On food and drink

In the episode, I explore the cuisine of Latvia. I visit the largest market in Europe. I tell the stories of two Latvian chefs. We taste a few Latvian food and drink products, like Birzī sap, smoked fish and Getlini tomatoes - that are grown using waste. I also countdown through my list of ten important dishes in Latvian cuisine. Labu apetiti!

Thanks for listening!

Transcript

Episode 7: On food and drink

Rīga has many restaurants and cafes with food influences from all over the world. Other cities and towns in Latvia also have restaurants and cafes, and you can find plenty of places to eat along the main roads out of Rīga. Latvians like to eat out with friends and family, especially in summer when pop-up cafes and bars appear in parks, and restaurants spread out onto the pavement for al fresco dining. Many fine food and drink products are also produced and sold in Latvia. Latvians also treasure their traditional cuisine. We are going to explore and taste some of these. But first, a walk through a market. A very large market!

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Riga Central Market

I’m visiting Riga Central Market (Latvian: Rīgas Centrāltirgus). This is Europe's largest market and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1998. It was built between 1924 and 1930. The main structure of the market are five pavilions constructed from old German Zeppelin hangars. The top half of each pavilion uses the Zeppelin hangers, and the bottom half was built from stone and concrete in  Art Deco style. The market has an area of 72,300 square metres, more than 3,000 trade stands, and underground storage facilities that originally had 27 freezers. Each pavilion is divided into types of food: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, milk and cheese, baked goods and the recently renovated gastronomy pavilion. When Riga Central Market was first opened in November 1930, it was the largest marketplace in the world. During the 1930s, tourists from Germany and England visited the market, and the fish pavilion was a great attraction with its large, colourful aquariums. During the three-and-a-half-year Nazi German occupation of Latvia, farmers were not allowed to sell their products freely and were forced to supply the German Army. The market fell out of use and housed the German army vehicle repair unit instead. During the Soviet occupation, the market was renamed the Central Kolkhoz Market and sold goods from 60 collective farms. About 50-70 thousand customers shopped daily at the market — up to 100 thousand during weekends. Since Latvia regained independence, the renovation has been done to preserve it as a cultural heritage site and a working market. According to the market, the daily visitor numbers stay within 80 - 100 thousand.

Āgenskalns market

Riga Central Market is not the only market in Rīga. There are many. Āgenskalns Market (Latvian: Āgenskalna tirgus) is the oldest marketplace on the left bank of the River Daugava in Rīga. The market was opened in 1898. At that time, it was a very simple, open-air market. In 1911 construction of a market building started but was not completed until 1923 due to delays caused by the First World War. The building is an excellent example of a red brick Art Nouveau style. From 2018 - 2022 the market was renovated and now has lots of themed activities at weekends, in addition to operating as a thriving market. This weekend focussed on traditional bread making. The main building consists of 116 spaces for vegetable sellers and 108 spaces for milk and meat sellers, with a further 219 spaces for sellers outside. If you find the massive Rīga Central Market rather overwhelming, Āgenskalns Market is much more intimate. The ground floor has market sellers. The upper balconied floor, with its ornate ironwork, has food and drink sellers, including my favourite pizza in Latvia - Vīnkalnu Picērija. Cooked in a wood-burning oven and served on slates, these pizzas are simply delicious. And affordable!

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Two Latvian chefs that I admire.

Mārtiņš Rītiņš’s Wikipedia entry says, ‘British-born Latvian chef, restauranteur, businessman, culinary TV presenter and author. He was also the President of Latvia’s Slow Food Association and has been called "The Father of Modern Latvian Cuisine".’

Mārtiņš was born in 1949 at a refugee camp in Cheshire, England, to Latvian parents who had fled Latvia at the end of World War II. He grew up in Corby before moving to London to become a chef. From the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, he worked in various restaurants for a London hotel chain. Mārtiņš next moved to Canada from 1984 to 1992, where he owned a catering company.

In 1993, he moved to Latvia and founded the restaurant Vincents, becoming its director and executive chef. In 1995, he started hosting his cooking television show Kas var būt labāks par šo? ("What could be better than this?"), travelling around the world and introducing foreign ingredients and dishes to his Latvian audience. In 1997, he also published a cookbook.

