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**In payed collaboration with Malmö town.
The city of Malmö kindly invited my husband and me to come and explore the town for 2,5 days. I had visited before because I have friends in town who persuaded me to come over to Parabere Forum, a conference for women in gastronomy whose aim it is to fight for gender equality, that is if you get in because although I was invited to join the conference as press last year, this year suddenly my application to join – yes you’re reading this well, you have to apply to be allowed to pay to come to this conference – was turned down… so far for equality.
Back to Malmö a town where equality is also important, yet it is less about gender and more about general equality which I think is incredibly important as a first step. Malmö used to have a bad reputation, it stood in the shadow of bright and buzzing Copenhagen which is only 30 minutes across the Øresund bridge – known from the tv series – from Malmö. I’ve visited Copenhagen just for one day but can firmly say I prefer Malmö because it is smaller and more quaint.
You arrive in Malmö by the train station and walk across the river with the majestic Savoy hotel towering over you. A small street takes you to one of the most beautiful large town squares of Malmö. The first thing I notice is the cool advertising on the side of the building of an old apothecary, a well restored ghost sign you’ll see a couple more of around town. Malmö is calm, there aren’t many cars and the locals are incredibly chill and friendly. I think you would have a hard time upsetting a Malmonian.
Shopping
Just off the shopping street you’ll find the most beautiful little square (Lilla Torg) with old timber houses, there you’ll find a small shop selling had painted leather clogs and handpainted Dala horses which aren’t a touristy thing, they are very pricy because they’re not made in china, they’re made in the province of Dalarna since at least the late 18th century. They are perfect Christmas decoration! On this square there are lots of places for cocktails, even with the Northern wind cutting through like a knife you can sit here like it is summer because of the rather crazy amount of terras warmers… global warming much?
The shopping street is wide and houses a lot of Scandinavian stores, there is a Zara and an H&M but it is understated, you definitely see a preference for brands from these parts. There is a Bolia store which had now also opened stores in Belgium but there are also smaller independent Scandi design stores like Olsson & Gerthel. In the side streets of the large shopping street you can find small temporary looking design stores with often vintage scandi designs, well worth a look strolling around as there is always a little coffee place for Fika around the corner. On Södra Förstadsgatan here is Ab Småland, a huge store on two levels with everything from pottery, plants, bed linens and clothing to vintage rustic furniture often beautifully painted with flowers. There was one chest that looked like a prop from the Vikings series! The store also has a restaurant which looks very popular with young families. There is a salad bar for lunch which looked lovely and they sell excellent buns for Fika. Not far from Ab Småland there is Grandpa with Swedish designer clothing and a few other fun bits and bobs. Also in the same street is Designtorget which you shouldn’t miss.
Walking
We walked a lot while here, it’s best to get acquainted with the town map or you might be walking in circles. If walks are your thing Malmö has quite a few beautiful parks (Pildammsparken, Slottsparken, Folkets park) and it’s often forgotten that the town also has a seafront. We loved our walk on the windy (very windy!!) beach towards the open air swimming pool Ribersborgs Kallbadhus at the end of a pier. And if you’re fingers are frozen by the great Northern wind, you’ll find a nice little café at the end of the pier which serves great pastries and good looking sarnies. The tea was organic and along with regular coffee you could go for topups which are very needed if you need to defrost those fingers from walking and taking pictures because this pier is very photogenic.
Locals come and swim here in the ice cold water and have been since 1898. I wish I could say I was sad I didn’t bring my bathing suit but I’m sure I would have turned into an ice lolly, I definitely do not have viking blood!
Pildamsparken
Pildammsparken
Food & Drink
I have Flemish blood and we like to drink, not great amounts like the English with their large pints but rather high alcohol and smaller glasses. Our beer goes up to 10% while the beer sold in regular stores in Sweden has to stay below 4%. The magic is that they can make incredibly good beers with low alcohol, the downside is that a glass of fermented wheat, barley or grapes is so expensive it makes the Swedes drink a lot of water along with it. Compared to Belgium where you’d sooner get a free beer than a free glass of water, this custom is very strange. We’ve seen people eating dinner with no glass of beer or wine to water down, just water. I wonder how the many amazing small restaurants can survive as in most parts of Europe booze consumed makes up for a lot of the well needed profit.
