Rye bread & sourdough

FEBRUARY 2026

A master baker from Latvia (Kārlis Atars)

London, Canada

Maizniekmeistara Kārļa Atara dokumenti no muzeja „Latvieši pasaulē” krājuma.

Pirms Otrā pasaules kara Kārlim piederēja maiznīca Rīgā, Avotu ielā. Pēc kara, nonācis Vācijā bēgļu nometnē Šlēzvigā, viņš strādāja Starptautiskās bēgļu aģentūras UNRRA ceptuvē, cepot maizi bēgļiem. Nonākot Kanādā, Londonas pilsētā, Kārlis atvēra savu maiznīcu „Riga Rye”. Maiznīca strādāja līdz 1980. gadam, kad Kārlis devās pensijā un pārcēlās uz Toronto.

Master baker’s diploma of Kārlis Atars, issued in Riga in 1939.
A letter confirming that Kārlis Atars worked at the UNRRA bakery as the head baker.
Bread loaf racks in the Esslingen displaced persons camp in Germany.
A page from the guidebook of the 5th Latvian Song Festival in Canada, showing an advertisement for Kārlis Atars’ bakery.

February stories

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Give us today our daily bread (Rūdolfs and Irma Grava)
Valentine Upats
Whenever my mother baked bread, the entire house smelled wonderful (Mārīte Krūze)
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White bread is like cake - doesn't fill you up! (Smuidrīte Jinkinson)
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"Lett's Bake" sourdough
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A bread oven built from an anthill (Edith Siemel)
466643 (1)
Where do you find bolted flour in Philadelphia? (Inta Grunde and Valdis Bašēns)
majas lapai LP2014
Bread treasured as a symbol of home (Vilhelms Griķis)
Copy of LPplgD2022
A master baker from Latvia (Kārlis Atars)
LP2025.505
A proper country loaf (Kristaps and Zinaida Jaunzemis)
Copy-of-LP2016.1238
A kneading trough with traditional decoration (Edgars and Zigrīda Švinka)
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Alma's kneading trough (Alma Upesleja)
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One loaf was always given to the minister! (Jānis Grimbergs)
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She mixed maize flour with sweet potato... (Luzija Osis)
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The Dambergs family kneading trough (Jaime Dambergs)
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Her recipe relied on memory (Recipe - Modris Pukulis)
life is good
Butter, a slice of tomato, onion, and a little dill (Aivars Stūris)
10 mīkla salikta pannās
My Homemade Rye Bread (Recipe - Maija Irbēns)
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Riga Bakery (Āris Bērziņš)
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A mother's blessing (Lilija Rudzītis)
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Mayse Artisan Bakery (Aleksandrs Strelīts-Strēle and Elīna Krieviņa)
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The true taste of childhood (Daiga and Andris Rūtiņš)
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