From the late 1990s, he started organising official state banquets and dinners for royalty, presidents and celebrities, such as Queen Elizabeth II, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Angela Merkel, and Sir Elton John. Erh, and me! His restaurant, Vincents, was nearly next door to my home on Elizabetes iela, and he provided the catering for my official receptions as deputy British ambassador. Mārtiņš also hosted the monthly dinners of the British Latvian Chamber of Commerce at Vincents. I’m so glad that the Chamber still exists, 25 years from when I was first living and working in Latvia.

Mārtiņš has described his cooking style as "fine dining influenced by Escoffier", rooted in French cuisine, which was the foundation of his training in London. Mārtiņš has characterised his cooking as much lighter, less greasy and less fatty than the traditional Latvian cuisine, which he jokingly summarised as "pork, pork, pork, pork". I laugh at this, as trying to persuade my household to eat food different from traditional Latvian food is quite a feat! He recalled that his Caesar Salad was sometimes sent back to the kitchen during his early days in Latvia because it did not contain the mayonnaise that Latvians were so used to. I recall eating kangaroo for the first time at Vincents, and quail was often on the menu.

In 2007, Mārtiņš received the Order of the Three Stars for his "service to gastronomy and culinary education in Latvia". In 2017 he retired as the director of Vincents but returned to it in 2020. I guess he missed the buzz of the restaurant! Although I left Latvia at the end of 1999, please listen to my episode ‘On Memories’ for more stories about Mārtiņš, I returned over many summers in the 2010s to participate in the Positivus music festival. Mārtiņš had a fish and chip stand there. To an Englishman, fish and chips are a part of life but are unknown in Latvia. Mārtiņš oversaw the cooking operation, ringing a bell and an old-style bike trumpet when each order was ready. Ever the showman!

Sadly, on 11 February 2022, Mārtiņš died of complications from Covid-19 at the age of 72. A year ago, exactly. I dedicate this episode to his memory. In English, we would describe him as ‘larger than life’. A real character! Rest in peace, Mārtiņš.

Mārtiņš’s legacy is the slow food movement in Latvia. The Slow Food movement originated in Italy in 1989 as a response to the growth of fast food and other changes in the food system worldwide. The movement now has millions of members from more than 1,500 convivia (local chapters) in more than 150 countries. Members are typically chefs, farmers, fishers, activists, academics and producers — anybody with a passion for food. I was a member of Slow Food UK. Slow Food’s primary missions are to “prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast food and fast life, combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us”. Mārtiņš was a leading advocate for  Slow Food Latvia.

My second chef is Raimonds Zommers, another restauranteur influenced by classical French cuisine. He has a restaurant in Riga called Entresol. He was also the chef of the year in Latvia in 2006/7.  By chance, I came across his cooking on the cruise ferry between Riga and Stockholm. I am no fan of buffets and didn’t fancy steak. Studying the menu on board the ship, I found something called knapas—basically, Latvian tapas using local, seasonal ingredients. The word in Latvian means scarce. In other words, small! Fresh ingredients in small portions with maximum taste. I remember enjoying four or so of these treats. Delicious! You can guess what we ate on the return ferry to Riga after our day in Stockholm! See if this whets your appetite from Entresol’s menu: bukstinputra (Latvian porridge) with cured ostrich meat and hemp seeds, vegetable roll with cheese caviar and horseradish, lightly salted trout with sorrel, radishes, and horseradish cream. I still have a gift card to use at Entresol, which will be spent on knapas.

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I want to highlight some Latvian food and drink specialities with a story or two.

I spoke to Ervins Labanovskis to find out more about Birzī. He told me in the interview that Birzī was a brand that uses the sap from birch trees, but some products also used the sap from maple and also from walnut. He described the process of extracting the sap, just once a year in the Spring, and the products this was made into. He talked about the medicinal values of the wonderful birch tree. He also said how one could buy Birzī products, check birzi.lv, and visit the plantation and taste the products during Summer.

Another bioproduct is Latvijas Kiploks. We stock up on garlic flakes and delicacies like garlic tagliatelle pasta at a small shop in Rauna, not far from Birzī. It’s situated next to the supermarket. They will happily give you an explanation of the products. The winter garlic fields and production recently moved from Rauna to Līvi, just south of Cēsis. You can check out their products online at latvijaskiploks.lv

On the outskirts of Riga is a bio-waste plant at Getlini. It takes half the sorted household waste of Latvia and turns it into gas, which it burns to produce electricity and heat. This, in turn, heats the plant’s greenhouses of tomatoes and cucumbers. In fact, 19,200 tomato plants and 17,600 cucumber plants. They grow the most amazing tomatoes of many shades of colour and size. Don’t think about what they are grown on - only concentrate on the taste. My son recently went on a school trip to Getlini and returned with a bag of tomatoes!

