must try traditional lithuanian dishes
8 Must-try Traditional Lithuanian Dishes
Meaty, hearty meals slathered with loads of sour cream! Buzzle brings to you a few of traditional Lithuanian dishes you'd love to devour.
The Christmas Meal
A twelve-dish meal supper is traditionally served on Christmas Eve in Lithuanian culture. This meal is made without the use of meats, milk (and milk products), and eggs. The twelve dishes signify each of the Twelve Apostles.
The love of food knows no bound! Today, we take you on a gastronomic trip all the way to Lithuania, and learn about a few of its sinfully delicious dishes. If you love a good hearty and rustic meal, then you're gonna love this cuisine.
Loaded with meats, fresh vegetables, sour cream, cheese, and lots of potatoes, you're never going to go hungry. This cuisine is largely influenced by the Hungarian, Romanian, and Polish cuisines, giving rise to its delicious uniqueness.
In Lithuania, food is just not a part of the mundane, but is a celebration of Lithuanian identity! Here is a list of 8 traditional Lithuanian dishes that you should try, you are sure to love them.
Traditional Lithuanian Foods
- • Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup
- • Lithuanian Pickled Herring
- • Lithuanian Potato Pancakes
- • Lithuanian Stuffed Cabbage
- • Lithuanian Pastry
- • Lithuanian Dumplings
- • Lithuanian Potato Dumplings
- • Lithuanian Doughnuts
#1. Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup - Saltibarsciai
Ingredients
● Buttermilk, 4 cups
● Peeled and cooked beets, 2 cups (with the cooking liquid)
● Sour cream, 1 cup
● Chopped chives, ¼ cup
● Chopped dill, ¼ cup
● Hard-boiled eggs, 4
● Peeled, seeded, and cut cucumber, 2
● Salt, to taste
● Pepper, to taste
Method
- Freeze the beets for about two hours and then grate them.
- Quarter the egg yolks and scoop the yolks out. Mix the yolk with the chives, salt, and pepper. Spoon this mixture back into the egg white and refrigerate them.
- Pour the sour cream and buttermilk in another bowl; add in the beets (with the cooking liquid) and cucumbers. Refrigerate the mixture till it is chilled.
- Season the chilled soup with salt and pepper as per your taste. Place the eggs on the soup and garnish it with some chopped dill.
- You can add some chopped boiled potatoes to it if you like.
#2. Lithuanian Pickled Herring - Bismarck herring
Ingredients
● Salted herring, 1 lb.
● Sliced red onion, 1 medium
● White vinegar, ¾ cup
● Granulated sugar, ¾ cup
● Ground allspice, 2 tsp.
● Yellow mustard, 2 tsp.
● Whole black peppercorn, 2 tsp.
● Whole white peppercorn, 2 tsp.
● Fresh dill, 1 bunch
● Bay leaf, 1
You will also need a Mason jar.
Method
- Soak the salt fish in water for at least twelve hours, and keep changing the water every couple of hours. Drain the water and pat the fish dry.
- In a saucepan, add all the ingredients except the fish, onion, and dill. Bring this mixture to a boil so that the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Cut the fish into sizes of about 1½ inch. Stack the fish, onion, and dill in the mason jar, now pour the cooled pickling liquid on it.
- Cover it and refrigerate it for two days before serving. Drain the pickling liquid off (you can use it the next time you make this dish).
- Serve with boiled potatoes along with some sour cream.
#3. Lithuanian Potato Pancakes - Bulvinial Blynai
Ingredients
● Peeled and grated potatoes, 4 (large)
● Egg, 1
● Flour, 1 tbsp.
● Salt, to taste
● Vegetable oil or lard, 1 tbsp.
Method
- Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well.
- Heat the oil (or lard) in a nonstick frying pan. Drop the potato mixture in the hot oil with the help of a spoon.
- Fry until golden brown, and flip and fry the other side too.
- Serve when hot with some sour cream.
#4. Lithuanian Stuffed Cabbage - Balandėliai
Ingredients
● Whole cabbage, 1
● Minced beef, 1 lb.
● Beef stock, 1 cup
● Chopped celery, 1 cup
● Rice, ½ cup
● Cooked rice, ½ cup
● Chopped onion, 1 large
● Chopped carrot, 1 large
● Chopped garlic, 3 cloves
● Egg, 1
● Tomato sauce, 2 tbsp.
● Marjoram, 1 tsp.
● Salt, to taste
● Pepper, to taste
● Bay leaf, 1
Method
- Run the knife around the central core of the cabbage, and remove the core.
- Place the cabbage in a pot of boiling water with its stump side down, and let it boil for seven to eight minutes.
- Remove the cabbage, let it cool and separate out the leaves.
- In a saucepan, sauté the onions, carrots, garlic, and celery. Add this to the meat along with boiled rice, egg, marjoram, salt, and pepper.
- Place about half a cup of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold the leaf on the mixture away from you. Fold the other side of the mixture on the meat. Fold in the other side the same way.