My local friend Lotta who also runs MoveEat food tours in Malmö and other places across Sweden and the globe, tells me that the government controls alcohol sales in Sweden selling it from special government run shops. Some stores are allowed to sell the beer with max 4% ABV but you’ll never find a bottle or wine or Akvavit, you can’t even buy a bottle of wine from the restaurant, a normal custom in Britain for example. The exciting thing to this government controlled sale of alcohol is not that Swedes drink less, but that the government also has a funky alcohol app that will tell you the background of each scanned alcoholic beverage, the price and also the suggested food paring. The annoying thing is that as a visitor wanting to bring sea buckthorn akvavit home, you can’t just walk into a store to get it, you need to find the government store and they are not easy to find, it’s a bit like searching for a fishmonger these days, minus the cool app.
But nonetheless we were able to taste some amazing local beers and there is a big culture in natural wines. We had it minus the big jugs of water and just tried to ignore the price that makes it taste like liquid gold.
The food in Malmö… oh the food!
There is an incredible young and fresh influence in this town, not only are there more amazing independent cafés, bakeries and coffee places in Malmö than there are in the whole of Belgium, they all serve quality along with their sourdough and Kanelbullar. A smile is never too much to ask for and everyone speaks impeccable English. In Malmö you can spend a weekend just walking from one of these places to the next, feasting on quaint looking coconut cones, several kinds of knotted buns, chocolate balls and incredible sandwiches and salads. The people of Malmö are so lucky!
We tried a couple of different spots in town for proper lunch and dinner, from a harbour side canteen serving beautiful food to a Michelin star restaurant and a mad hatters wooden shed in a park where along with the vild (wild) salad the wood fired pizzas are so light and so full of fun flavour combinations you just want to eat the whole menu.
Malmö also has a stunning food hall, the Soluhallen are situated a short walk from the station and the park, it houses a couple of food stalls, a butcher, baker, no candlestick-maker but we did find that fishmonger. Allas no booze for sale apart from where there is food served and that food is of course fab, because we are in Malmö! Great wood fired pizza (sense a theme here?), noodles and a dish Malmö adopted as one of the national Malmo dishes: falafel. There is a large Arabic community here and the city had done a lot to include these new citizens with initiatives like Yallah Trappan where women from all foreign cultures bust mostly Arabic, meet to have Swedish lessons in the morning and cook up gorgeous colourful food in the afternoon. With this system the women gain not only a language but also a community of women, friends even. They’re given a voice and they use it to tell everyone about their food.
For candy lovers you can choose between an old fashioned chocolate and sweetshop Ahlgrens Konfektyr (Södra Tullgatan) selling a lot of sweets and chocolate that is made in Malmö or a modern candy store in the main shopping street (Södra Förstadsgatan). They love salty candy and salmiak.
Möllevångstorget
Frisgatan
Pill and Punch – a shop full of curiosities and items from young artists
Mitt möllan is on the other side of town at Claesgatan and has a great food court and an the vegan ice cream parlour Kold where you can taste a turmeric ice cream which you’ll never taste again and if it takes your fancy the flavour there is also Brexit Blues. The centre also houses a large vintage store and several small startups. Getting there you can walk through the street Frisgatan where you’ll find Raw food house and several small restaurants and a couple of nice little shops. Close to Mitt mollan is Möllevångstorget, a square with a fruit and vegetable market and an impressive statue, near to the square is the Malmö Chocolate museum and right on the corner is the Möllans Ost, a fantastic place for buying cheeses and everything that goes with it. A great delicatessen that has been at the very birth of Malmö’s fantastic food reputation.
Saltimporten Canteen is a restaurant in the harbour is a stroll through the harbour and you go there only for the food as there is nothing near, no shops, nothing else. But it is worth the walk and you see straight away that it is a top place because there is always a queue for the food. You sit on large communal tables and queue for the food that is prepared in large numbers but to an outstanding quality. There is a meat/fish or vegetarian option and when we were there the main was a stunning piece of pork belly with pea puree, lots of vegetables and a very flavoursome broth to dip your piece of sourdough bread in. Most people who come here just drink the free water, but we went for the natural white wine on offer. I still can’t get used to people not paying for their drink with a meal but it must have more to do with our culture than the Swede’s, it’s quite welcoming and homely to just take a jug of (free) water to the table and share but I still wonder how small businesses make ends meet without the income from drinks, at least soft drinks, juice, it doesn’t even have to be alcohol. The food is amazing, go there.