In summer, when we are enjoying a road trip along the coast, my wife loves to stop by one of the many small roadside shacks in fishing villages that sell smoked fish. Smoked mackerel, plaice and even one that looks like a swordfish. You can also buy smoked fish at Riga Central Market. A best-loved dish is Liepaja menciņš, a comforting dish made from smoked cod, potatoes, onions and cream.

]Farming is a tough life. Māra and Mārtiņš are a lovely young Latvian couple with a farm in the countryside near Tukums. They grow potatoes and other vegetables on their land. We helped them harvest the potato crop one day in late summer and were rewarded for this hard work with a lovely meal and a bag of spuds. We got to know them when looking for a Latvian equivalent to the farm shop near our home in the Suffolk countryside of England. They didn’t have a farm shop but did deliver a weekly organic vegetable order to our home in Rīga. They decided this winter that the small income from farming wasn’t enough to survive. Mārtiņš is presently working as a builder in another part of Latvia, living there - away from his family - for five days a week. They are both knowledgeable and speak fluent English and other foreign languages. There is just no future for smaller farms in Latvia with high costs of seed and energy at the moment. Compared to large, non-organic farms, they are not competitive in price.

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Here is a run-through of some typical Latvian cuisine and some Russian influence. Like the top ten countdowns on Top of the Pops on English TV many years ago!

Number one: Griķi (or, as my son calls it: nuts). 

Griķi, believed to stem from the term for a Greek person, is the Latvian name for buckwheat. A staple ingredient of traditional Latvian cuisine, especially at schools, griķi is a simple dish consisting of buckwheat groats cooked in water with butter and salt before being served on their own or accompanying pork. While England had a toilet paper shortage at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, Latvians had a run on griķi.

Number two: Jāņu siers

Jāņu siers is a fresh cheese made from milk and curds, to which butter or cream, eggs, salt and caraway seeds are added. The reason why Jāņu siers is unique lies in the traditional production methods, with the correct proportion of ingredients, giving this cheese its distinctive colour and flavours, all of which have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Made for the midsummer festival of Jāni, Even the round shape of Jāņu siers has a special meaning – it symbolises the sun and the world, and when eaten, it is believed that a person takes part of the sun's energy. Enjoy the cheese with beer is my advice.

Number three: Rye bread

The average Latvian consumes around 50 kilograms of rye bread per year. Tradition dictates that if the bread is accidentally dropped, it must be picked up immediately and kissed. Another rule is never to place a loaf of rye bread upside down, or you’ll experience hunger. Rupjmaize, a dark rye bread, is a dense loaf that accompanies most traditional meals together with herb-flavoured butter. Fried sticks of rye bread are often provided as bar snacks.

Number four: Šaśliks

Shashlik is a Russian kebab that was brought to Latvia during the Soviet Russian occupation. It is a much-loved dish in Latvia, consisting of cubed meat and vegetables grilled on skewers. When summer arrives, Latvians like nothing better than lighting up the barbecue. Šašliks is the favourite barbecue food.

Number five:  Karbonāde

Pork features heavily on Latvian menus, and karbonāde is one of the country's most popular dishes. Much like a schnitzel, the pork is pounded flat and then fried in breadcrumbs. It's typically served with creamy mushrooms on top and with some dill-seasoned potatoes on the side. I’m going to Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs in Riga's old town to celebrate my birthday and eat Karbonāde. Locals and visitors highly rate Folkklubs. Check it out on Trip Adviser.

Number six: Galert, as Mama made. 

It resembles an archaeological dig, but my wife loves it! She usually cooks it with pig’s hock and feet, some chicken, and a variety of vegetables. When cooked, the bones are removed, the meat is sliced, and the mixture is refrigerated until it turns into a gelatinous treat—an aspic dish.

Number seven: Aukstā Zupa

Aukstā zupa is a refreshing Latvian cold soup with an unusual, deep pink colour. It is made with beets, cucumbers, kefir, hard-boiled eggs, and milk. Greens such as dill and scallions are essential, and most people also enjoy the soup with a dash of vinegar. All the ingredients are mixed together and 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 summer dish.

Number eight: Pīrāgi

These crescent-shaped pastries are one of the Latvian national dishes that appear in numerous varieties throughout the country. When prepared with yeast, they are traditionally larger and served as a snack. The smaller versions, usually made with a thin, buttery pastry, are intended to be eaten alongside soups. All the varieties are filled with a flavoursome mixture of onions, minced meat, bacon, cabbage, or creamy cottage cheese.

