So I have finally ran out of regular genealogy-related words for the more unusual letters of the Latvian alphabet for the Family History Through the Alphabet challenge, so we’re off to surnames… so today for Ķ we have Ķimene and Ķiploks!

Both of these surnames are food-related. This is not unusual for Latvian surnames, as you can see by my post here for a Surname Saturday two years ago.

Ķimene means “caraway”, and is a surname I have seen in Mazsalaca, Skulte and Vidriži parishes, all of which are found in northern Latvia. Caraway seeds are a common ingredient in a variety of Latvian foods, the most famous of which is the cheese made for Midsummer (see a recipe here).

Ķiploks means “garlic”, and is a surname I have seen in Gulbene, Smiltene and Trikāta parishes, also in northern Latvia. Garlic is also frequently used in Latvian cuisine. One of my favourite items where it makes an appearance is “cheese salad”, which is sort of like creamy coleslaw only with grated cheese and finely-chopped hard-boiled eggs instead of the cabbage. Also, instead of a fancy coleslaw dressing, it is just mayonnaise and some garlic. I bought it almost everyday from the Rimi near my apartment while I was living in RÄ«ga.

Mmm, now I’m hungry. What are your favourite Latvian surnames related to food?