Latvian Cuisine

Latvian cuisine is heavily influenced by weather. The basic ingredients of all the dishes are crops and meat. Thanks to the closeness to the Baltic Sea, fish makes up a great part of the local diet. Coming to Latvia, you should try the roast pork, served with pan-fried bread or taste famous Piragi (pastry, filled with bacon and onions). For the dessert the tourists will be suggested Alexander Torte (raspberry- or cranberry-filled pastry strips) or a Sweetbread soup with dried fruit. As for the Latvian drinks, they are varied. Latvians prefer coffee and tea, beer is also greatly consumed. Without any doubts all the tourists want to try popular Riga’s Black Balsam. The exact recipe is kept in a secret, but among known ingredients are ginger, oak bark, bitter orange peel and cognac.