Number nine: Solyanka

Solyanka is a thick Russian soup that is plentiful enough to be a meal in itself. This soup is made with various types of meat, including sausage, bacon, ham, and beef, as well as vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes. Chopped pickles and a traditional lemon slice garnish play an essential role in giving this recipe its sour flavour. It can also be made with fish and pickled cucumbers. Often served the morning after a heavy drinking session as a hangover cure. On board a boat in Jelgava for my wedding guests a few years ago!

And finally, number ten has to be a desert: Kliņģeris 

Kliņģeris is a traditional Latvian birthday cake shaped like a large pretzel. It can also be served on festive occasions or simply as a dessert. This big cake is made with flour, butter, eggs, heavy cream, sugar, yeast, water, saffron, lemon and orange zest, cardamom, and raisins. Before baking, the dough is brushed with beaten eggs and sprinkled with almonds. After it has been baked, kliņģeris is often dusted with powdered sugar and decorated with bows, candies, or birthday candles. Enjoy the cake while it is warm, and pair it with butter or jam. My wife made one for my birthday this week.

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Drinks

Latvia is the number one European nation. In the volume of alcohol consumed per person. Eurostat recently published statistics. In 2021, households in Latvia spent €951 million on alcoholic drinks, making it proportionally the country where people spent more on alcohol than anywhere else in the EU. More than twice as much as the EU average.

Valmiermuiža beer

Everyone who likes beer will have a favourite brewery. My favourite Latvian brewery is Valmiermuiža. Latvian breweries, apart from the biggest Aldaris, which Carlsberg now owns, usually take the name of the town they are situated in. I have been on trips in the countryside where the Latvians suggest we find the local brewery, which will have a shop, where we will buy bottles of beer. Anyway, back to my favourite, because the beer is to my taste and because they experiment with a range of beers, including wheat beer - my absolute favourite since spending a summer in Munich learning German, courtesy of my employers, the Foreign Ministry. It was a reward for good work during a difficult time - the Falklands War. Back again to my favourite - they are situated in Valmiera, in the northern part of Latvia. They also have a shop at Āgenskalns market that I talked about earlier, so there is no need to trek to Valmiera for some excellent beer, and you can find it in all supermarkets. They also have a restaurant in Valmiera that, after a long drive, we were looking forward to enjoying some food and a beer. The staff were so rude. They told us in colloquial language that at 2 pm, they were no longer going to work. Finding that attitude to service is now quite rare in Latvia, more common when I lived here in the 1990s—but disappointing from one of the major food and drink producers.

Rīga Black Balsam

This Latvian herbal liqueur is based on a combination of 27 different botanicals, including wormwood, valerian, black pepper, gentian and ginger. The herbal infusion is later matured and mixed with honey and caramel. It is believed that the drink was first produced by a pharmacist named Kunze in 1752 and was initially launched as the Real Kunze’s Riga Herbal Balsam. The production of the liqueur was abruptly stopped during the Second World War, but it was later restored, and the drink is still produced following the original, secret recipe. This smooth and slightly bitter liqueur is best enjoyed neat, but it also goes well in cocktails and long drinks. Or poured over vanilla ice cream.

Sabile vineyard

The Sabile Wine Hill used to be the most northern vineyard in the world, registered in the Guinness Book of Records. It symbolises the city of Sabile, as grapes are depicted in the town's coat of arms. Sabile is west of Tukums and south of Talsi.

The Sabile Wine Hill was formed twice. Wine production was established there during the 14th century but fell into disrepair, but was renovated for the second time in 1936 by Sabile’s Mayor, Osvalds Rezeberg, with funding from the Latvian president, Kārlis Ulmanis. Terraces 2,800 meters long with 1,350 vines of more than 20 varieties were planted. Before the Second World War, the annual harvest reached four tons. During the war, many of the planted vines were lost, and during the Soviet occupation, the vineyard fell into disrepair. Restoration work on the vineyard started in 1989 but again stopped in 1992. Eventually, a land ownership dispute with Lithuania was resolved, and the vineyard now has 1.5 hectares. Since 1999, a city festival has been held every summer, called the Sabile Wine Festival. You can walk on the hill and around the vines at any time. I’ve done it.

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In concluding this episode, I don’t know about you, but I got rather hungry describing all that delicious food and drink. Labu apetiti!