Baltic Christmas Day 12 - 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas Cookie Exchange

Day 12 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas is a round-up of the top cookie recipes from the 6 years the series has been running! Read on for a sampling of sweets from across the Baltics!

Last week we were invited to a kids Christmas cookie party; each family brought a batch of their favorite Christmas cookie, and upon leaving, the kids were given a bag containing a cookie from every batch that came. I’ve made all sorts of holiday cookies, from linzer tortes to gingerbread, but my ‘favorite’ is the Latvian piparkūka. We had made dough a few weeks ago and had a few hours to spare, so we made quick work of baking a batch. We had a lot of fun at the cookie exchange, and came home with a bag of goodies that aren’t in our usual reportoire – which made it all the more special!

While our piparkūkas  were a lovely addition to the bunch, I realized that in recent years they’ve dominated our cookie trays – it’s time to try something new. While looking for ideas, I was impressed with the number of recipes that have accumulated in the series. And while some are similar across the Baltics – piparkūkas in Latvia, piparkoogid in Estonia – others are rather unique to one of the three countries. I present to you, the favorite cookie recipes from 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas!

First of all, the Latvian Christmas cookie that pretty much started it all.... the piparkūka. While living in France I was sharing daily Christmas posts about our life in France, and upon returning to the US I had the idea of sharing Latvian holiday customs. The first thing that popped into my mind was piparkūkas, but I knew I couldn’t write about them, much less share a recipe, when half the time my dough is sticky enough to warrant 2-inch thick cookies. So I asked my mother (who makes the 200+ pounds of dough for the Latvian School of Chicago’s bake sale) if she would write hers up... and the rest is history. A Baltic Christmas 2014, Day 5.

I must follow this up with yesterday’s recipe, the vegan version of the piparkūka. Annelī worked on this recipe for a couple of years, and after tasting the result this Thanksgiving, I have to admit that I couldn’t distinguish hers from the non-vegan version. A Baltic Christmas 2019, Day 11.

And for a slight variation on the cookie, try Estonian food writer’s favorite Christmas cake, Pehme piparkook. Her 2015 post also contains link to her piparkoogid recipe. A Baltic Christmas 2015, Day 6.

According to the cookbook “The Food and Cooking of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania" (Igauņu, latviešu, lietuviešu ēdieni is the version I have), these ginger and white chocolate cookies are traditional holiday cookies in the Baltics. I won’t argue, and instead will include them in our list. A Baltic Christmas 2015, Day 10.

An absolutely essential addition to this list is the traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve cookie, kūčiukai. June from the blog My Food Odyssey shared why kūčiukai are a part of her family’s Christmas. A Baltic Christmas 2014, Day 22.

The first year of the series also saw Sandra’s recipe for zaķu austiņas, the Latvian fried Christmas cookie that will have you doubling the recipe every time. A Baltic Christmas 2014, Day 13.

The Lithuanian equivalent of zaķu austiņas  would be žagarėliai. In 2016, author Jenn Virskus shared her memories of making these fried treats with her Teta. A Baltic Christmas 2016, Day 14.

If you think Aleksandra kūka isn’t a cookie, tell that to the Chicago Tribune, as the Latvian recipe appeared in the Holiday Cookie Contest edition in 2014. The Estonians also have their version: Aleksandrikook. A Baltic Christmas 2016, Day 21.

These Lithuanian, mushroom-shaped morsels are a showstopper for the cookie exchange! A Latvian living in Lithuania shared his girlfriend’s family recipe, including tips on where to find the mold and how to finish with a glaze and poppyseeds. A Baltic Christmas 2019, Day 10.

While not a cookie, per se, these cranberry sparks made the list because they are the perfect tiny sweet to bring to a family gathering, that pack a ton of flavor in each spark! In her post on the sugared cranberries, Kristīna explains how it took a chemist’s report to ascertain how these delicious treats are made. A Baltic Christmas 2018, Day 17.

Also not exactly a cookie, Latvian kanēļmaizītes are a welcome addition to every Christmas sweets table. The dough for these delicacies is equally delicious in pīrāgi and poppyseed rolls, making the cinnamon buns versatile as well as addictive. A Baltic Christmas 2017, Day 13.