Saltimporten Canteen
Far i Hatten in Folkets Park is a little gem. You would walk right passed it, or you would choose not to walk in if you’d see it without knowing it’s the place to go in this area, heck in the whole of Malmö because I adore this wooden cottage that has been on this spot since 1894. The inside is decorated with fun collages of old photos and vintage furniture. The wallpaper you want to scratch of the walls and take home. They are famous for their pizza sundays when they bake the most AH-MA-ZING pizzas in a wood fired oven. The toppings are creative and the natural wines that go with it made it a perfect sunday early dinner, the fact that you can bake your own waffle at the waffle station is just a giant bonus. On sunny days they have a great outdoor terras which also sports a wood fired oven and the a la carte menu was full of meals I wanted to eat. I had visited Far i Hatten on a previous trip to Malmö and we got to take a look around the kitchen. I cannot recommend this place enough, if not only for their relaxed and friendly staff who went out of their way to make your experience great.
Far i Hatten
Far i Hatten
Far i Hatten
Folkets Park
Lilla Kafferosteriet is great for lunch, loved their open sandwiches, and breakfast, but also excellent Fika. Their buns are very good. It’s central location is incredibly handy.
Eida is close to Lilla Kafferosteriet although I was less a fan of the buns, it is a great spot for a drink and for a healthy lunch.
St. Jakobs Stenugsbageri you can find in the Saluhallen, behind the central station and a few other spots around town, they are great for Fika and make fantastic Kanelbullar, Cardamombullar and other sweets. I especially like the one situated in the Saluhallen which is light and airy and perfect before or after a trip to the food market.
Söderberg & Sara is in the area of the Mitt mollan and Far i hatten and in my humble opinion this place offers the best Kanelbullar sharing that first place with St. Jakobs Stenugsbageri.
Smaland also sells a great Kanelbullar but they are not knotted, they are a spiral shape and topped with nuts. My Swedish friends tell me the spiral shape is how their mothers made cinnamon buns, leaving the knots to the professional bakers.
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus offers a well needed Fika after a windy beachwalk or if you are brave a swim in the sea. They have great pastries, though they are more Danish than Swedish and their sandwiches looked great.
For a very traditional Fika Hollandia is the spot, it is located on Södra Förstadsgatan in between the two shopping streets so it brings a nice place to rest and enjoy a Semlor bun (in season) or a slice of bright green Prinsesstårta. The buns on offer are great but not like the ones from Söderberg & Sara, Lilla Kafferosteriet and St. Jakobs Stenugsbageri which are similar.
Hollandia
MovEat, go on a food tour to discover a lot in a short time. I’ve been on a walk and loved it as it also shows you around the town and that way you can go back later. Do it at the start of your stay.
Malmö has loads more to offer, if only we had more days to eat everywhere. Sunday and especially monday are difficult for dinner, I’d recommend Far i Hatten’s pizza sunday or regular evening menu for a sunday but it is important to book a table as this is a popular little place. We went to Bloom in the park on monday but found it underwhelming, but as it was the only place open on a monday that had free tables, it was our only option. I think I’m not a fan of Michelin star cuisine, it’s too much puree, mousse and as you weren’t allowed to know what you were actually eating (quite daft and not fun at all) I just had to leave the meat untouched because it just felt super weird not knowing what animal you were respectfully consuming.
Soderberg & Sara
St-Jakobs Bageri – Various locations
Hotels
There are lots of hotels of course but I can only speak about the ones I already stayed in. I stayed at Hotel Mortensen which is great value, very clean and very central (just round the corner of Lilla Kafferosteriet, the other hotel I’ve stayed at last year was Elite Hotel Esplanade (just off Lilla Torg) which slightly more upmarket. This time I was invited to stay at Oh Boy Bike hotel which is quite far from the city centre and there isn’t much to do or eat near. However the rooms are special as you get a flat with a kitchen, a skateboard and one bicycle (which is a bit annoying if there is two of you, you can hire an extra bike but there is no reception desk present in the weekends so we couldn’t use the bike) – however – there is a bicycle station where you can rent bikes in the same street, you have to register online for it. And like in most times there is steps all around, but again you need to register online. Malmö is a great town for using a bike as there hardly is any traffic! The kitchen is great if you like cooking on vacation, or if you’ve been traveling for long and prefer to not go to a restaurant. I enjoyed it for the fridge and the fact that I could make a strong cup of English Breakfast first thing which is what my body craves first thing.
