Layered rye bread ( lv, Rupjmaizes kārtojums) is a traditional Latvian dessert made from rye breadcrumbs, blackcurrant or

lingonberry jam Lingonberry jam ( sv, lingonsylt, no, tyttebærsyltetøy, da, tyttebærsyltetøj, et, pohlamoos, fi, puolukkahillo, german: Preiselbeermarmelade, lv, brūkleņu ievārījums, lt, bruknių uogienė) is a staple of Northern European cuisine a ...

, and

whipped cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, an ...

. It is topped off with grated dark chocolate and/or cinnamon and often served with fresh berries and

cottage cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...

ice cream. Layered rye bread similar in appearance and construction to the

trifle Trifle is a layered dessert of English origin. The usual ingredients are a thin layer of sponge fingers or sponge cake soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, a fruit element (fresh or jelly), custard and whipped cream layered in that ord ...

of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, and is sometimes called rye bread trifle or Latvian ambrosia. Layered rye bread is an iconic Latvian food, and is considered one of the national dishes. It was the sweet chosen to represent Latvia in the

Café Europe Café Europe, Café d'Europe or also Café Europa was a cultural initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, held on Europe Day (9 May 2006) in 27 cafés of the capitals of the then 25 EU member states and the two countries whi ...

initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006.

Preparation

Layered rye bread is prepared in a clear glass,

dish or parfait glass by first spreading a thin layer of

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...

preserves Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

on the bottom of the dish, then adding a thick layer of lightly sweetened vanilla-flavoured

Mascarpone Mascarpone (, , ) is a soft Italian acid-set cream cheese. It is recognized in Italy as a ("traditional agri-food product"). Outside Italy, mascarpone is sometimes mispronounced as "marscapone", even by food professionals. Production process ...

, which is then in turn sprinkled with a layer of dark rye bread crumbs. These layers are repeated up to the top of the dish when a final dollop of cream and sprinkling of the rye crumbs are added to enhance the dessert's appearance. An authentic layered rye bread is made from the traditional Latvian dark rye bread made entirely from rye flour. The bread is finely grated and pan-toasted in case it's not already dried. The breadcrumbs are then flavoured with cinnamon and sugar.

Borodinsky bread Borodinsky bread (russian: бородинский хлеб ''borodinskiy khleb'') or borodino bread is a dark brown sourdough rye bread of Russian origin, traditionally sweetened with molasses and flavored with coriander and caraway seeds. Prepa ...

, and failing this, a dark

pumpernickel Pumpernickel (; ) is a typically heavy, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye grains ("rye berries"). At one time it wa ...

, are sometimes used as a substitute in preparing this dessert when Latvian bread is not available. In a variation of the dessert the bread is soaked in brandy. Raspberry, strawberry and apricot are favourite preserves for preparing layered rye bread among Latvians, as are the more peculiarly Latvian

aronia ''Aronia'' is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps. The genus Aronia is considered to have 3 species. The most common and wi ...

sea buckthorn ''Hippophae'' is the genus of sea buckthorns, deciduous shrubs in the family Elaeagnaceae. The name sea buckthorn may be hyphenated to avoid confusion with the unrelated true buckthorns (''Rhamnus'', family Rhamnaceae). It is also referred to as ...

lingonberry ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'', the lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry, is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family Ericaceae, that bears edible fruit. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Norther ...

rose hip The rose hip or rosehip, also called rose haw and rose hep, is the accessory fruit of the various species of rose plant. It is typically red to orange, but ranges from dark purple to black in some species. Rose hips begin to form after pollina ...

and

red currant Red currant is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * ''Ribes rubrum'', a shrub native to western Europe and widely cultivated * ''Ribes sanguineum ''Ribes sanguineum'', the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering curra ...

varieties. After preparing the dessert it is chilled thoroughly, since, over the course of several hours, the flavours of the individual ingredients meld, the rye crumbs soften and absorb fruit and cream liquids, and the dessert acquires a more cohesive texture. Fresh fruit is often added to the top of the dessert as a festive garnish to match or complement the jam variety used just before serving the dish.

References

{{reflist

External links

How to make Latvian Layered Rye Bread DessertRūpjmaizes Kārtojums (Layered Latvian Rye Bread Dessert)
Latvian desserts Rye breads National dishes