What to bring from Riga as a gift to friends and relatives?

Riga is a beautiful city, which annually hosts a huge number of tourists. Visiting Riga, many are wondering what to buy to their relatives and friends as a souvenir. After all, I want the gift to be really colorful and useful. Today we will find out what to bring from Riga, to convey the mood of this city and to please a loved one.

To put it briefly, as a souvenir any product that is made in Latvia is suitable. The fact is that local producers, regardless of the scale of their production, are very sensitive to the quality and uniqueness of their products. Therefore, the answer to the question about what can be brought from Riga is not complicated. It remains only to figure out what to choose from the vast array of products offered. And to understand this it was easier, we will consider the most common souvenirs of Riga.

Amber

Amber in Riga and other Latvian cities is very popular both among locals and tourists. In the jewelry stores and on the street trays, you can find a huge range of products from amber: rings, earrings, necklaces, paintings, brooches, magnets, rosaries and much more. Hurry with the choice is not necessary, especially if you want to buy something unusual. The fact is that the lion's share of products is "stamped" under one design. Therefore, a product unique at first glance, most likely, it will be possible to meet almost on all trays. Really original products are considered amber of unusual colors and shades: red, green and, if lucky, black. Such jewelry and are more expensive.

Silver

Products from silver in Riga are also represented in huge quantities. Local jewelers willingly create jewelry from this metal. Most often they are performed in the national style. The ring "Names", which, according to the giving, brings happiness is very popular.

Linen

Linen fishing is one of the oldest in Latvia. Therefore, the work of local weavers was always famous for its perfect quality. And they invented their own way of weaving linen cloths. The assortment of linen products is very wide: any clothes, bed-clothes, napkins, towels and other. Local linen tablecloths and bedspreads are considered a real work of art.

Leather

Another material from which local craftsmen skillfully create real masterpieces. From the skin here do a lot of useful things, ranging from bookmarks to bookmarks. In recent years, local designers have begun to combine leather with silver and amber. You just do not buy such products anywhere else.

Ceramics

Few people know, but pottery in the territory of Latvia appeared in the X century. Until now, traditional pottery technologies are cherished and respected here. The choice of ceramics in Riga is very extensive. Many masters still create their products not in factories, but in their own workshops, burning them in small ovens. Regardless of whether the product is glazed or not, it can be safely used for its intended purpose, and not just as a souvenir.

Tree

Speaking about what you can bring from Riga as a gift, you can not fail to mention wooden products. Wood processing here also refers to folk crafts. Such a souvenir will not dust on the shelf, because reliable quality allows you to use it safely in everyday life. Particular attention is paid to the manufacture of children's wooden toys. They are made exclusively from local wood, as a rule, it is oak, maple or ash. All parts of children's toys are environmentally friendly and are painted only in harmless paints. In Riga, you can buy toys for children of different ages, from the youngest to the adolescents. So, if you think that you bring a child from Riga as a gift, we recommend you to go to the wooden goods store.

Knitwear

Latvian knitwear has always been considered beautiful and high-quality. Many representatives of the older generation will remember how in the days of their youth knitwear, acquired in the Baltics, was famous. Time passed, fashion changed, but the status of Latvian masters remained unchanged. If you are thinking about what to bring from Riga, you decided on jersey, we recommend that you pay special attention to such brands: Vaide, Ogres Trikotaza and Magnolica.

Coins

At the beginning of 2014 in Latvia, the euro and euro cents came to the place of lats and santims. The national currency has been in circulation since 1993 and has left quite a few commemorative and memorable coins, the price of which is growing every year. Among them is the following: silver plates with a picture of salmon, coins dedicated to Hanseatic cities, square coins, "Stone Lats", in which metal was combined with granite, and "Amber coin" - an armor with a piece of amber.

Cosmetics

In Latvia, there are several companies that produce natural cosmetics of excellent quality. The most famous of them is Dzintars. The company exists since the end of the 19th century. Its products are presented everywhere in Riga, but the biggest choice is waiting for you in specialized outlets. Among the company's assortment you can find spirits with fragrances known for several centuries. Among them, there are: "The Mystery of the Rizhanka", "Maybe", "Pani Valevska", "Jurmala" and "Compliment". If you do not like retro flavors, then you can choose something among a wide range of the newest compositions. In addition to perfume, the company offers a variety of high-quality skin care products and hair, as well as biocosmetics and decorative cosmetics.

