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Food Of Lithuania

Last Updated At: 21-May-2024

12 Traditional Food Of Lithuania You Must Try In 2024

Believe it or not, food is the ultimate source of happiness. No matter where you are, every place holds a unique taste. Lithuania is one of those places in northeastern Europe with the taste your taste buds would crave. Considered the cheapest among the three Baltic states of northeastern Europe, Lithuania is popular for its lush green landscapes, sandy beaches, amber, and exquisite hot air balloon experiences.

Lithuanian food acts as a cherry on the cake. From the drooling taste of Cepelinai and fried bread to the delicious and unique Sakotis, the Republic of Lithuania has it all for your culinary desires. So, if you find yourself here, do experience its gastronomy art.

List Of 12 Best Food Of Lithuania

Though the country is blessed with a plethora of food items, one thing that you will find a bit strange here is the use of potatoes. Almost every other dish has potato in it. Despite this fact, the Lithuanian cuisine is surefire to fill your heart with joy and satisfaction.

  • Cepelinai | The Queen of Dishes
  • Šaltibarščiai | The Soupy Delight
  • Grybukai | The Sweet Bud
  • Kugelis | Potato, Potato, …….!
  • Kepta Duona | The Best Bar Snack
  • Kibinai | The Puff Pastry
  • Varškėčiai | The Soft Delight
  • Šakotis | The Special Occasion Cake
  • Žuvis | Types of Fish
  • Gira | The Washing Bread Drink
  • Midus | Honey Wine
  • Varškės Sūrelis | The Chocolaty One

1. Cepelinai | The Queen of Dishes

Lithuania will offer you a unique one if you are fond of dumplings. Cepelinai is Lithuania's national food and the most wanted dish for everyone who arrives there.

Cepelinai is nothing but a potato dumpling filled with minced meat. The supersoft dumpling gets its name from the Zeppelin airship. Strangely, the shape and size is also similar to the ship. You can try it with Lithuanian beer and sour cream on top to get the best taste. For vegetarians, the minced meat can be replaced with cheese or mushrooms.

  • Best Place to try: Stikliai Tavern, Senoji trobelė
  • Price: Begins from $17

2. Šaltibarščiai | The Soupy Delight

For those who love summer, there is a special dish that will amplify your summer experience. Šaltibarščiai, unlike its name, is a simple dish that will refresh your body from top to bottom in moments. The soupy dish has a light pink colour that it gets from the beetroot. Besides beetroot, there are green onions, dill, kefir, hard-boiled eggs, and cucumber. All these things are chopped and mixed to make the soup.

It is usually served with boiled potatoes on the side that can be dipped in the soup and consumed. If you like, you can also add sour cream on the side.

  • Best Place to try: Lokys, Folkas, Etno Dvaras, etc.
  • Price: Starts from $30

3. Grybukai | The Sweet Bud

If you prefer desserts more than the main course and snacks, then the Grybukai is the first dish to try in Lithuania. Most of you would think it is made up of mushrooms, but no, it is shaped like mushrooms. Grybukai are white and black morsels filled with the flavours of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

So, when you take a bite of it, you will feel the sweet flavours of these items mingling in your mouth. Thus making it an essential part of the traditional Lithuanian cuisine.

  • Best Place to try: Bernelių Užeiga, Etno Dvaras
  • Price: NA

4. Kugelis | Potato, Potato, …….!

Just like I said in the beginning, potato is used in every other dish in Lithuania. Kugelis is one of those dishes that is made from potatoes. It is a potato pudding, pie, or Lasagna with other ingredients, including bacon and green onions. Onions, bacon, and potatoes are mixed together and bound with beaten eggs and milk. Further, they are baked to create this dreamy and scrumptious dish.

The baked pie is ideal to eat with lingonberry jam, bacon, or sour cream. The recipe for this dish may vary with each place, but one thing is sure: it will be tasty in every variant.

  • Best Place to try: Sicilia, Žemaičių ąsotis
  • Price: Starts from $18

5. Kepta Duona | The Best Bar Snack

If you love to hang out in bars with your friends, try this dish with them. Mostly consumed as a bar snack, the Kepta Duona is a fried bread that perfectly goes with Lithuanian beer. The dish is made from dark rye bread cut into longer sticks and fried in oil. Further, these sticks are seasoned with garlic and salt to taste exotic.

To get the best taste out of this dish, have it with creamy cheese sauce along with your beer.

  • Best Place to try: Forto Dvaras, Zemaiciu Asotis
  • Price: Starts from $6

6. Kibinai | The Puff Pastry

From the outside, the look of this dish will surely make you crave it. The stunning golden colour puff pastry has ground pork filling in it. However, if you are a vegetarian, you can also find variants where the inside of the pastry has fruits, cabbage, and even cheese. The choices do not stop here. Some even integrate vegetables, chicken, spinach, and something sweet like berry jam or apple and plum.

Unlike the sweet variants, the other ones are consumed along with soup on the side.