Ribersborgs Kallbadhus
Why go there?
There really isn’t anything not to love about Malmö. I’ve been twice now and am already eager to plan another trip. Flights to Copenhagen are great from most countries in Europe, especially Belgium with a morning flight coming in and an evening flight going out. You can plan in a day of Copenhagen but really Malmö has it all, minus the hordes of tourists. I would say don’t hesitate and go there now. And I’m not saying this because this was a press trip. In fact we came in a day earlier so we would have more time here.
Now go and book your tickets for a long weekend to Malmö and thank me forever!
If you have been to Malmö and you know of a place I HAVE to go, do let me know in the comments, and if there is another hidden gem in Europe, I’d love to know where to travel next!
I was commissioned to write this travel story by the city of Malmö who payed for my flights, hotel for two nights and our dinners. All else was payed for by ourselves, there was no extra fee. In payed collaboration with Malmö town.
Fotos: Regula Ysewijn and Bruno Vergauwen
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Nearly everyone I know abroad who visited Belgium tells me they only went to Bruges… Such a shame! I usually exclaim because Ghent is just as beautiful! Don’t get me wrong, I love Bruges but Ghent is Bruges rock’n’roll sister, the badass of the family, full of subcultures, underground music scenes and home to ‘Vooruit’ one of the most incredible music halls located in an old socialist arts centre – the place where I saw my first show at 16. On top of that, Ghent has all Bruges has to offer architecture-wise minus the annoying hordes of tourists and unimaginative souvenirs shops selling lace from anywhere but Flanders.
Ghent is constantly reinventing itself, people are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed. You can have a good glass of Belgian beer on nearly every street corner but the last few years exciting new places have been opening all over the town. Ghent has been reputed being the vegetarian capital of Europe and that is something I had to be told by a friend who is vegan and visited Ghent a few months ago.
Ghent has been our nearest town for the last 12 years and with our move a few months ago we hardly ever visited because life has just been to busy and we no longer live a 20 minute drive away. But I find I look at Ghent with different eyes now when we do manage to carve out some time to travel there. We no longer pop over for lunch at our favourite Italian (Trattoria Della Mamma), but venture further into the city to try other things, stay longer to have dessert or afternoon tea (Huset), or an ice cold glass of Belgian style.
If shopping is what you are after, Ghent has it all. You have your highstreet chains in de Veldstraat but if small independent shops is your thing – it sure is for me – you have an array of little shops dotted around town.
If you saved all your pennies for the train fare and have not much extra to spend, fear not. On a budget Ghent is still as appealing as if you’ve got an envelope of cash in your purse. Walks around town are of course free and beautiful and a traditional meal of Flemish fries in a paper cone is romantic as well as cheap. Ghent has something for everyone.
Let me share with you my favourite addresses to make your trip the best it can be. And if you’re visiting around this time, Ghent has a shopping on sunday (shops are usually closed on sundays) and next week there is a folk festival in the Patershol quarter (Patershol feesten). This borough is called ‘Coté Culture’ this summer and there are great restaurants, traditional, ethnical and hipster. I love the shops here like Louise & Madeleine for gifts, jewellery and pottery, Maaike kleedt for fashion and an old fashioned wallpaper shop you just have to go and see to be transported back in time.
These shops are all situated on or just off the Kraanlei, a beautiful street by the water where you just have to have a walk even if you don’t feel like shopping. There are plenty of places to keep you watered from tea (Julie’s House), coffee (Jetje) to the more stronger stuff.
Huset, Hoogstraat
Het Lepelblad, Onderbergen
Simon Says
Organic cheese made by Hinkelspel
Cuberdon sweet seller
- For shopping (excluding highstreet chains)
I love shops where you can find unique or home made things, these are shops selling those things and if you have prop shopping in mind, some of these will be great for you.
Dille & Kamille (baskets, crockery and props, a larger chain but I still love the fact they sell smaller brands like Doves farm organic products, and did I tell you about the baskets??)