Continuing the conversation about what to bring from Riga, you can not ignore gastronomic souvenirs. Consider the most common of them.

Chocolate

One of the business cards of Latvia is the chocolate products of the confectionery factory Laima. Some gourmets believe that Latvian chocolate is similar in taste to Belgian chocolate. In Riga, you can buy a variety of varieties of chocolates and chocolate, as well as other exclusive sweets. Firstly, they are candy with black Riga balsam. Secondly, the marshmallow in chocolate, which is still made from natural apple puree. And thirdly, the candy "Korovka" of their milk iris. As a filling for these sweets are used raisins, poppies, cranberries, cinnamon and much more.

Sprats

Many, thinking about what to bring from Riga, immediately remember about sprats. These small golden fish with the smell of smoke have long earned the status of the national brand of Latvia. Present Latvian sprats are made by smoking in alder smoke. They are not soaked with so-called liquid smoke, so they have a unique taste. The best in the market of sprats is the firm Brivais Vilnis.

Cheese

What to bring from Riga a gourmet? Of course, cheese! In Latvia, a huge amount of cheese is produced. If you come to Riga during the "Cheese Day" festival or the "Ligo" festival, you will be able to get acquainted with all the variety of Latvian cheeses. In addition to the usual varieties such as "Dutch", here they produce semi-soft, soft and curd cheeses. On the "Ligo" holiday, a mandatory treat is the cheese "Janu", in which cumin is added. It is also recommended to try the brand Vitolberg, which appeared relatively recently and has not yet managed to conquer our market. In Latvia, goat cheeses are also produced, which in quality are not inferior to European varieties known all over the world. Those who go to Riga, it is also recommended to try "snowballs" - an unusual Latvian product made of cheese and spices.

Beer

Latvia has its own traditions of brewing, which have survived to this day. Everyone who tasted Latvian beer, notes its high quality and rich taste. Beer in Latvia is issued literally everywhere. There are a lot of small and large breweries here. What kind of beer to choose is everyone's business. Those who are adherents of beer classics, it is recommended beer, in the title of which there is a prefix Senču. In literal translation, it sounds like "ancestor beer". Light beer in the name should be the word Gaišais, and in the dark - Tumšais. Varieties of Latvian beer is quite a lot. The greatest impressions are produced by live beer, brewed in small breweries.

Smoked meat

Again we return to the question: "What to bring from Riga from the products?". Smoked meat in Latvia is so popular that they were awarded the status of a national product. Most often they are pork and chicken. However, having entered the central market, you can see much more types of smoked products. Homemade sausage, in which there is nothing but real meat, lard and spices, will be an excellent gift for the memory of the hospitable Riga. The same can be said about pork breasts, carbonates, pig ears, shank and other dishes.

A separate place in the butchers is reserved for chickens. Smoked chickens, wings and hams are stacked in large pyramids. Chicken rolls of hot or cold smoking are also popular. Each farm in its own marinate and smoked meat, so the range here is very wide. If you want to buy smoked products as a gift, it is better to choose from those prepared by the method of cold smoking. Such meat is better stored and carries the road.

Balm

Have not decided yet what to bring from Riga? Reviews show that the universal and very useful souvenir is the famous balm. Riga balsam first declared itself in 1752, when a local resident, pharmacist Abram Kunze, came up with a miracle recipe and made a balm for it. This drink has a brownish-black color and has a bitter taste, in which various herbs can be traced. This recipe is secret, only known that it consists of 24 ingredients. Among them there are definitely birch buds, lime blossoms, ginger, raspberry and valerian root. Drink without fail takes a long time in oak barrels. The whole world knows about the medicinal properties of Riga balsam. At one time he was appreciated by Catherine II, Charles de Gaulle, Elizabeth II and many representatives of the Kremlin elite. You can buy Riga balsam in any supermarket in Riga, but it's better to go to a specialized store after it.

Conclusion

Today we reviewed the most interesting and colorful souvenirs from Riga. What to bring your loved ones to you. Riga is a very interesting, original and developed city, so the memory of it should be stored in something more than a banal magnet on the refrigerator. In Riga, as in other Latvian cities, goods are sold from all over the country. Therefore, the above souvenirs will suit those who are concerned, for example, with the question: "What to bring from Riga and Jurmala?".