  • Best Place to try: Pinavija Cafe & Bakery
  • Price: $13 and varies based on its type.

7. Varškėčiai | The Soft Delight

If you are fond of sweet dishes consisting of cheese, Varškėčiai is the Lithuania traditional food to pick from. These are delicious fried cakes or pancakes made from creamy Lithuanian cheese curds. Having a slight golden colour along with a little touch of brown in the middle, the supersoft cakes are best served with forest berries, honey and cream.

So, if you crave a bit of sweetness in your breakfast, do check out these yummy fried cakes. Homemade cakes are preferred more.

  • Best Place to try: Senoji trobelė
  • Price: Starts from $5

8. Šakotis | The Special Occasion Cake

Just like turkey is used for Thanksgiving, Šakotis is the indicator of festivals like Christmas, Easter, or any wedding. This vertically elongated cake is cooked in a spit-like cooker, which is also the reason it has spikes on its exterior. The spikes are formed due to the dripping batter, which is made by mixing cheese, cream butter, and flour.

The unique thing about the cake is that it is hollow from within, just like a cylinder, and it is a delight to watch it being cooked.

  • Best Place to try: Etno Dvaras, Caffeine LT
  • Price: From $24

9. Žuvis | Types of Fish

Don't be confused by the name; it just means fish and Lithuanian cuisine is nothing without fish. If you are a frequent fish eater, you will find a variety of them here, including pike, perch, cod, bream, and herring. The best thing is that no matter the time of the year, you will always find fish being served in the restaurants year-round.

Primarily, the herring fish is baked, smoked, and salted by the restaurants for their customers. It is served with sides like dark rye bread, mashed potatoes, and boiled potatoes.

  • Best Place to try: Lokys, Folkas, Etno Dvaras
  • Price: NA

10. Gira | The Washing Bread Drink

If you have eaten all that you wanted and want to push those dishes a bit lower in your body, the Gira drink will be the best. Gira is a sweet fermented drink made from several ingredients, including dark rye bread, raisins, honey, and water.

The best thing is that it is non-alcoholic and is best for washing down all the dishes that you have just consumed. Thus, serves as an ideal replacement for beer.

  • Best Place to try: Forto Dvaras
  • Price: Starts from $2

11. Midus | Honey Wine

Lithuanian mead or Midus is a perfect and mandatory drink to have in the country. It is unique as it has obtained the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. Unlike other wines that can be bitter in taste, Midus is sweet in flavour, directly infra spirits ingredients, such as berries, lemon, cinnamon, thyme and even hops.

Lithuania is a drink sold with the label of the ancient drink of the Gods, apart from beer and cider.

  • Best Place to try: Etno Dvaras, Lokys
  • Price: Starts from $36 for 1 kg

12. Varškės Sūrelis | The Chocolaty One

Among the Lithuania traditional dishes, the Varškės Sūrelis is a unique one. Why? Well, because it features chocolate and even chocolate chips. Varškės Sūrelis is an aesthetic as well as yummy dessert that is usually served between meals, such as for breakfast or with coffee or tea.

The highly popular snack cum dessert is made from curd cheese and is coated with dark chocolate. The default version of the snack is vanilla flavour, but it is not limited to that. The chewy dessert can also contain cacao, chocolate chips, condensate milk filling, poppy seeds, and pistachios.

  • Best Place to try: Local shops
  • Price: NA

It is impossible that, after reading so far, you are not already drooling at these Lithuania traditional dishes. Well, these dishes are not that far. Just prepare your bags for a trip to Lithuania and leave the arrangements to Adotrip.

At Adotrip, we provide you with information about Flights, Hotels, Tour Packages, VISA assistance, and travel insurance under one roof.

With Adotrip, nothing is far!

Frequently Asked Questions Food Of Lithuania

Q1. What are some popular traditional Lithuanian dishes?
A1.
Some of the popular traditional Lithuanian dishes are

  • Cepelinai
  • Šaltibarščiai
  • Bulviniai Blynai
  • Kepta Duona

Q2. Is potato a staple ingredient in Lithuanian cuisine?
A2.
Yes, potatoes are a staple ingredient of Lithuanian cuisine. They are widely used in And more!

  • Cepelinai
  • Bulviniai Blynai
  • Šaltibarščiai
  • Kepta Duona

Q3. What is the significance of rye bread in Lithuanian food culture?
A3. Being the centrepiece of Lithuanian cuisine, Rye Bread played a critical role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies. Therefore, it is eaten each day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Q4. Are there any unique desserts or pastries in Lithuanian cuisine?
A4.
The most unique desserts or pastries in Lithuanian cuisine are

  • Šakotis (Tree Cake)
  • Tinginys (Lazy Cake)
  • Medaus Tortas (Honey Cake)
  • Žagarėliai
  • Varškės Spurgos

Q5. Can you tell me about any regional specialities in Lithuania's food?
A5.
Regional specialities in Lithuania's food are

  • Cepelinai, Zeppelins
  • Kibinai, Pastries from Trakai

--- Published By  Adotrip

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