Authentic Lithuanian recipes have a rich and varied culinary tradition that has been influenced by both its neighboring countries and its own unique history.
5 Most Popular Lithuanian Food
1. Cepelinai
Lithuanian Cepelinai are a type of dumpling that is made with potato and ground meat. The dough is formed into large, oval-shaped dumplings, which are then boiled in water. Cepelinai are traditionally served with sour cream, bacon, and onions. While they may not look very exciting, Cepelinai are actually quite delicious. The combination of fluffy potatoes, rich meat, and creamy sauce makes for a hearty and satisfying meal. And because they are so filling, Cepelinai are the perfect food for a cold winter day. If you’re ever in Lithuania, be sure to try this traditional traditional Lithuanian recipe. You won’t be disappointed.
2. Zeppelins
The zeppelin is a traditional Lithuanian recipe that is made by stuffing a whole chicken with sauerkraut, bacon, and onions. The stuffed bird is then slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce. The result is a fragrant and flavorful dish that is perfect for a winter meal. The zeppelin can be served with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes, and it is often garnished with fresh dill. While the dish may sound complex, it is actually quite easy to prepare. Zeppelins are typically made in advance and reheated just before serving, making them ideal for busy weeknight dinners. So if you’re looking for a delicious and hearty meal, look no further than the Lithuanian zeppelin.
3. Kugelis
Kugelis is a traditional Lithuanian recipe that is typically made with potato, bacon, and onion. It can be served either hot or cold, and is often garnished with sour cream or dill. Kugelis is said to date back to the 15th century, when it was first mentioned in a cookbook from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The dish gained popularity in the 19th century, when potatoes became a staple of the Lithuanian diet. Today, kugelis is enjoyed by many people both inside and outside of Lithuania. While it is sometimes made with other ingredients such as cheese or mushrooms, the traditional recipe remains the most popular. Whether you’re looking for a hearty meal or a simple snack, kugelis is sure to satisfy.
4. Potato pancake
Potatoes are a staple in Lithuanian food, and potato pancakes are a popular dish. Also known as Draniki or Deruny, potato pancakes are typically made with grated potatoes, onion, egg, and flour. They can be fried in either butter or oil, and they are often served with sour cream or applesauce. Potato pancakes are usually eaten as a side dish, but they can also be served as a main course. In addition to being delicious, potato pancakes are also a good source of nutrients. Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C and potassium, and they also contain fiber and protein.
5. Salmon soup:
Salmon soup is a authentic Lithuanian recipe that is typically served during the Christmas holidays. The soup is made with salmon, potatoes, onions, carrots, and dill. It is lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. While the ingredients may vary slightly depending on the region, the basic recipe remains the same. Salmon soup is a hearty and filling dish that is perfect for a cold winter’s day. It is also a healthy option, as salmon is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.
25 Authentic Lithuanian Recipes
10 Main Course Ideas – 10 Authentic Lithuanian Recipes
1. Zrazai Beef Rolls
“The traditional name for this traditional Lithuanian recipe comes from Polish,and they are now officially called “Musti suktinukai”, but the old name is still popular. This is a stuffed beef roll. A bit different from the more familiar German Rouladen. Sandwich steaks are a great way to shortcut the prep.
2. Lithuanian Potato Sausage (Vedarai)
This authentic Lithuanian recipe for potato sausage, or Vedarai, can be made entirely meatless or with the addition of chopped, cooked bacon. Lithuania is a largely agrarian society and it has relied on the potato in its cuisine, using it in sausage, savory puddings like kugelis, pancakes, dumplings like Cepelinai, breads, and more.
3. Lithuanian Herring Salad
“I remember Mother sitting around the kitchen table with her friends, skinning and gutting herring, to make this appetizer salad from a traditional Lithuanian recipe for New Years and other big community events. I am now able to buy herring fillets, which simplifies the prep quite a bit. Servings is a wild guess – I eat this with abandon, so be advised
4. Kibinai
Originally it is a Crimean Karaites (a tiny ethnicity in Lithuania and in a few other countries in the world) national dish. Now is a traditional Lithuanian recipe eaten all around the country. It’s usually filled with mutton and onions, but over the many year it was adopted to Lithuanian taste buds and now mostly it’s made with pork and chicken.