- Make as many packages as you can with the mixture.
- Place the rest of the cabbage at the bottom of a dutch oven and layer these little packages on top of them.
- Pour in the tomato paste and the beef broth on these cabbage rolls and add the bay leaf.
- Let it simmer for about forty-five minutes to an hour. Season according to you taste.
#5. Lithuanian Pastry - Kibinai
Ingredients
● All-purpose flour, 3½ cups
● Lard or shortening, 1 cup
● Butter, 6 tbsp.
● Beef minced, ½ lb.
● Pork minced, ½ lb.
● Onion, 1 large
● Garlic, 3 cloves
● Salt, to taste
● Pepper, to taste
● Cold water, 1 cup
Method
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and cold water to form a crumbly dough. Shape it into a ball, wrap it with a cling film and refrigerate it for a few hours.
- Now combine the meat, onions, garlic and seasoning.
- Divide the dough into six balls. Roll them out, layer each dough with a little bit of margarine in the center. Put about one cup of filling in the center. Join the edges of the dough to make a semicircle.
- Crimp the edges of the semicircle to seal in the stuffing.
- Bake them in a preheated oven for forty-five minutes to an hour at 350°F. To get the glistening gold color, egg wash them ten to fifteen minutes once they are cooked.
#6. Lithuanian Dumplings - Koldunai
Ingredients
● All-purpose flour, 3 cups
● Eggs, 5
● Minced beef (or pork) 1½ lb.
● Chopped onion, 1 (large)
● Garlic, 3 cloves
● Water, 1 tbsp.
● Salt, to taste
● Pepper, to taste
Method
- Mix two eggs, meat, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic in a bowl.
- In another bowl, add the flour, three eggs, and water, and make a dough out of it.
- Divide the dough into three parts and roll it out till it is about ⅛ of an inch thick.
- Using a cookie cutter, cut out 3-inch diameter discs. Place one tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center and join the edges of the dough to make a semicircle.
- Twist the edges to seal in the mixture.
- In a large sauce pan, add about six cups of water and pinch of salt to it and bring it to a boil.
- Drop the dumplings in very gently, and let the water continue to boil.
- The dumplings are done when they start to float.
- Remove the dumplings and drizzle some sour cream on it, garnish with some chopped dill.
#7. Lithuanian Potato Dumplings - Cepelinai
Ingredients
● Peeled and grated potatoes, 8 (large)
● Peeled and boiled potatoes, 2 (large)
● Chopped Onions, 1 large
● Minced pork, ½ lb.
● Minced beef, ½ lb.
● Eggs, 3
● Diced bacon, ½
● Sour cream, 1 cup
● Salt, to taste
● Pepper, to taste
Method
- Mix half of the chopped onions, two eggs, meat, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl to make the filling.
- Squeeze the excess water out of the grated potatoes by placing them in a cheese cloth and wringing it.
- Combine the grated and the boiled potatoes with an egg (you can also add some cooked rice to this).
- Put a large pot of water to boil and add some salt to it. Meanwhile, make your dumplings. Take a cup of the potato mixture in your hand and flatten it out on your palm.
- Place about a quarter of a cup of the meat mixture in the center and fold the potato mixture around it with the help of wet hands. Form this in the shape of a football, making sure that you seal the meat mixture completely.
- Carefully place these football-shaped dumplings into the boiling water. You may add a little bit of cornstarch to the dumplings to prevent them from opening.
- Boil this for twenty to twenty-five minutes and remove them from the water once they are done. Make sure that you drain off the cooking liquid from the dumplings.
- In a pan, fry the bacon till it's nice and crispy. Add the onions and fry till they are translucent. Remove from heat, and add the sour cream and some seasoning to it.
#8. Lithuanian Doughnuts - Spurgos
Ingredients
● Scalded milk, 300 ml
● All-purpose flour; 1 lb.
● Sugar, 100 g
● Raisins, 100g
● Brandy (or rum), 4 tbsp.
● Softened butter, 3 tbsp.
● Vanilla, 1 tsp.
● Salt, ½ tsp.
● Dried yeast, 1 packet
● Eggs, 2 large
● Warm water, 60 ml
● Icing sugar (for dusting)
● Oil (for frying)
Method
- Dissolve the dried yeast in warm water.
- In a heatproof bowl, mix the scalding hot milk, butter, and sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the milk completely.
- Cool this mixture completely and add the eggs, yeast mixture, and rum. Add in the flour gradually till you get a loose dough. Add in the raisins at this point.
- Cover the dough either with cling film or a moist cloth. Place in a warm place for about half an hour and let it rise. Knock back the dough and knead it one more time.
- Heat the oil to about 350°F and drop large spoonfuls of dough in it.
- Fry till they turn golden brown on all sides. Remove the doughnuts from the oil and drain the excess oil.
- Sprinkle some powdered sugar on them while they are still warm.