The potato found its way into Latvia via two routes. Jacob, the fabled Duke of Courland, brought potatoes in from Hamburg and planted them in his manor garden in Kuldīga, western Latvia. His entourage did not find the tubers that tasty, and this was a setback to the potato s becoming a source of food.
Peter the Great promoted potatoes in the Vidzeme cultural region. He made everyone grow potatoes as they can help survive years of famine and war - cereal crops are susceptible to burning down, but the starchy tubers remain intact even in case of fire. The potato nevertheless did not become a staple and was grown only in small volumes, consumed in meals together with bread.