5. Skilandis
This authentic Lithuanian recipe from my trip produces a texture which is stiff, while the color is pink to dark red, with chunks of fat visible. Seasonings such as garlic, black pepper, cumin, bay leaf, nutmeg and juniper can be added to the meat mixture. The flavor of this sausage is acidic, smoky and slightly spicy, with a unique aroma that develops during the long maturation and drying process.
6. Potato Pudding (Kūgelis)
The perfect potato pudding is soft and fluffy and this authentic Lithuanian recipe delivers, though many home cooks hold their own opinion on whether you should strain off the liquid when grating the potatoes, which gives a drier result, or keep the liquid, resulting in a moister dish. Both are good, it is simply a matter of taste. Commonly served with apple or lingonberry preserves, this also tastes delicious reheated.
7. Lithuanian Cepelinai
Try this traditional Lithuanian recipe for a taste of this Baltic state’s cuisine with these zeppelin-shaped dumplings, filled with pork mince and served with creamy mushrooms
8. Lithuanian Homemade Palangos Sausages
Palangos sausage is a cooked and smoked authentic Lithuanian recipe for a wonderful sausage. It owes its name to Palanga town which is the busiest Lithuanian resort town through which the Sventoji and Raze rivers flow into the Baltic Sea. Palanga has beaches of sand (18 km long and up to 300 m wide) and beautiful sand dunes.
9. Lithuanian Bacon Buns
Authentic Lithuanian recipe create an extremely tasty and bun, perfect for St. For the Easter table. You can change the filling according to your wishes and make your favorite products. Maybe someone doesn’t like spinach, but likes mushrooms or nuts 🙂
10. Balandeliai: Lithuanian Stuffed Cabbage
This traditional Lithuanian recipe for Lithuanian stuffed cabbage is known as Balandeliai or “little doves.” This dish is common throughout Eastern Europe and the recipe varies from country to country, region to region, and family to family.
10 Side Dish Ideas – 10 Traditional Lithuanian Recipes
11. Kastinys
Żmudzki Kastinys is a combination of cream, garlic and butter that comes from Lithuanian cuisine. The taste resembles our traditional Poznań potato cole or simply cottage cheese.
12. Lithuanian Cucumbers and Honey
Lithuanian cucumbers and honey are called Agurkai su Medum and are a traditional Lithuanian food. This simple combination was actually invented by Jogailia, the Grand Duke of Lithuania. A recipe that is super simple and delicious. I had never thought of combining cucumbers with honey but it is honestly somewhat addicting. We really enjoyed it as a starter on a hot summer day as part of Lithuanian meal.
13. Lithuanian Sauerkraut
And then there’s “pickling” including the authentic Lithuanian recipe for sauerkraut . Lithuanians love fermented foods, with cucumber pickles, sauerkraut and sour milk or kefir being eaten regularly and in abundance. As luck would have it, I also love fermented foods, so much so that I have a section of my worktop permanently dedicated to fermenting foods. My little fermentation station usually has my sourdough starter, a flask of yogurt and a 3 litre (3 quart) jar of either pickles or sauerkraut.
14. Lithuanian Saltibarsciai
Saltibarsciai (Shalt-eh-barsh-chay) is a cold version of the well-known and loved borscht; (red beet soup) found throughout Eastern Europe including Lithuania, Poland (known there as “Chlodnik“), Ukraine, and Russia. This authentic Lithuanian recipe for the soup is a combination of beets and cucumbers and calls for kefir (kefyras in Lithuanian) although some recipes use sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk instead of the traditional kefir.
