Her Recipe Relied On Memory (Recipe – Modris Pukulis)

Modris Pukulis writes:
“The recipe for this bread comes from watching my mother making it – stopping her at times to measure what amount of ingredients were in hand. My mother was a great cook of her native Latvian food which we all ate while living at home (for me that was until I left for college at age 17). We all spoke Latvian as that was our first language learned at home and one that we were required to speak by and to our parents.
Not sure of the year but it was some time before I left for college that I decided that I wanted to learn how to make this bread – I had eaten other versions of this bread as made by Latvian friends of my parents but none were as good as hers.
I watched my mother through the whole two-day process, measuring ingredients as she went along, and taking notes (my memory not as good as hers). To my knowledge she never had a recipe but recalled everything from memory, though each time she made it, it tasted the same. We would eat it for breakfast with a slice of cheese or salami on top, and eat it for dinner with any soup she made. Though my favorite was the bread with my father’s smoked eel on top.
I similarly watched her make my favorite soup (biešu zupa – beet soup) and still make it whenever I make saldskābmaize (sourdough bread).
One thing I don’t know how to make,though I will try some day is speķu rauši.
Moe (or Mod as my sisters call me) Pukulis”

Butter, a Slice of Tomato, Onion, and a Little Bit of Dill (Aivars Stūris)

Aivars has been baking sourdough bread for many years, having taken over the tradition from his father when he retired. Today, Aivars bakes bread for himself and his family, as well as for American friends and nearby Latvian communities, including Garezers and the Grand Rapids Latvian retirees’ association.

Riga Bakery in Australia (Āris Bērziņš)

Āris talks about his father, Voldemārs Bērziņš, and the bakery he founded, “Riga Bakery,” in Australia in 1952. Watch the interview to learn how the bakery was established, how it grew, and what memories Āris has connected to it.

Freak-adelian Soup in Australia

Soups JANUARY 2026 Freak-adelian Soup in Australia Melbourne, Australia The ambassador of  “Taste of home” Liene Brūns, together with her friends Evelīna and Valters, is cooking frikadeļu zupa (meatball soup) in Melbourne, Australia. https://youtube.com/shorts/bGjSLRwSOFY?feature=share January stories Freak-adelian Soup in Australia Frikadelle soup (Solvita Dambrovska) Soups in refugee camps in Germany post WWII. Photographs from the “Latvians Abroad” museum collection. Soups for Charity (Anita Jurevica) Squirrel Sorrow Soup “Saknes un zari” (Marika Mccue) Zupa Zupa (Elizabete Ludvika) Australians say no, we only eat soup in the winter (Līva Ulmane) TLP soups! Emptied the pot in one go (Ilze Atardo) Frikadeller soup – when you have a cold (Anda Cook) Crystallised ginger piparkūkas (Maija Liiv) Latvian School of Chicago piparkūku working bee Now I can give my recipe to everyone! (Dzidra Ādamsone) Pīrāgi making outside Latvia: photographs from the collection of the museum “Latvians Abroad” One recipe in three versions (Ilma Wilkinson) We send pīrāgi by mail! (Dace Gulbe un Inta Grunde) Pīrāgi is a comforting food for me (Māra Goldsmith) It’s not Christmas without pīrāgi (Anda Cook) It smells of braised sauerkraut! (Juris Sinka) The decorating process takes seven hours (Anita Kupcis-Clifford) Grandma’s pīrāgi in Rome (Austra Muižniece) My family pīrāgi recipe – with commentary (Aivars Sinka) Communal baking in Shanghai (Ilma Wilkinson) No posts found

“Saknes un Zari” (Marika Mccue)

Marika talks about how “sakni un zari” came about. She also recalls a vivid moment when beet soup was cooked together with Lithuanians, Estonians, and Ukrainians, where at the end everyone had the opportunity to taste and compare the different versions of beet soup.

Zupa Zupa (Elizabete Ludvika)

Zupa Zupa founder Elizabete talks about how the idea to sell soups came about. Find out which soups are her favorites and which ones are the most popular!

Australians Only Eat Soup in the Winter (Līva Ulmane)

Latvian Eats blogger Līva believes that soup is more of a summer dish, but in Australia the view is quite the opposite. In the video, she talks about how Latvian Eats came to be, which soups are the most popular in her home, and which ones are cooked in a small pot just for herself because no one else is interested.