Lithuanian cuisine shares much with Polish cuisine and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Some dishes also show the influence of German culinary traditions, and even some influences from the Crimean Karaite Jews!
Some popular Lithuanian soups include:
– Barsciai – The Lithuanian version of borscht (beetroot soup). Chopped mushrooms are often added, and sometimes the soup can be mixed with butter or sour cream.
– Bulviniu kukuliu sriuba – A soup made with potato minced into balls and then boiled in milk.
– Saltibarsciai – A cold, bright pink borscht soup made with cooked or pickled beets and chopped vegetables. It is often served with chopped hard-boiled eggs, sour cream, and hot boiled potatoes.
– Sauerkraut soup – A soup made with sauerkraut. It is often seasoned with bay leaves, carrots, onions, and pork.
– Seen sultinys – Chicken soup
Some popular Lithuanian snacks include:
– Idaryti kiausiniai – Hard boiled eggs, cut in half, stuffed and garnished.
– Idaryti pomidorai – Tomatoes, cut in half, stuffed and garnished.
– Lasiniai – Pigskin fat. It is often eaten on sandwiches with bread without butter and onions.
– Pirsteliai prie alaus – Rolled puff pastry.
Some popular Lithuanian main dishes include:
– Balandeliai – Cabbage leaves stuffed with meat, then stewed.
– Bigos – A stew based on meat (several types can be used), sausage and cabbage.
– Cepelinai (also known as “didzkukuliai”) – Often considered the national dish of Lithuania, cepelinai are potato dumplings stuffed with meat, cheese or mushrooms. They can be garnished with onion, sour cream, or spirgai (fried pork skin fat).
– Kedainiu blynai – Potato pancakes stuffed with minced meat.
– Kibinai – Pastry with lamb and onion.
– Kotletai – Ground beef patties (minced), served with potato and sauce.
– Lietiniai – Thin pancakes stuffed with ground meat (minced) and cheese with cinnamon, or with chopped sautéed mushrooms.
– Saltnosiukai – Dumplings with cranberries.
– Saslykai – Pork cubes, marinated and cooked on a skewer over the fire. The Lithuanian version of shashlik.
– Skilandis (also known as “kindziukas”) – Pork stomach, stuffed with ground meat (minced) and garlic, then smoked and matured.
– Zemaiciu blynai – Potato pancakes.
Some popular Lithuanian desserts include:
– Kuciukai (also known as “slizikai”) – Small baked rolls traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve (Lithuanian: Kucios).
– Sakotis: a traditional Lithuanian cake, most often eaten at wedding and birthday celebrations. It is prepared by painting layers of dough on a rotary spit in a special oven and has a distinctive pointy appearance. It can be served plain or decorated with chocolate and floral decorations.
– Spurgos: the Lithuanian version of donuts.
– Zagareliai (sometimes known as “chrustai” or “krustai”) – Fried twisted pastries covered with powdered sugar.