Hungry yet? I hope you’ve gained some sweet inspiration from Day 12! Stay tuned for a more savory dish tomorrow on Day 13 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas...

Baltic Christmas Day 18 - Krupnikas!

I had my first taste of krupnikas in college, where the Baltic Club celebrated our heritage with an annual Christmas get-together, various tailgating events, a broomball team, and monthly get togethers at some of the more dimly lit pubs. My first impression was somewhere between glühwein, Fireball and Melnais balzāms, warming from the inside out with a sweet, kvass-like taste that made our winter potluck an event to look forward to. Our Lithuanian friend Stepas was responsible for the krupnikas, which he diligently made some months (weeks?) previous and proudly presented each year. Over the years I still occasionally remember the Lithuanian drink, usually on a cold evening when autumn is transitioning into winter as I'm sipping hot tea or the occasional īsā glāzīte my husband has poured.

Krupnikas (or krupnik in Poland and Belarus) is a traditional sweet alcoholic drink similar to a liqueur. With a base of grain alcohol, it is sweetened by honey and flavored by up to 50 different herbs. Legend (or Wikipedia!) has it, that the original recipe was created by the Benedictine monks at a monastery in Niaśviž, Poland sometime in the 16th century or before. Possibly a more affordable alternative to imported wine and mead, it soon became popular among the nobility of Poland & Lithuania… and the rest is history.

 As with many traditional recipes, there are hundreds of variations. Each producer has their personal combination of seasonings and herbs used, and the type of honey and grain alcohol utilized also influences the final product. As a result, the recipe now lives on in thousands of different forms, even produced by a handful of distilleries in the United States.

This year was the year that I finally attempted to replicate the sweet honey notes that I remembered from university. After finding a recipe online (really, I chose at random, there are hundreds!), I immediately realized I would go broke buying the needed spices, of which only a tiny fraction would be used and the rest would sit on the kitchen shelves gathering dust until our next move. Instead, the following week was spent crowdsourcing: one friend had whole nutmeg, another whole allspice. I finally found the required cardamom pods at a specialty store, priced somewhere around $55/pound; luckily I only needed ten, together weighing just a fraction of an ounce. I found a vanilla bean in the cupboard, left over from the last cookbook club, and a friend dropped off a leftover piece of turmeric. Soon my counter looked like potions lab, and I was ready to start my own “Dark Corner” – in the kitchen.

First, I boiled down a mixture of honey, water, and wintery spices. After straining the brew, I added a high-proof, flavorless grain spirit to the liquid, and poured into bottles. It is advised to let the krupnikas sit at least a couple of weeks, but I think it’s usually allowed to meld more like 6 months to a year. Over the first few days the cloudiness settled to the bottom, and some weeks later we poured the first taste of the amber liqueur. 

The result tastes much like I remember it tasting years ago, although wisdom gained over the years might influence serving size. All in all, difficulties of sourcing a few of the ingredients aside, this is a relatively easy recipe to make with impressive results. Krupnikas makes a good cold weather drink however you may choose to drink it - straight, sometimes warm, or even mixed  - and shouldn’t be restricted to the Lithuanian winter table. į Sveikatą! 

Tomorrow on 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas - same topic, different flavor!

Baltic Christmas Day 6 - Vegan blood sausage

Day 6 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas brings a new contributor to the series! Author Sandra from blog VeganSandra is joining us today with a vegan alternative to the Estonian Christmas dinner favorite, blood sausage. The recipe first appeared on her Estonian site, and can be found in her English-language cookbook as well. Most recently published in English on VeganSandra.com, Sandra writes that the recipe has been a critical part of her Christmas celebrations since she first developed it six years ago.

Vegan blood sausage (black pudding) recipe + video

Today I'm sharing something really special with you. Ever since I've been a little kid, I remember eating blood sausages every Christmas. I really haven't seen a classical Estonian Christmas dinner without these holiday favorites. When I became vegan in 2007, I had no clue what to eat at a Christmas dinner. A little bit of quinoa salad and a smoothie bowl? Hard pass. I've always loved hearty dishes and if you have made my recipes at home, I'm sure you've noticed that. So I made lentil or nut loaves every Christmas and they were really nice. But I still craved something more.

