Lithuanian traditional food

Lithuanians like to eat good, tasty and filling foods. The tradition of eating well is inherited from our ancestors, who would say, he who eats well, works well.
Lithuanian cooks prepare simple but tasty foods. A good cook can create delicious meals using simple ingredients. It is said that each cook stirs the cookpot in her manner.
Before food was prepared using only seasonal products, however during the last twenty-five years, fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs have been available all year round, imported or grown locally. The same applies to meat, now more fresh meat is used than salted or smoked.
Lithuania is divided into five ethnic regions. This regional division is evident in foods that are particular to each region. The Highlanders, Aukätaiciai, live in the rich loam, northeast region, and are known for their various pancakes and cottage cheese dishes. The Samogitians,zemaiciai, inhabit the northwest region and have their special sour butter, porridges and many gruels. Dzukai are the people of the southeast region, where the soil is sandy and forested. They are main growers and users of buckwheat in all its forms, as well as mushrooms and potatoes. Suvalkieciai, people of the southwestern region favor smoked meats, sausages and zeppelins. Fish plays an important role in the diet of the seacoast Lithuanians and also of those living near lakes and rivers. These differences are less evident today than they were in olden times. However, the tradition of regional foods continues.

One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Two kinds of bread are traditional, plain fermented and scalded. Plain fermented bread has been baked from earliest times, while scalded bread has only been baked since the start of the 20th century. Plain bread ferments overnight but needs to be kneaded for a long time, while scalded bread fermentation takes almost 3 days.
Black Rye Bread (Juoda rugine duona)

Lithuanians eat soup every day. Soup is the main dinner and supper food. In olden times, soup was also eaten for breakfast.
Rich soups are served for dinner and easily digested milk soups are supper fare. Most popular are sour soups, sauerkraut, beet and sorrel, with smoked meat stock as the base. Sauerkraut soup is also made with goose pieces. Meat cooked in soup is often eaten as a second course. Meatless soups are eaten on fast days. Most soups are served with bread or potatoes. Sauerkraut and beet soups are eaten in winter, while sorrel, beet greens and milk soups are eaten in spring and summer. Cold beet soup with hot potatoes is a very popular summer fare.
Cold sweet soups are also popular, especially in summer. In olden times and now, sweet soups made with berries, fruit and tiny dumplings are a treat. Another summer soup, mutinys, made with dried black bread, water, sugar and crushed fruit is very refreshing on hot summer days.
Saltibarsciai (Cold beet soup)

Lithuanians consume a lot of meat and meat by-products. Pork has always been the most widely used meat, fresh, brined or smoked, and continues to be so to this day.
For longer keeping, many varieties of sausage are made. One of them, skilandis, was mentioned as early as 16th century. Skilandis, also known as kindzius, is made of coarsely chopped, top quality pork meat, highly seasoned, tightly stuffed into a pig's stomach and intensely smoked. Skilandis and other smoked meats are robust and delicious, very popular foods.
The traditional smoked meat technology has remained the same throughout the years.
Fowl meat is also popular. Domestic birds are cooked, smoked and baked. Game birds appear rarely in the Lithuanian kitchen. They are the domain of hunters
Skilandis (Skilandis)

Potatoes came to Lithuania relatively recently, in the eighteenth century and soon became popular. Now every farm grows potatoes. Potatoes have become Lithuania's second bread, an essential starch staple and are eaten throughout the year.
Many delicious, tasty dishes are made with potatoes. They are eaten alone or as an accompaniment to a main course of soup, meat, fish, mushrooms, eggs and dairy products.
The most popular potato dishes are "zeppelins", potato sausages, potato casserole and pancakes.
Lithuanian recipes reflect the diversity of potatoes.
Didzkuliai (or Cepelinai)

Mead and beer are ceremonial and traditional drinks. Mead, midus is the oldest and noblest drink, served during banquets and special occasions. Good conditions existed to make mead because Lithuanians since early times took honey from wild bees in tree hollows.
Beer has been brewed in Lithuania since ancient times and even today is a popular, traditional drink. It is always brewed for family celebrations, feast days, barn raisings and funerals. Beer is brewed from sprouted barley malt.
Another ancient drink is made from birch and maple sap, collected in early spring. Sap is drunk fresh and fermented for summer drinking.
To satisfy thirst, Lithuanians brew a semi sour drink, gira - kvass.

True mead is made with natural, light honey. In Lithuania and neighboring countries home made mead varies because of different seasonings used.
Lithuanian Mead (Lietuviskas midus)