Hoornstraat
Louise & Madeleine
Kraanlei (a very nice street by the water with a few nice places to have a drink and eat)
Maaike Kleedt (fashion)
Kraanlei
Confiserie Temmerman (old fashioned sweet shop, great facade)
Kraanlei
Behangwinkel Priem (vintage wallpaper, this store has been here for decades)
Zuivelbrugstraat
Piet Moodshop
Sint Pieternieuwstraat
Seventy One (Vintage revival shopping)
Brabantdam
Het Paard van Troye (large selection of cookbooks and a café)
Kouter
- Food shopping:
Mokabon (old fashioned retro coffee place from the 1930’s)
Donkersteeg
Tierenteyn -Verlent Mustard shop (mustard, pickles and other delicious preserves, a must visit for the old shop interior)
Groentenmarkt
Himschoot Bakery (where you can find traditional local pastries like mastel breads and mattetaart)
Groentenmarkt
Tratoria Della Mamma (Italian take-away)
Sint Pieternieuwstraat
Traditional Cuberdon sweets (purple cones, tastes like violet)
At various stalls in the town
- Cheese
Cheese shop
Donkersteeg
Cheese Mekka
Koestraat
Hinkelspel (Organic cheese maker, love the fenugreek one)
Ferdinand Lousbergskaai 33
- Restaurants:
Het Lepelblad (sustainable food, great place, great wine and beer)
Onderbergen
De parkiet
Kraanlei
Boon (Vegetarian)
Veerleplein
Komkommertijd (Vegetarian)
Reep
Le petit Botanique (all produce from city farms in Ghent)
Kammerstraat
Eetkaffee De Lieve (Old fashioned Belgian)
Sint-Margrietstraat
Aroy Aroy (Fusion)
Lang Steenstraat
Trattoria Della Mamma (Traditional Italian, just for lunch)
Sint Pieternieuwstraat 36
Huset (breakfast, afternoon tea, coffee and cake, beautiful location)
Hoogstraat
Eat Love Pizza (organic, made with love!)
Ajuinlei
Superette (sourdough bread and pizzas, modern cuisine)
Guldensporenstraat
Simon Says (Great lunch spot)
Sluizeken
San (Bowl food, very elegant)
Brabantdam
- Patershol:
Roots (imaginative cuisine)
Karel De Stoute (upmarket cuisine)
Bocca Di Lupo (Italian)
- Drinking:
De Brouwbar (Brewbar)
Oudburg
Gruut City Brewery (brewery with pub and guided tour)
Rembert Dodoensdreef
Jazz cafe Otis
Oudburg
Jiggers’ cocktail bar (for perfect cocktails)
Oudburg
Dulle Griet (beer café)
Vrijdagmarkt
Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (beer café)
Groentenmarkt
Dreupelkot (Jenever)
Groentenmarkt
Trapistenhuis (beer)
Brabantdam
Het Véloke (as seen in my book Belgian Café Culture, a very-very unique place run by hoarder Lieven, go there at your own risk, you’ll see what I mean)
- Coffee and cake, or just coffee or tea or afternoon tea
Mokabon (old fashioned coffee place from the 1930’s, a must go even if you don’t drink coffee)
Donkersteeg
Huset (beautiful location, great cakes!)
Hoogstraat
Simon Says
Sluizeken
Julie’s House (afternoon tea, tea and coffee)
Kraanlei
Jetje
Kraanlei
Madame Bakster
Brabantdam
- Museums:
Sint-Baafskathedraal (cathedral with exhibition)
http://www.sintbaafskathedraal.be/
Gravensteen (Ghent’s beautiful castle in the middle of town)
https://gravensteen.stad.gent/en
S.M.A.K (museum for temporary art)
Jan Hoetplein
- Markets (until noon)
Weekly market on Friday
Vrijdagmarkt
Organic market on Friday
Groentenmarkt
Organic market on Sunday
Sint-Pieters Railway station
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In februari last year I went on a backpacking trip to Latvia, I was doing some research for one of my projects and with it met up with a woman I had met at the Oxford Symposium.
