde

1
10
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Rupjmaizes kārtojums is a traditional and fairly simple Latvian dessert consisting of dark rye bread, whipped cream or cream cheese, and cranberry jam. Most traditional recipes suggest cranberry jam because of its sourness, but other fruit jams can be used instead.


The dark rye bread is finely grated, flavored with cinnamon and sugar, and pan toasted. The ingredients are then layered in a glass trifle dish or a parfait glass and garnished with whipped cream or fresh fruit. Before it’s served, the dessert should sit in a fridge for a few hours so that the flavors soak into each other.

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17
Porridge
LATVIA  and  4 more regions
3.4
18
19
20
21
22
23
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Best Latvian Food Producers

01
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AWARDS

IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold

2022

BEST Distillers Republic Spirits
02

Cheese

BIRZNIEKI, Latvia
4.4
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SOIRA, Ltd is a cheese producer based in Latvia. The company specializes in the production of a variety of cheeses. SOIRA, Ltd focuses on quality ingredients and traditional cheese-making techniques.
AWARDS

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2024, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Latvian Food Products

01
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AWARDS

IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold

2022

02
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AWARDS

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2023

03
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AWARDS

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2023

04
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AWARDS

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2024

05
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AWARDS

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2024

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 23 Latvian Foods” list until March 16, 2025, 1,244 ratings were recorded, of which 693 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

Comment (1)

M
Morganna Kelly January 02. 2024

Most enlightening. Helpful that I am visiting Latvian family during holiday time in 2024.

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