Sklandrausis (rye-crust carrot pie)
Photo: Silvija Dalge Tetere · CC BY 3.0

History

Sklandrausis is the dish of Latvia's Suiti minority, a Roman Catholic community in northwest Latvia (Kurzeme) whose food traditions remained distinct under centuries of Lutheran rule. The pie was registered as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) product by the EU in 2013, the first Latvian dish to receive the designation. The rye-dough crust and the carrot-potato filling reflect Kurzeme's root-vegetable economy. Centrāltirgus and Kalnciema markets are the easiest places to find sklandrausis baked the traditional way.

Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the crust: 300g rye flour, 150ml warm water, 1 teaspoon salt, 30g melted butter
  • For the filling: 400g carrots
  • 200g potatoes
  • 100ml cream
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • Egg wash for finishing

Method

  1. Make the rye dough: combine rye flour, salt, melted butter and warm water. Knead briefly into a stiff dough. Rest covered for 30 minutes.
  2. Boil the carrots and potatoes separately until tender. Drain and cool slightly, then mash each into a smooth puree.
  3. Mix the carrot and potato purees with cream, honey, egg and caraway. Season with a pinch of salt.
  4. Divide the rye dough into 12 balls. Flatten each into a disc, then press up the edges to form a low-walled tartlet about 8cm across.
  5. Fill each tartlet with the carrot-potato mixture, smoothing the top. Brush the rye walls with egg wash.
  6. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes until the rye crust browns and the filling sets. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip from the editors. Suiti traditionalists sweeten only with honey, never sugar. The slight bitterness of rye against the sweet root-vegetable filling is the dish's character.

Where to eat sklandrausis (rye-crust carrot pie)

Sklandrausis (rye-crust carrot pie) in Riga

Centrāltirgus Pīrāgi Counters ★ 4.3

€ BrunchCentraltirgus Maskavas

The Centrāltirgus bakery pavilion runs counter-served pīrāgi at €1 to €2 per piece, anchoring the city's cheapest Latvian breakfast or lunch.

TryPīrāgi (bacon-onion pastries)

TipBuy three pīrāgi and a kvass for under €5; eat at the market's outdoor benches.

Directions

Kalnciema Quarter Market ★ 4.6

€€ Food hallPardaugava

Kalnciema Quarter Market is a Saturday-only Pardaugava farmers market most one-day tourists never cross the river to reach; tram 5 lands you there by 11:00.

Why locals goA Saturday-only Pārdaugava farmers' market most one-day tourists never cross the river to reach.

TipTake tram 5 across the Daugava; arrive by 11:00 for the strongest produce stalls and the live music sets.

Directions

Liepkalni ★ 4.5

€ BakeryLatvian rye bread and pīrāgiCentrsWalk-in only

Liepkalni's Krišjāņa Valdemāra branch is the central Riga outpost of the country's most-cited rye specialist, baking dark Dienas loaf and pīrāgi daily.

Worth the queueDienas rye loaf

TipBuy a whole Dienas rye and a tray of bacon-onion pīrāgi for a picnic in Vērmanes park or by the canal.

Directions

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