One of the most memorable things I ate while in Latvia was a Rye bread trifle with cranberries on lingonberries they call ‘Rupjmaizes kārtojums’. It is made by grating the iconic sweet Rye bread and lightly frying the crumbs then layering it with cream and curd cheese and the tart red cranberries they use so often in their cuisine. It was offered to me by the host in ‘Zaku Krogs’ a most wonderful Jamaica Inn-like ex-rabbit hunters Inn in Jurkalne which is about an 2,5 hour drive from Riga. The drive there takes you through forests which are laden with berry shrubs and strange small villages with Soviet-style blocks of flats.
On our way to Jurkalne we visited Ildze’s friend who works in the office of a sprat canning factory where all the people from the surrounding villages work. It was a unique insight to how this works, the sprats are delivered daily and extremely fresh and processed that same day. Processing means they are sorted by size and arranged on hooks by a group of women, then they are smoked – no artificial dye here – and then another group of women sorts the sprats neatly in their tins like braided hair. Then the sprats get a generous blob of salt on them, rapeseed oil and the tins are closed and finally pasteurised.
For lunch we had a selection of smoked tinned fish Banga, the factory, produces, it was all delicious. I do adore a bit of tinned fish. If you have a can of fish you always have a fantastic meal. For dessert we had a Charlotte made by Ildze’s friend who was celebrating her name day that day. Apparently in Latvia a name day (the day of your saint) is equally as important as your birthday. Latvians love to party and take any excuse to have a slice of cake, or excellent Charlotte with curd cheese in this case. I still need to beg for the recipe as it was so incredibly good.
Arriving in Jurkalne we went to visit the local fishermen who operate from the sandy beaches. They caught us a stunner of a wild salmon for our supper which was lovingly prepared by our host at the ‘Zaķu krogs’ inn. The inn is a wonderful place to stay to unwind. Wooden benches with sheepskins and woolly blankets, an open fire for when it gets really cold, cosy stylish bedrooms and oh my the food… the food was outstanding.
The salad with our dinner was made with picked vegetables from their own garden, preserved for winter. The salmon we ate was collected by us with the owner of the pub just an hour before it was gracing our table, poached gently and surrounded by little baltic herrings like a crown. Dessert was beautiful in its simplicity. The trifle made with crumbled dark rye bread, a layer of lingonberry puree and cream, fresh raw cream. Next was an ice cream made from rogan berries which tasted strangely savoury and although I really am not a big fan of ice cream, I could not stop and dived back in with my spoon as if there was no tomorrow and this was the last food on earth. The tartness of the berries and the flavour packed cream showed us how simply gorgeous food can be if you have great produce. Our third treat for the evening was more of that delightfully addictive cream this time mixed with cottage cheese made from the same decent milk. It was placed right in the middle of a pool of lingonberry puree. The red of the berries perfectly bleeding into the innocent white of the cheese. Oh let me spend a week here with dinners like these and I would never stop smiling. The worlds misery disappeared and we were allowed to just sit back and enjoy the simple pleasures of life which have become such a luxury.
In Riga itself we went to the Farmers Market on the other side of the river. I’m really happy my friend took me there because it really shows you another view of Riga and Latvia. While the big central market is full of great food offerings, the Kalnciema Market is a sweet little market full of artisan producers.
In one of the little wooden houses on the square is a coffee house with a crafts area where everyone’s children were painting and playing while moms and dads enjoyed the time-out at the market in peace and with wine. Because it was carnival there was an exhibition with masks made by a sweet looking old lady. I could not buy a mask as I had no space to put it that day but that night I did the google and found her and got in contact to find out if I could buy her masks in town, which I could, in Istaba, a gallery with products made by Latvian designers.
Tasting everyones offerings at the market was a must really, Latvian people are generous and enjoy to share. They would give away everything for free if they wouldn’t have to make a living too. There was plenty of pickled fish and vegetables, also preserves of which the hemp spread was the most surprising as it appeared like a hipster thing to me but my friend assured me they have been eating hemp like that for centuries. Cured meats were plentiful and delightfully smoky. If this had been my last day I would have bought a ridiculous amount of food but sadly I had 4 days to go and no fridge in my backpack or the hotel.
