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Lithuanian cuisine. Lithuanian cuisine. features products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities. Lithuanian Food Traditions.
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Lithuanian cuisine features products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities.
Lithuanian Food Traditions Lithuanians like to eat good, tasty and filling foods. The tradition of eating well is inherited from the ancestors who would say, “he who eats well, works well”. Lithuanian traditional cuisine took shape over many centuries and was much influenced by cultural contacts with neighboring nations.
Lithuania is divided into fourethnic regions. This regional division is evident in foods that are particular to each region. • The Highlanders (Aukstaiciai) live in the North Eastern region and are known foor their pancakes and cottage cheese dishes. • The Samogitians (Zemaiciai) inhabit the North Western region and have their special sour butter, porridges and gruels. • Dzukaiare the people of the South Eastern region and are main consumers of buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes. • Suvalkieciai, people of the South Western region favour smoked meat, sausages and cepelinai. Fish plays an important role in the diet of the seacoast Lithuanians and those living near lakes and rivers.
Lithuanians usually eat three times per day, and the most filling, sumptuous meal is lunch: soup, meat, potatoes etc. Breakfast and dinner are rather light meals.
One of the oldest and most fundamental staple food was and is rye bread (rugine duona). It is eaten every day. Two kinds of bread are traditional – plain fermented and scalded. Plain fermented bread has been baked from ancient times, while scalded bread has only been baked since the beginning of the 20th century.
Potatoes have become an essential starch staple and are eaten throughout the year. Many delicious dishes are made with potatoes. The most popular are cepelinai, kugelis, potato pancakes (bulviniai blynai), potato casseroles etc.
Another basic Lithuanian food is grain, such as rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, peas and oil crops (hemp, poppies, flax). • Rye is still the most important crop, used mainly for rye bread. • Groats and flour are made from wheat and barley.
Soup is eaten almost every day, too. • Rich soups are served for lunch. • Most soups are served with bread or potatoes. In summer, cold beetroot soup with hot potatoes is very popular, as are cold sweet soups made with berries, fruit and tiny dumplings.
Lithuanians consume a lot of meat and its by-products.Pork has always been the most widely used meat – fresh, brined or smoked.
Milk products have been popular since ancient times. It is used to make cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream and butter. Most popular is cheese (suris), which can be sour, sweet or flavored with caraway seed.
Lithuania is rich in mushrooms, and more than 400 edible varieties are found in the forests. Mushrooms are used in in many dishes to add special flavor to meat, fish and potato dishes. They are used fresh, dried, salted or marinated.
Fruits and berries and some vegetables are seasonal. During summer they are eaten fresh, but for winter supplies they are dried, fermented and pickled. • The most popular fruits are apple, pear, plum, cherry; • berries include strawberry, gooseberry, blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, currant. • The most popular vegetables are cabbage, beet, carrot, cucumber, onion, turnip, radish, parsnip and horseradish.
Traditional drinks Traditional Lithuanian non – alcoholic beverages are gira (non-alcoholic drink made from rye bread) and kisielius (fruity cranberry drink).
Foreign influence to Lithuanian cuisine • As any country, Lithuania has been influenced by the neighboring (and sometimes geographically distant) countries, which shaped its culinary traditions.Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has much in common with its Baltic neighbors and, in general, northern countries. • It also shares some traditions with Polish and Ukrainiancuisines that date back to the grand duchy times. Also, Hungarian, German, and Georgian cuisines.
German traditions have had a big influence on Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding (kugelis or kugel) and intestines stuffed with mashed potato (vėdarai), as well as the baroque tree cake known as Šakotis
It is thought that the national dish of Lithuania, potato zeppelins (Cepelinai) also had its roots in Germany.
Another important contribution is from Scandinavian cooking (think herring - likely the most popular fish consumed by Lithuanians).
The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern (Karaite) cuisine. The Karaite ethnic minority settled in Trakai region of Lithuania in the 14th century, and their stuffed meat pies (Kibinai) were enthusiastically accepted.
Šimtalapis is the most delicious dessert dish, Tartar cake in Lithuanian cuisine It is usually stuffed with poppy seeds or curd.
Further, Lithuania even adopted a meat grilling style of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus mountains. The Georgian grilled meat skewers, nowadays called Šašlykai in Lithuania, emerged several decades ago and became the most popular type of Lithuanian outdoor grilling.
We hope you have enjoyed our presentation. Thank you for your attention.
