Common Foods and Dishes
Potatoes and meat are generally considered staple food of Latvians. Soups are commonly made with vegetables and broth or milk. Noodle soup, Beat soup, Sorrel soup and Nettle soup are also consumed by Latvians.
A traditional Latvian cheese is Jāņu siers (caraway cheese); this is traditionally served during the celebration of Jāņi or midsummer. There is also a Latvian version of the smorgasbord, Aukstais galds. Latvia has an original version of pīrāgi, which are baked. Kvass (seen also in picture on the right) is often considered as a traditional Latvian drink, however it is quite popular in neighboring countries as well, and it is hard to establish its origin. Popular alcoholic beverages are beer, vodka and balzam.
Sautéed sauerkraut is a food preparation that was inherited from Germans in the Latvian region. Pickled mushrooms are another Latvian speciality.
Read more about this topic: Latvian Cuisine
Famous quotes containing the words common, foods and/or dishes:
“When a man says that he is Jesus or Napoleon, or that the Martians are after him, or claims something else that seems outrageous to common sense, he is labeled psychotic and locked up in a madhouse. Freedom of speech is only for normal people.”
—Thomas Szasz (b. 1920)
“There are many of us who cannot but feel dismal about the future of various cultures. Often it is hard not to agree that we are becoming culinary nitwits, dependent upon fast foods and mass kitchens and megavitamins for our basically rotten nourishment.”
—M.F.K. Fisher (1908–1992)
“No more anything to drink;
Leave those dishes in the sink.”
—Herman Hupfeld (1894–1951)