What to Put on the Table on Latvia's Proclamation Day: Latvian Holiday Menu Ideas
A food feature suggests ideas for a 18 November holiday table, from rye bread and grey peas to roast pork, cranberry desserts and table decorations.
For those preparing to celebrate 18 November, a food article recommends building the holiday table around traditional Latvian ingredients: rye bread, grey peas, cabbage, fish, cranberries, lingonberries, apples and mushrooms. The recipes and tips are aimed at anyone who wants to mark the occasion with local flavours.
Starters
The article describes rye bread as a symbol of work, home and prosperity. It can be served with butter and a hemp-seed addition, or made into toasts topped with smoked fish, curd cheese and dill. Another option is rye bread baskets: small pieces of bread serve as a base for fried mushrooms, onions and a spoonful of sour cream.
The author names grey peas with crispy bacon as a dish associated with Latvian cuisine and especially suited to damp November weather. To surprise guests, a grey pea spread, or hummus, is suggested: boiled peas are blended with olive oil, garlic, lemon and salt, and served with rye bread toasts.
Main dishes
For the main course, the article proposes slow-roasted pork with garlic, marjoram, caraway and pepper, served with braised cabbage prepared with a little sugar, caraway and apples. A lighter choice is baked pike or pike-perch with butter, dill and lemon, along with oven-baked potatoes and beetroot salad.
Desserts and decoration
A cranberry sauce is suggested for the pork, made by briefly boiling cranberries with sugar and orange zest. Dessert ideas include baked apples with honey, cinnamon and nuts, cranberry semolina pudding served with cold milk, and a rye bread layered dessert with whipped cream and lingonberries or cranberries. Sklandrausis (a Latvian carrot and potato tart), honey cake and apple sheet cake would also fit the table.
For table styling, the article suggests a dark red tablecloth or napkins, white dishes, linen fabric, candles and small Latvian flags. Rowan branches, cranberries, apples and autumn leaves can be used as decoration.
