“Kundziņš” Rasols (Inta Gertners)

In Inta Gertners’ family, there is a very unusual rasols recipe that she inherited from her grandmother, Milda Veidis (b. 1901).

The Most Important Thing Is What’s NOT In It! (Gundega Michele)

Gundega Michele, while living in the USA, developed her own rasols recipe and shares it in this video and also in a PDF. It turns out that the most important thing is what’s not in it!

First You Have to Decorate the Bowls! (Maruta Bergs)

Maruta shares her “tips and tricks” for making a successful aspic.

Latvians and Cow Heads (Jānis Dzenis)

Fragment from an interview with Jānis Dzenis (1918–2021) about life in the Palma collective farm in Brazil in the first half of the 20th century.

Aspic From a Sour Cream Container (Selga un Edgars Apse)

Selga and Edgars share their family’s rasols recipes. Edgars also talks about the aspic and cold buffet at the Latvian Centre in Toronto, as it was during the time he worked there as a catering staff member.

I Even Had a Second Slice! (Ilze Kancāns)

Ilze talks about her mother’s special aspic dish and her memories of the family Christmas table. Although she couldn’t eat aspic as a child, Ilze recently discovered that she now likes it and has decided to try making it next Christmas.

We’re Not Having Rasols?! (Astrīde Cīrule)

Astrīde Cīrule tells about rasols as an essential addition to her family festive table in the US.

Aspic Recipes from Diaspora Cookbooks

Here is a collection of several aspic recipes from diaspora cookbooks — starting with Dzidra Zeberiņa’s “Ģimenes pavārds” (USA, 1955) recipe for aspic, and ending with Balva and Atis Bredovskis’ recipe for Muzikantu gaļa (Musician’s meat) — a recipe they recorded while living in the ‘Kristus dārzs’ retirement home in Canada.

So What Is the Real Rasols? (Aija Ērgle)

Aija’s rasols recipe has been passed down from generation to generation. Key ingredients in her version are beets and herring, so that, as she says, it stands apart from potato salad. Her rasols recipe can be found in the cookbook ‘Ņujorkas latviešu ev. Lut. draudzes Ziemeļu novada PAVĀRGRĀMATA’, published in America.

Some People Don’t Want To Taste It! (Ingrīda Hawke)

Ingrīda, who sets the tables for Latvian events, talks about people’s attitude toward “meat in jelly” — and where in Melbourne you can find the best cuts of meat to make it.