Three Vidzeme residents show their cookbook shelves and say what they read and cook from today
The Latvian news site TVNET has published a feature on three people from Vidzeme who show their cookbook libraries. It asks whether such books are mere décor or are actually cooked from.
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On 8 November 2026 the Latvian news website TVNET published a feature about three residents of Vidzeme, a region of Latvia, who open up their cookbook shelves. The piece appears in the site's recipes section and asks whether cookbooks are still used in kitchens today.
Three libraries, three stories
The collections belong to Brigita Puriņa, an enthusiast of gastronomic culture; Ēriks Dreibants, a professional cook; and Ilze Briede, the lady of the Brantu manor. Each has a library and a story of their own, but all three share a passion for cooking.
The question of what cookbooks are for
The article points out that cookbooks are often treated as an interior item: they sit neatly on a shelf and are only occasionally leafed through. It therefore sets out to find out whether people really cook from them, and what experienced home cooks and chefs read and use today.
Historical background
The first cookbook in Latvian appeared in 1795. It was printed by Kristofs Harders, a pastor and book publisher, under the title "Tā pirmā pavāru grāmata no vāces grāmatām pārtulkota" (roughly, "The First Cookbook, Translated from German Books"). Several centuries have passed since then.
The full feature, including the participants' answers, is available on the TVNET website.
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