In 2012, I invented this cruelty-free vegan blood sausage recipe. It's been popular on my Estonian blog, but I really wanted to share it with you, too. There are actually three people involved in this recipe. One blog reader asked me if I could create a sausage recipe with black beans. Then I instantly thought of making vegan blood sausages. The only problem at the beginning was to figure out what to use instead of the guts to hold the sausage together. My fiancé came up with the idea to use nori sheets instead. I was a bit skeptical, since I was afraid the taste of nori would be too strong but that wasn’t the case at all. They fit perfectly. They are black (just like the original sausages) and get extra crispy when greased and baked. So imagine crispy vegan sausages filled with delicious flavorful herby barley and onion filling and serving it with lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce, potatoes and gravy.

You can find this recipe and many other delicious vegan recipes for entertaining in my one and only English cookbook Vegan Dinner Party. And don't forget to check out more vegan Christmas recipes on my blog, including my other huge favorite - homemade seitan steaks!

Time: about an hour

Serves: about 8 big sausages

·                     10 heaping Tbsp boiled barley 

·                     4 Tbsp oil 

·                     3 onions

·                     a pinch of salt

·                     2 tsp dried marjoram

·                     1 tsp grated nutmeg

·                     a pinch of ground cinnamon

·                     a pinch of dried rosemary

·                     a few tablespoons of soy sauce to taste (use gluten-free, if needed)

·                     4 Tbsp all-purpose flour or other flour of your choice

·                     2 x 14 oz / 2 x 400 g cans of black beans or other canned beans

·                     8 nori sheets

Tip: You can use porridge made of raw buckwheat groats for a gluten-free version.

Watch how to make the sausages plus a delightful Christmas ice-cream cocktail:

Boil about a cup of (cracked) barley groats until completely soft. Heat up a pan, add oil and finely chopped onions. Add a pinch of salt and cook for a couple of minutes. Add dried marjoram, ground nutmeg and dried rosemary. Stir and cook for a minute. Remove the heat and add the pan-fried onion mix to the boiled barley. Drain and rinse the black beans, mash with a fork and add to the boiled barley as well. Add flour and soy sauce to taste (I used a few tablespoons). Now really taste the mixture. It has to be flavorful. Add more soy sauce, if needed.

Take the nori sheets and spread about 1,5 tablespoons of barley filling evenly onto each nori sheet. Turn the left and right side of the sheets inside (or skip this step and just roll the nori to make a longer sausage) and roll the sheet into a sausage until your reach the end of the sheet. Continue the procedure with every nori sheet. Put the sausages onto a greased baking tray and brush each sausage with a little bit of oil. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 400 F / 200 C. When they start cracking, remove the sausages from the oven. They are also very tasty on the next day when warmed up on a frying pan with a little bit of oil.

Thank you Sandra, for this vegan alternative to blood sausage! We’ve heard from other Estonian contributors to the series how big of a part blood sausage plays in their Christmas feast; now there is another option for those with a plant-based diet.

Sandra lives in Estonia in a tiny log cabin that she and her boyfriend built themselves. While she isn’t writing and cooking, she plays drums in a metal band called Neoandertals. The author of five cookbooks, her English cookbook Vegan Dinner Party is available on Amazon, and her instructional videos on YouTube. For more vegan Christmas recipes and menus, please visit her blog, VeganSandra.com.

Stay tuned, tomorrow on Day 7 we have a round-up of Baltic social media that is sure to bring you some holiday cheer!

Baltic Christmas Day 5 - Sauerkraut, 2 ways!

Today, on Day 5 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas, we have food blogger Latvian Eats with a seasonal favorite, sauerkraut – not one, but two ways! Liva was ‘born and bred’ in Rīga, but has been living in Perth, Australia for the last 9 years. She reports that she still enjoys a proper Latvian Christmas every year (sans the snow!), and tries to preserve Latvian traditions by facilitating the Perth Latvian School and updating the site latvianeats.com. Please extend a warm welcome to Liva!

