When it comes to Lithuanian food, it's more about traditional dishes than strictly national inventions. This is about the food a tourist must try to experience the true flavors of Lithuania.
Regional Culinary Divisions
Lithuania can be divided into distinct ethnographic regions, each with its own culinary identity:
- Aukštaitija
- Samogitia
- Suvalkija
- Vilnius
Aukštaitija: Simplicity and Seasonal Flavors
The region of Aukštaitija is known for simple food and seasonal varieties. Bread is very, very good and delicious. Berries also have an important role in food preparation.
Popular dishes from this region include: zeppelins, potato pie, potato pancakes, and potato sausage.
Samogitia: Coastal Delights
Samogitia is the second largest ethnographical region in Lithuania. Other must-tries are: herring dishes, sour cream butter kastinys, sauerkraut, and zeppelins (one cannot escape that in Lithuania).
Suvalkija: Forest and Game
Suvalkija features the largest compilation of forests in the country. They also know how to prepare different game dishes (e.g. rabbits), buckwheat pancakes, porridge and soups.
Vilnius: A Blend of Influences
People ate different soups, scrambled egg dishes, chicken. The traditional soup is called juka and it is a soup with blood (henceforth, another one I have no appetite to try).
Must-Try Lithuanian Dishes
Here's a closer look at some dishes you absolutely have to try when visiting Lithuania:
- Cepelinai: These potato dumplings are a hearty and satisfying dish that showcases the simplicity and richness of Lithuanian cuisine. They are perfect for cold winter days or special occasions.
- Potato Pie: A baked potato pudding, basically. Potatoes, bacon, milk, onions, and eggs. Black pepper, bay leaves, and/or marjoram. Berry preserve, sour cream, or cracklings.
- Potato Sausage: Of a potato stuffed large intestine of a domestic pig.
Cepelinai: The Epitome of Lithuanian Cuisine
If you are looking for a hearty and satisfying dish from Lithuania, you might want to try cepelinai, the national dish of this Baltic country. In this blog post, I will show you how to make cepelinai at home, and share some interesting facts about this traditional dish. Cepelinai are made from two types of potatoes: raw and cooked.
The raw potatoes are peeled and grated, then squeezed in a cheesecloth to remove the excess water and starch. The cooked potatoes are peeled, boiled and riced. The raw potatoes are mixed with the reserved starch, salt and cornstarch to form a dough. The cooked potatoes are used to make the filling, which can be either ground meat, cheese or mushrooms. The meat filling is usually a mix of pork, beef and veal, seasoned with onion, salt, pepper and egg. The cheese filling is made from dry curd cheese (also known as farmer’s cheese), which is similar to cottage cheese but firmer and less moist. The mushroom filling is made from chopped mushrooms sautéed with onion, salt and pepper.
To shape the cepelinai, you need to take a handful of potato dough and flatten it on your palm. Then, place a spoonful of filling in the center and wrap the dough around it, sealing the edges well. You should end up with a smooth oval dumpling that resembles a zeppelin. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling until you have used them all. You can make the cepelinai as big or as small as you like, but traditionally they are about 10 to 20 cm long.
To cook the cepelinai, you need to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water and simmer them for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on their size. They are done when they float to the surface and the potato dough is cooked through. You can test one by cutting it open and checking if the filling is cooked as well.
To serve the cepelinai, you need to make a sauce and some bacon bits. The sauce is made from sour cream mixed with milk and seasoned with salt and pepper. The bacon bits are made from diced bacon fried in a skillet until crisp. You can also use pork rinds instead of bacon for extra crunch. To plate the cepelinai, spoon some sauce over them and sprinkle some bacon bits on top. Enjoy them while they are hot and tender.