Long before hemp became a word on health food labels, Latvian farmers were roasting its seeds in the oven and pounding them into a dark, oily paste with a little salt water. Kaņepju sviests, hemp butter, was one of the main spreads of the peasant table in Latgale and Vidzeme, in eastern and central Latvia, eaten on bread and with hot potatoes, and carried in a little pot to the fields, the forest or the mill as food that a small amount of went a long way. It faded from kitchens in the Soviet years, when growing hemp at home was restricted, and is now enjoying a revival as a local superfood, which would have amused the grandmothers who simply called it lunch.

It tastes of toasted nuts and sunflower seeds with a faintly grassy edge, and it turns a plain bowl of new potatoes into something you will want to make again. As side dishes go, it has a longer memory than most, and it asks only ten minutes of your time.

The potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) new potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sprigs fresh dill

Method

1. Put the potatoes in the saucepan with the salt and dill sprigs, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Drain in the colander, return to the pan, cover and keep warm off the heat.

The hemp butter

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (100 g) hulled hemp seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky or fine salt
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) soft butter
• 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water

Method

1. Put the hemp seeds in the dry skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring constantly, for 2 to 4 minutes.
2. When cool enough to touch, grind the seeds with the salt in the mortar, spice grinder or food processor until they form a coarse, oily paste. In a grinder this takes about 30 seconds; with a pestle, about 5 minutes of steady pounding.
3. Scrape the paste into the small bowl and beat in the soft butter and enough warm water to make it spreadable. Taste for salt.

More from Latvia