Šķovēti or štovēti kāposti (roughly “sautéed sauerkraut”), depending on which part of Latvia you come from, is a must-have Christmas dish in many Latvian households. Ever since I can remember, while my grandfather and all the kids would go to the markets to pick out the best looking Christmas tree, my grandmother Biruta would spend most of Christmas Eve in the kitchen sautéing and frying sauerkraut, peeling and boiling a pile of potatoes, and roasting a mountain of various meats. The sauerkraut itself was lovingly prepared every September; a huge wooden shredder came out of the attic, and the family spent the day cutting up cabbage, grating carrots, sprinkling on salt, caraway seeds and on occasion  cranberries, and squeezing the life (and juice) out of it all. The mixture was then covered with cabbage leaves, a heavy rock (always the same one) was placed on top, and the fermentation process was begun.  

On Christmas Eve the sauerkraut got to shine – it was slowly boiled, then drained and fried up with bits of smoked pork belly, lots of lard, and browned sugar. For me it was the ultimate dish of the evening, and I could not wait to dig in. Evening always included mandarins and whipped cream with cherry compote, as well as presents that could only be received in exchange for a song or a rhyme -- but the cabbage is what I loved the most.

The dish itself is very simple; it consists of fermented cabbage, fat and sugar. Every family would have their own recipe and every family would think that their recipe is the one. There are many ways to make sautéed sauerkraut and many potential additions: bacon, carrots, apples, tomato paste, garlic, honey and barley. The first recipe is how my grandmother makes sautéed sauerkraut - and how I now make it every Christmas, regardless of how hot the Australian summer is. The second recipe would suit vegetarians and vegans, and those opting for a lighter meal.

As for breakfast on Christmas day – heat up a bit of oil in a frying pan, add roughly chopped leftover potatoes and meat, include sautéed sauerkraut and a dash of gravy, heat it all through, and enjoy a lovely, messy, Christmassy breakfast!

Sautéed sauerkraut (recipe 1)

Recipe One

Ingredients

1kg of sauerkraut (homemade or jarred)
9 tbsp sugar
100g lard
couple slices of streaky bacon (optional)

Method

1. Drain the sauerkraut in a colander and place in a large saucepan.
2. Add water to just cover the cabbage, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours. You can add smoked pork ribs to the pot, if you wish.
3. Drain cooked sauerkraut in a colander, making sure there is no excess liquid remaining.
4. Brown the sugar in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once it has melted and acquired a golden-brown hue, add the lard and stir gently for half a minute until the fat and sugar melts together. If using bacon, add diced bacon to the pan. Finally, add the sauerkraut to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until golden. Add more sugar, if required.

Vegan sauerkraut (recipe 2)

Recipe Two

Ingredients

750g sauerkraut
250g finely shredded cabbage
1 large carrot, grated
2 cloves of garlic
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp oil
pepper and caraway seeds to taste

Method

1. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut, and place in a large saucepan. Add bay leaves, garlic, sugar and water so it just covers the cabbage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
2. Add the fresh cabbage, carrot and apple, and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
3. When nearly done, add two tablespoons of oil.

Thank you Liva for the two recipes, and for joining us today on 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas! Reading about how your family would enjoy sauerkraut on Christmas while you were growing up brings the childhood smells from the kitchen wafting up to my bedroom on the second floor to mind…

You can find all sorts of Latvian recipes on the site Latvian Eats – from ķiploku grauzdiņi to sklandrausis! Click over to take a look for yourself, and don’t forget to follow along Liva’s culinary adventures on Facebook and Instagram!

Tomorrow on Day 6, we head north to Estonia for a vegan take on a holiday favorite…

Musings on Hurricane Florence

How is everyone doing out there? Hopefully everyone is dry and the power’s on…

Just a little update from our corner of the Upstate… A little bit of wind (gusts up to 30mph), a little bit of rain (less than 2 inches). Power went out twice – once Friday, once Sunday – but Florence’s route directly over Greenville meant we were never in her northeast quadrant, and were spared the heavy rains the NE corner of the state received. You can see who got what here.

Blue skies and hot temps Friday at Chau Ram County Park

The most interesting weather actually came through on Friday, which we spent up in Oconee county in some soupy summer weather. As you can see in this video from our local Stone Academy weatherSTEM station, sunrise and sunset were crazy colorful. Add to that clouds moving in two different directions at once all day, and you have some prime sky-watching material.

