What do people eat in Lithuania?
Diet
Traditional specialties include skilandis (smoked meat), ðaltibarðèai (cold beet soup), cepelinai (potato dumplings with minced meat filling), védarai (potato sausages) and bulviniai blynai (potato pancakes). Smoked eel is a famous Baltic delicacy.There are many regional specialties. The Highlanders, or Aukðtaièiai, who live in the northeast region, are known for their pancakes and cottage cheese dishes. The þemaièiai, who inhabit the lowlands, are known for herbed dips, porridges and gruels. In the southeast region, buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes are important staples, and in the southwest, smoked meats, sausages and cepelinai (dumplings) are part of many dishes.
A traditional breakfast may be bread and cheese with cold cuts, or pancakes filled with cheese. At lunch, many Lithuanians enjoy a hearty soup or stew. Cold beetroot soup is refreshing in summer and hot beetroot soup (barsciai borscht) is warming in winter. For dinner, Lithuanians usually have a meat dish with potatoes and vegetables; pork is the most popular meat.
Popular Lithuanian desserts include honey cake, pastries and ice cream. At Christmas, people enjoy a special fruitcake called kisielius.
Popular Lithuania Recipes
- Cottage Cheese Potato Pancakes - Main Dish
- Cepelinai (Meat Cooked Inside a Ball of Potato Dough, Served With a Special Sauce) - Main Dish
- Kugelis (Baked Potato Pudding) - Side Dish
- Saltanosiai (Cold noses--Blueberry Dumplings) - Dessert
- Saltibarsciai (Cold Beet Soup) - Main Dish
- Spanguoliu Kisielius (Cranberry pudding) - Dessert