15. Dumplings (Lithuanian koldūnai)
Dumplings (Lithuanian Koldūnai) is a traditional Lithuanian recipe that requires a little bit of patience and time. Of course, it the most fun is to make dumplings with someone or with the whole family. Then it’s more fun and the process is way faster. This time I made the dumplings by myself, but with a good music, so to me it was like a relaxation.
16. Traditional Lithuanian Potato Pancakes
To make this authentic Lithuanian recipe for potato pancakes, you should choose starchy potatoes that release as little liquid as possible. If you do not have such potatoes, the potato mass can be drained and thus avoid excessive moisture content. You can also add flour to the dough, but the more it is, the harder the pancakes will be.
17. Lithuanian Vegetable Salad
Lithuanian vegetable salad is very similar to a potato salad. It is one of the best salad’s of its kind, we have had. It is called Darzoviu Misraine the way we made it or it is known as Balta Misraine if you do not include the beets. You can add or subtract vegetables according to your taste in this traditional Lithuanian recipe , however, the two ingredients that must be included are sour cream and salt.
18. Baked Whistlers (Švilpikai) / Švilpikai orkaitėje
Whistlers are one of my authentic Lithuanian recipe discoveries that I’m crazy about and I could eat it for several days in a row. Because of this, mostly, when I cook them, I always double the portion, that it would be enough for a few days. My husband is also a big fan of this dish (I’m still joking that he was supposed to be Lithuanian in a past life :D), so I make whistlers at least once a month.
19. Lithuanian Honey Spirits | Krupnikas
They say Lithuania has the largest collection of amber in the world – known as the gold of the Baltics – but I uncovered a far more enticing “gold” in their liquor cabinets and found an authentic Lithuanian recipe for it: Krupnikas, or Honey Spirits. This boozy drink tastes like heaven on fire – a sweet, fragrant blend that is almost too complex to describe… sure there’s honey, but there’s also orange peel, an entire vanilla bean, ginger, cardamom, allspice, and so much more.
20. Creamy Dill Pickle Soup
Creamy dill pickle soup combines grated dill pickles with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots and garlic in a creamy broth that is perfectly seasoned. Family and friends alike just love this most unusual soup. I love to serve it with Garlic Knots or Triple Cheese Garlic Bread. This is a take on a traditional Lithuanian recipe.
5 Desert Ideas – 5 Traditional Lithuanian Recipes
21. Šakotis (Tree Cake)
Lithuanian šakotis or raguolis. Traditional Lithuanian recipe and Belarusian recipe for spit cake. It is a cake made of butter, egg whites and yolks, flour, sugar, and cream, cooked on a rotating spit in an oven or over an open fire.
22. Pyragas „Napoleonas“ (Cake „Napoleon“)
I am setting out on a adventure in making her a special dessert made from a traditional recipe and I have looked everywhere to find one. She has told me about an authentic Lithuanian recipe for a Napoleonas Torte that is her very favorite–of course she’s one of THOSE friends… her favorite can’t be just chocolate…or vanilla…It HAS to be a torte from Lithuania…from the 1800’s…of course…
23. Sausainiai Grybukai (Mushroom Cookies)
The mushroom cookie, officially named “Lithuanian Grybai,” is one of my most requested cookie recipes. Not only do they taste wonderful, but as you can see they are completely adorable! Here is a traditional Lithuanian recipe for the cookies
24. Varškės Spurgos (Curd Cheese Doughnuts)
The most favorite delicacy from childhood made from my mothers authentic Lithuanian recipe is cottage cheese donuts with powdered sugar. A very simple and quick recipe, the baked donuts are fluffy and soft and quickly disappear from the table.
25. Tinginys – Lithuanian Lazy Cake Cookies
Tinginys is a simple cake with this authentic recipe, made by mixing crushed-up biscuits or cookies with cocoa, condensed milk, melted butter, sugar, and other optional add-ins.
Once mixed, the mixture is rolled into a plastic casing or cling film, and then simply left to set in the refrigerator. Hence the name ‘lazy cake’.
