Recipe

Europe → 🇱🇻 Latvia → Riga
Grey Peas with Bacon
Latvian · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 60 min
~257 cal · 8g protein · 7g carbs · 22g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Bowl of grey peas topped with crisp bacon and fried onion
🇱🇻 Riga
Pelēkie zirņi ar speķi is so central to Latvian identity that folklore warns you must finish every pea in the bowl or your tears will follow. The earthy grey peas, a Baltic cousin of the field pea, are boiled tender and married to golden onions and smoky bacon for a plain, beloved winter supper.
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Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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2 cups grey peas (or dried marrowfat peas), soaked overnight
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8 oz smoked bacon or speck, diced
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2 large onions, chopped
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to taste black pepper
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a splash buttermilk or kefir, to serve (optional)
Instructions
1
Simmer the soaked peas in unsalted water for about 45 minutes until tender but not falling apart; drain.
2
Fry the diced bacon (or smoked mushrooms) until the fat renders and it crisps.
3
Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft and golden.
4
Fold the drained peas into the bacon and onion and warm through, seasoning with plenty of pepper.
5
Serve hot, traditionally with a glass of cold kefir on the side.
Riga winter tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
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Riga. Art-nouveau capital devoted to grey peas and smoked bacon.
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Latvia. A Baltic nation that swears by grey peas and bacon.
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Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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