Week 2: Latvia

Hmmm. Latvia. What is there to know about Latvia? Well, Latvians originated from the Latgalians, an eastern Baltic tribe. The country borders the Baltic Sea. It is slightly larger than West Virginia and has a population of 2,231,503. Latvia's government system is a parliamentary democracy. It's a pretty cool place.




















I'll be honest, the first thought that came to my head when I thought "Latvia" was "Russia." But Latvia is not Russia! Yes, they were once part of the Soviet Union, but not really by choice. Latvia was invaded by the Nazi's in 1935. They didn't get their independance back until 1991. That's a long time of oppression. Even before the Soviet Union, Latvia only experienced Independance for a short time. It was conquered multiple times by neighboring countries. Because of this, most Latvians were serfs or peasants. The food that they ate was cheap and long lasting. They ate a lot of leftovers. In fact, there is a Latvian crepe dish called Komm Morgan Wieder which translates to "Come Back Tomorrow." I won't be making this dish, but I thought it was pretty interesting. Their food also contained little or no spices because they were expensive to import. The food of Latvia has a lot of fat in it so that the peasants would have enough energy to make it through the day. This way of preparing food on the cheap created many traditional Latvian recipes.


I already have an idea of what I am going to prepare on Sunday. I'm actually quite grateful that the super fattening Latvian food will be what I am preparing this week. The first week of school really took it out of me. Maybe the fat will give me energy to make it through the second. . .