The rainy weather meant curling up with a good book, and I’ve got two that merit mention here. The first, Karl, Get Out of the Garden!: Carolus Linnaeus and the Naming of Everything by Anita Sanchez is actually a children’s book, but it was read and enjoyed by 3 out of 5 household members. The beautifully-illustrated book is about scientific names and the Linnaean system (the basis for the classification system used by biologists around the world today), but backyard science is brought to life for the budding naturalist, scientist and botanist.

The second book was a completely unexpected. Despite (or maybe I should write in spite of) Florence, cookbook club persevered, and Sunday evening we gathered for a feast of hurricane proportions. This month’s book was The Cottage Kitchen: Cozy Cooking in the English Countryside by Marte Marie Forsberg. I’m not sure if it is because of the heavy Scandinavian undertones, the accessible ingredients, or the gourmet dishes requiring (surprisingly) little effort, I made a record number of recipes from this cookbook in the weeks preceding our Sunday dinner and loved every single one of them. I enjoy a cookbook divided by season, and with the high temperature/humidity days it’s no surprise I was cooking out of the ‘summer’ chapter… Tomato tarte tatin with burrata, Tomato, olive, and mozzarella baked peppers, Spinach and goat cheese frittata… Thank goodness fall is around the corner as I’ll be able to try the Potato soup with smoked salmon, then come winter I’ll repeat the Warm salmon, mint and potato salad, and Creamy fish soup with clams. However, don’t discount the ‘afternoon tea’ section – Lise’s carrot cake and Tante Marie’s coffee and fig bread among others – which is absolutely delicious. If I could suggest a Femme au Foyer cookbook of the year, this would be it. (Disclaimer, the first edition was actually published in 2017, but let’s not bandy words…)

The Cottage Kitchen's tomato tarte tatin with burrata

But back to Florence, what I find interesting is that despite the massive rainfall received in portions of the state, South Carolina is barely out of drought status. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, the portion of the state that received the most rainfall in the past week was actually suffering from abnormally dry conditions just last week. Greenville County had been in a moderate drought up until June 2017, and although we’re now at ‘normal’ levels, it’s clear from the lake levels that it will take a little more to bring us back up to speed. Remember, some of the worst flooding in SC has been from rivers cresting – the same rivers that receive all the runoff water from the impervious surfaces and channeled rivers & creeks here in the Upstate.

On the 1.5 mile trail around Lake Furman - the lake level is LOW

Thinking of all those who had more than their share of this massive storm, and keeping a careful eye on the Atlantic during the next two months of hurricane season,

x your Femme au foyer

Baltic Christmas Day 19 - High on Christmas

Day 19 of 24 Days of a Baltic Christmas is brought to you by Viktorija. Originally from Lithuania, Viktorija has lived in Denmark & New Zealand, but now lives in Rīga with her Latvian husband. Please welcome Viktorija with her thoughts on the Lithuanian poppy and hemp seed tradition!

Christmas on Cannabis or High on Christmas?

Lithuanians are weird. Besides being a small country that people can barely find on a map (have you ever experienced those awkward stares and assumptions that are way off base?), there is also the connection between poppies and cannabis. Although this association might not be the first thing to come to mind when thinking of the country, I promise that all Lithuanians have some exposure to the two.

Historians and those researching ancient Lithuania claim that the country has always been known for the courage of its people, and old, lively traditions. Whereas some people claim that courage and traditions do not go hand in hand, you might be surprised on hearing another take on that; what if you learned that some lovely substances (which might have an intoxicating effect) might have been involved? Historians disagree on this point as there is no significant evidence on the usage of said substances, however most Lithuanians still eagerly consume them during one of the holiest events throughout the year, Christmas.

Whereas the rest of the world can be quick to pass judgement on hearing being “high on Christmas”, but let me stop you there and tell the archaic story of One Lithuanian Daredevil Fighter who invented a peaceful tradition… eh, whom am I kidding, guys. Long story short – Lithuanians are creative people who know how to make themselves joyous with the help of tiny black seeds that take all sorts of shapes and forms during the month of December.