Rye bread which is very sticky is baked on maple leaves so the loaf doesn’t stick to the oven floor
Our lunch was sausages and pickled cabbage from a fellar who was especially proud of his bangers. And rightly so because these were the most flavoursome and delicately textured sausages I’ve ever tasted. Oh how I wish I could have taken a few of them home and they are a thing to come back for. The mustard served with it was so hot it felt like I was on fire. Great timing as I was still recovering from a nasty cold and needed heating up after the amount of snowstorms.
Folkloristic dancers
I’d love to go back to buy the Rye bread which is baked on maple leaves to prevent it from sticking to the oven, the smoked meats, the herring, the sausages and preserved cabbage, the jams, the wines and the Latvian potato tarts called ‘Sklandrausis’. There was folkloristic dancing with people in animal masks and the men were sharing Vodka behind their stalls. We walked around for 2 hours and I didn’t want to leave, I just adored the atmosphere.
After our visit to the Market we walked to Kipsala, an area next to the river with big mansion houses which are often empty. It used to be a troubled neighbourhood but today it is reviving and the restaurant from Ingmars Ladigs ‘Ostas Skati’ is definitely a big part of it. From the tall restaurant window you see the river which is at this time icy and coloured a stark grey. The food is contemporary Latvian and Ingmars feels the products quality is the most important thing. The walk there from the bridge is long but I would recommend it as it is scenic and it shows a very different Riga.
Ostas Skati
Another restaurant we went to is ‘3 Pavāru Restorāns’ where we met Martins Sirmais. He prepared a smoked eel dish for us which was outstanding. The restaurant is conveniently located not far from one of the main parks in Riga and the interior contemporary and relaxing. I would definitely recommend this place for a nice dinner.
3 Pavaru
Ferma
‘Ferma’ is another great restaurant in Riga, we were served stunning looking food and the atmosphere is great, very modern. You would think you’re in London.
The Central Market in Riga is enormous and it is there that Latvias history becomes very clear. There are Latvian traders and there are Russian traders. I’m told that after all these years, Russian and Latvian people still don’t really mix. They lead their own lives, each have their own shops and their own culture. In Riga you clearly see the Russian clothing shops and the Latvian ones. The Latvian fashion is garments made out of warm fabrics like wool, the colours and silhouettes are soft and elegant. The Russian fashion is very harsh, short mini skirts and a lot of bling-bling fabrics. It’s a stark contrast.
Visit the market for the impressive meat and fish hall and do visit all the pickled vegetable stalls too as they are quite intriguing. In the vegetable hall you’ll also find a craft beer café which sells very tasty beers.
Riga Central Market
Pigs heads, snouts and other cheap cuts are very popular at the Central Market
In the town there are a couple not to miss shops, Riija is a shop that sells Latvian made homewares, pottery and other beautiful things. Istaba is a smaller shop a little further from the centre but not to miss. It also sells Latvian made products and upstairs is a café that serves great food and craft beers.
I was expecting to find old coffee houses like the ones in Budapest and Prague but unfortunately if there were any, they did not survive Soviet occupation which lasted for 50 years and although now over 60 years ago, Latvia is clearly still recovering from. You will see these majestic buildings everywhere, run down, empty and sad. These were the homes of the well to do who ran from the Russians. These buildings were then turned into military buildings where they had little respect for precious wooden flooring and other delicate interior features.
I can see how majestic Riga must have been before it’s joie de vivre was killed by Russian tanks. I think it will possibly take another 20-50 years before this country has fully recovered and wounds can start to heal. I find it everywhere where Soviets have invaded that the people find it hard to talk about those times. Czech Republic, Hungary and those are just the two I visited. The subject is avoided and changed as soon as possible. It is as if something blocks and it is worrying to see how no one feels like opening up. We think of Nazi Germany, but I don’t think we’ve ever considered the terror of Soviet times.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to visit any museums and such but this gives me the excuse to come back. When I do I’ll definitely visit the farmers market, these restaurants I visited and rent a car to stay at ‘Zaku Krogs’ again.
Walking through one of the parks in Riga you will notice the old trees and the sort of scaffolding that supports some of them who are hanging dangerously low over a footpath.
Latvia is a country that does not cut down a tree but supports it with iron pikes to keep it up so it can continue to live and grow. It respects the fact that the tree was there long before most of us, long before soviet occupation, and that it survived that time, just like the people. To cut down a tree for behaving naturally in its old age, would be to forget what it survived, discarding its entire life as insignificant. The trees represent the Latvians.
