Lithuanian cuisine is special in the world of cooking. Rather than speaking of national food, we can talk about traditional food, a.k.a. food a tourist must try. This post was originally commissioned as a guest post but I have decided to keep it after all the heart I had to put into writing it.

The Story of Cepelinai

The café “Pas Katina” in Piniava is organising an educational programme “Katino cepelinai”. Not only will you have a great time in great company, but you will also learn about the history of cepelins. “We often hear from our guests that our cepelinas are the tastiest in the region, so we decided to keep our guests busy with a fun activity - learn how to make your own cepelinas. It’s a great way to spend time with friends or family. The lessons are suitable for guests, individual families, groups of friends or corporate teams. This activity is unique for foreign visitors to Lithuania. During the educational sessions, visitors are actively involved in the production process, of course with the help of our chefs.

I felt quite challenged. food as such. Did we invent potatoes? No. Did we invent minced meat? course not.

Aukštaitija: A Region of Simple Flavors

Aukštaitija is known for simple food and seasonal varieties. The region of Aukštaitija is known for simple food and seasonal varieties. Berries have their important role in food preparation. Popular dishes include: zeppelins, potato pie, potato pancakes, potato sausage.

Must-Try Dishes from Aukštaitija

• Kugelis: A baked potato pudding, basically made with potatoes, bacon, milk, onions, and eggs.

Black pepper, bay leaves, and/or marjoram are used for seasoning. It is often served with berry preserve, sour cream, or cracklings.

Samogitia: Coastal Cuisine and Unique 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).

Kastinys Recipe

To try making kastinys at home, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks, hard-boiled and finely chopped
• 1 cup scallion greens, finely hopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup of boiled but chilled water

Crush egg yolks with scallion greens and salt. Mix well.

Dzūkija: Forest Bounty and Game Dishes

Dzūkija 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.

Suvalkija: Rich Soups and Coffee Traditions

The fourth ethnographic region is Suvalkija. People ate different soups, scrambled egg dishes, chicken and breakfast was not a proper one without kafija, that is, coffee. The traditional soup is called juka and it is a soup with blood (henceforth, another one I have no appetite to try).

Thank you for reading this.

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