Roasted Cannabis seed

During the holy evening of Christmas Eve no one in Lithuania will think less of you for consuming considerable amounts of boiled potatoes with roasted hemp seeds. Therefore it's important to ensure that this year's Christmas follows in the old Lithuanian tradition - all you will need is a pack of hemp seeds and some boiled potatoes (folks from abroad who don't officially get it in shops, please don't ask me where to get it!).

Once the potatoes are boiled and soft, prepare your cannabis garnish: in a hot pan (no oil!) roast a handful of hemp seeds for 2-3 minutes til the room starts smelling warm and peaceful... Those, who have already had a chance to try this national heritage dish claim that it is stunning due to its pleasant, simple taste.

Liquid Cannabis

Besides containing a generous amount of vitamins E and D, people claim that cannabis prevents depression (surprise surprise!). So to wipe away all the negative thoughts that you might be having, try consuming cannabis in its liquid form by making some cannabis seed milk.

To produce the liquid medicine that keeps the gloomy winter depression away you will need around 7-8 spoonfuls of unhulled hemp seeds, 1 liter of water, 2 spoons of Agave nectar (maple syrup is ok too) and a pinch of vanilla sugar. Soak the seeds in cold water overnight, strain them, and blend with the rest of ingredients until a rich white. Rinse the leftovers of the seeds and enjoy. After all, when considering the positive aspects of cannabis, one must remember that it has amazing medical characteristics, right?

Roasted Poppies

It was thought that the poppy is a kind of an intermediary between a living man and the sky, and by consuming it the living man has an opportunity to connect with the spirits (hmmm...). So all kinds of poppies - fresh, roasted, ground & soaked - were consumed back then, and still are today. I will not dig deeper trying to find some further historical information on the usage of poppies as an intermediary between man and sky, but will mention the current situation; possibly heavy consumption was the main reason why growing poppies is controlled in Lithuania today.

A mainstay of Lithuanian Christmas Eve (kūčios) is the Christmas Eve cookie, or “little poppy breads,"  kūčiukai. For the process of making kūčiukai you will need: 500gr flour, 200ml water, 15gr fresh yeast, around 50gr of poppies, 50gr sugar, 2-3 spoons of oil and a pinch of salt. The process is quite straightforward; mash yeast with the sugar, warm the water and pour the yeast/sugar mixture along with ½ of the flour into a bowl. Mix well and set aside to rise. Once the dough has nearly doubled in size mix in the leftover flour and add the rest of the ingredients. Let rest until the dough has doubled a second time. Finally form a long "sausage", cut into small squares, and bake for about 6 minutes at 180°C until the pieces become golden brown.

(Editors note: for more on kūčiukai, please see A Baltic Christmas Day 22 - Lithuanian Christmas Eve Biscuits | Kūčiukai)

Liquid Poppies

Poppy milk is thought to be the legacy of spirits. And as if that weren’t enough, Lithuanians tend to consume this precious liquid legacy along with the Christmas Eve cookies (kūčiukai, see above). Double the power, double the fun they say.

To make some poppy milk soak a cup of poppies in boiling water and let them sit overnight. The next day drain the seeds, add around 2 liters of cold water, and blend until smooth, adding a spoonful of honey or another sweetener of your choice. Strain out the remaining poppies and enjoy together with the Christmas Eve cookies, or alone.

You might feel slightly uncomfortable about the consumption of cannabis seeds and/or poppies, and might question the historical aspect of consumption. I agree that this is a grey area that no one talks (too loudly) about, but one thing is for sure; all four ingredients might have some effect. Lithuanian Christmas folklore talks of hearing animals speak on Christmas Eve… well, I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.

************

Thank you Viktorija! Latvians also have hemp and poppy seed foodstuffs, including but not limited to hempseed butter and poppy seed buns (magoņmaizītes), but I don’t know that there is the same link with the holidays… It’s always interesting to consider the roots of such traditions!

Viktorija is a Lithuanian with a global mindset (has worked in Lithuania, Switzerland, Denmark, New Zealand and Latvia). She is a copywriter and PR specialist, a foodie and traveler; connect with her here! To read more about Viktorija’s story, please visit Life in Riga for Moving to Latvia: Viktorija’s story.

We’re happy you joined us in what is the final week of the series, and hope you’ll return tomorrow on Day 20 for more on Latvian mittens!