Thank you to all the people who welcomed me so generously!
Address Book
Shopping
Farmers Market: Kalnciema Market
Kalnciema iela 35, Riga – Only on saturday morning!!
Central Market
Nēģu iela 7, Latgales priekšpilsēta, Rīga
Istaba (shop with café)
Krišjāņa Barona iela 31A, Centra rajons, Rīga
Riija
Tērbatas iela 6/8, Centra rajons, Rīga
Hungaricum
Ģertrūdes iela 5A, Ieeja no Skolas ielas, Rīga
Restaurants
Ostas Skati
Matrožu iela 15, Kurzemes rajons, Rīga
3 Pavāru Restorāns
Jacob’s Barracks, Torņa iela 4, Central District, Riga
Ferma
Valkas iela 7, Rīga
Istaba (shop with café)
Krišjāņa Barona iela 31A, Centra rajons, Rīga
Outside Riga
Zaķu krogs: Inn with outstanding food
Disclaimer: I visited Latvia at my own expense.
Latvian Rye Trifle
So what about this ‘Rupjmaizes kārtojums’ Latvian trifle. You all know I love a trifle and since we just celebrated Sinterklaas yesterday in Belgium I’m as always left with a glut of ‘kruidnoten’ biscuits. Tasting this trifle in februari I thought by myself this would be a great recipe to use up all the leftover kruidnoten as they are also made with rye flour. And yes, I made the trifle and it was a succes. Kruidnoten are the type of biscuit, very speculaas-like – which are perfect for a trifle. They become just the right amount of soggy. I think as far as trifles go you always have to go with a biscuit that is a good dunker. That way your trifle will never be an English soup. The cranberries for this recipe are made into a coulis, in Latvia you can buy this coulis in a jar and they use it for a lot of dishes. The great thing is that it hardly contains any added sugar so it gives a nice and tart note to the trifle.
The Recipe
What do you need (serves 4 -6)
- 350 g fresh or frozen cranberries or lingonberries
- 1 tbsp of sugar
- 300g kruidnoten or strong speculoos (no Biscoff!!) – or make the traditional version using 300 g of grated Rye bread
- optional: alcohol, I used sloe gin which was incredible
- 300 g 40% fat cream
- 100 g ricotta or curd cheese
- Method
If you want to make the kruidnoten there is a recipe for them on my blog from way back in 2011, you can find it here >
You need a trifle bowl or individual glasses like jam jars. I used the same jar as my host in Latvia used for this one.
First make the cranberry coulis (keep some cranberries for decoration) by simmering them in a pot with the sugar until you get the texture of apple sauce. You will need to add water from time to time and the ideal consistency should be that it is thick enough to leave a line in the pot when you go through it with your spoon, yet runny enough so it drops from your spoon. Some berries give more juice than others, so it is impossible to give exact instructions. Just think: too wet and the trifle will be a soggy mess, too solid and it will not blend well enough.
If you’re using Rye bread crumbs, lightly fry the crumbs in a dry heavy bottomed pan, don’t colour them. Let the crumbs cool.
Let the cranberry coulis cool off but let it not be fridge cold when you use it.
Make the cream mixture by whisking the cream until you get nice peaks and then adding the ricotta. Fill your piping bag and place in the fridge while you prepare the biscuits.
Place the biscuits in a bowl but leave some behind for decoration. Drizzle the alcohol over the biscuits, not too much, there should not be a pool of booze in the bottom of the bowl. If you are using Rye bread, don’t soak the crumbs in booze. Now take your chosen glass bowl or individual glasses and make a first generous layer of biscuits or bread, then add a layer of the cranberry.
Now pipe a layer of cream on top and proceed by adding another layer of biscuits, then cranberry then cream until your bowl is full or you run out of product. Just make sure you end up with a creamy top.
Place in the fridge for a few hours or overnight so the trifle can blend nicely. Before you serve decorate how you please.
Now enjoy the sound and the feeling of diving into a trifle with your spoon.
And now a few more pictures from my trip…
At the farmers market, using Blackcurrant leaves, this time in their pickle
Hemp paste is traditional in Latvia I’m told
Wish I could have taken them home, stunning loaves
The post Latvian Rye Trifle and a visit to Riga appeared first on Miss Foodwise.
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