National Dish Latvia: Grey Peas with Bacon (Recipe)
In this article
Grey Peas with Bacon is the Latvian Christmas dish and there is a superstition attached: you must eat every pea on the plate, or you will spend the coming year in tears. The peas are large, brown-grey and firm, and they taste more like a bean than a garden pea.
About Grey Peas with Bacon
Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi is Latvia’s national dish. Grey peas are boiled until soft, then mixed with onion and bacon fried in their own fat. That is the entire recipe. It is served with buttermilk or kefir alongside.
The peas are a specific Latvian variety, protected in the EU, and they are not interchangeable with marrowfat or split peas.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 200 g grey peas
- 1 onion
- 100 g bacon
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Water
Shopping for the ingredients
Latvian grey peas are sold in Baltic shops and online. Brown lentils or marrowfat peas are the nearest substitutes and neither is close. Use fatty smoked bacon, since its rendered fat is the cooking medium and the seasoning.
Preparing the dish
Soak the peas overnight in plenty of cold water. They are large and dense and will not soften properly otherwise. Skim any foam in the first ten minutes of boiling.
Step-by-step instructions
- Put the soaked grey peas into a pan with fresh water.
- Bring the water to the boil and simmer the peas for around 40–50 minutes, until soft.
- Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions until translucent.
- Add the diced bacon and continue frying until the bacon is crisp.
- Drain the cooked peas and add them to the bacon and onion mixture in the pan.
- Mix everything together well, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Peas, bacon and onion contain no gluten. There is no dairy in the dish itself, though the kefir traditionally served alongside is; leave it out or use a plant version.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Without bacon the dish loses its point, but fried onions in oil with plenty of black pepper and a little smoked paprika give a decent vegan version. Bukstiņbiezputra, the barley and potato mash, is the other Latvian staple and works without meat.
More tips and tricks
Soak them overnight and salt only at the end, since salted water keeps pea skins tough. Render the bacon slowly so the fat comes out and the pieces crisp. And do not drain the peas completely dry; a little of their liquid keeps the finished dish from being too stiff.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Sour cream stirred through is common. Some households add a fried egg. Barley cooked with the peas stretches it further and is traditional in poorer versions.
Ingredient substitutions
Brown lentils cook faster and give a different but pleasant result. Pancetta or smoked belly replace bacon. Butter in place of oil is richer.
Drink pairing ideas
Kefir or buttermilk is the traditional accompaniment and it is not optional in Latvian eyes. Kvass, the fermented rye drink, also works. A dark beer suits it.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it in a bowl with the bacon and onion over the top, rye bread and butter alongside, and a glass of kefir. At Christmas everyone finishes their portion, for the reason above.
A bit of history
Grey peas are ancient in Latvia, grown since at least the Iron Age, and they survived as a winter staple because they store well and grow in poor soil. They were granted EU protected designation in 2015. The dish anchors Latvian cuisine.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Grey Peas with Bacon
Grey peas with bacon is soaked peas boiled soft and mixed with onion and bacon fried in their own fat. Soak them overnight, salt them late, and finish every one on the plate.
