We present the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania, whose cuisines captivate with their simplicity, natural flavors, and unique traditions.
Specifics of culinary of Dzukija region is a lot of potatoes and dishes with mushroom which are abundantly found in forests. Inhabitants of the south-east Lithuania (dzukai), who live in the south-eastern region of Lithuania and have been growing buckwheat in their lands long time ago, make a lot of dishes from them, the most delicious cakes, known as regional ‘babka’ buns.
While living in the woodland, dzukai are unrivaled berry and mushroom pickers, and housewives of Dzukija region are the most thoughtful specialists for preparing mushroom and berry. People often make jokes that ‘if not mushrooms and berries, girls of Dzukija would be naked’. This is due to the fact that this land would be difficult to recognize without its loud songs, forests, mushrooms, berries and a beautiful landscape. The region is still called ‘the land of songs’.
The territory of Dzukija is sandy, soils are stony, so living here is not easy, and the farms are small. From ancient times, people have grown a lot from potatoes, buckwheat, rye and other cereals. Nutrition is more modest than in other areas of Lithuania. Due to the large number of forests and water bodies, it consumed a lot of mushrooms and fish, a lot of dairy products, vegetables, and less livestock products.
Aukstaitija is the largest region in Lithuania and occupies the eastern and the north-eastern part of Lithuania. The nature of Aukstaitija itself has been dictating not only the main activities, entertainment of local citizens but also the diversity of dishes. Fosterers of the culinary heritage say that people of Aukstaitija used to eat at all times what they gathered in forests or fished in the lakes of the surrounding area.
The land has always been famous for its flourish dishes, which are served with a variety of sweet and not sweet sauces, dressings. No other region cooked dumplings, (Lith. skryliai) or baked pancakes so often. Donuts and deep fried pastry strips (Lith. zagareliai) are known and popular desserts of Aukstaitija throughout Lithuania. The region of Aukstaitija is hardly conceivable without beer. Inhabitants of Aukstaitija know well how to prepare meat with fermented cabbage. In addition to that, they used to cook beetroot soup or very original beer soups. They are famous for apple or berry-made wine. Hospitable highlanders will always take care of their guest – they will bake pancakes, cut off homemade bread and white cheese with cowberry jam, treat to mead, and then offer a calm relaxation in a secluded hut surrounded by forests.
Introduction: Suvalkija (Sūduva) is a region located in the south-southwestern part of Lithuania (without Lazdijai district). The wide variety of dishes – from Lithuanian sausage (skilandis) to putra – could be seen on the dining table of the inhabitants of Suvalkija region. A large part of the country's specialties – exceptionally tasting smoked meat, potato dumplings, potato sausages and other – later spread in Lithuania, as well as a dialect of Suvalkija region which became a common language.
In Suvalkija region, the potato pancakes "bandos" on a dried cabbage leaf were among the most popular dishes. The housewives baked this simple meal in an oven. After the serfdom people gradually began to have better lives and there was an opportunity to eat more varied and better food. The fashion to drink tea, coffee with bread and butter or fried eggs, instead of soup or porridge during breakfast was taken from the landowners.
Although Lithuania is quite a small country, the inhabitants eat differently in different ethnographic regions. Every guest that comes to our country soon notices that it is so miscellaneous. Different features of the Lithuanian culture and inheritance were formed by variable history of our country. The Samogitians who live in the North-West region are the biggest fans of porridges. Every Samogitian likes hemp meals and appreciates kastinys with cooked potatoes traditionally – no other nation of the world can make this originally fresh-spicy whipped sour cream meal. They bake bread, potato cake that is called kugel. They cook oat kissel, bake sophisticated cakes with berries, fruit, jam. Earlier, they cooked soup putra from different whipped corn flour products. Cooked peas with potatoes were popular, especially on Fridays, and they were served with sour milk or herring. Thus, if you come to Samogitia, you will see, feel, hear and experience everything bit by bit from different times and epochs.
The dishes in Lithuania Minor are not really exclusive but very simple. People of this region did not know the fine dishes – all the dishes were very similar: leaf soup or sour peas, sometimes grucka (soup) or beetroot soup. It is said that the same meal was served on a table three times a day. The main food is unpeeled potatoes, beetroot, sauerkraut and sauces: with cannabis, cracklings. During the holidays, they ate not so bad and poorly; they made pap, Lithuanian sausage (skilandis), kosenybe, hodgepodge, which was made from white peas.
The bread was baked from rye and the pomele (pie) from wheat flour. The bread was baked every four weeks. They know how to cook meat very well. When they slaughtered sheep, pigs, geese, after slicing, meat was salted in a barrel, and pieces of the bacon flitch were hanged into the chimney for smoking. For the inhabitants of Lithuania Minor a herring put on a willow branch and baked in front of the fire was a delicacy. However, do not forget the sweet dishes – pap, rolls, waffles (vofeliai), and coffee (kafija).
