On Lithuanian gastronomic heritage
Hello again, Steemians,
This time I decided to introcuce you to our Lithuanian cuisine.
There are 4 etnographic regions of Lithuania and every one of them may be proud of its cuisine. For example, the Aukstaiciai are known mainly for their delicious soups and pancakes, while the Dzukai are known for dishes with mushrooms and berries, because the region is rich with woods. Suvalkieciai are proud of their "Skilandis", which actually is a pig stomach stuffed with minced meat mixed with garlic. Then this "Skilandis" is cold-smoked and matured for a certain period of time. The Zemaiciai (Samogitians) are proud of their crayfish and "kastinys ". "Kastinys" is a type of butter made from fat sour cream with various herbs and is usually eaten with fresh hot potatoes. The traditional preparation of "kastinys" takes a lot of time and effort. It has to be hand-made from fat sour cream mixed with salt, onions and garlic. The mix has to be beaten for up to 6 hours!
For those who love potatoes and meat, Lithuania might be just perfect for you. Potato dishes are very popular here all years round. At restaurants you can easily find potato pancakes, potato cakes and so called "vedarai" which is a pork's small intestine stuffed with baked potatoes...It is said by foreigners that "Cepelinai" (Zeppelins) is the most interesting Lithuanian dish. "Cepelinai" are made from grated potatoes, rolled in a shape of a zeppelin, with minced meat, curd, mushroom or other filling. The zeppelins are usually served with a souce from sour cream and butter. The spicy ball of meat in a grated potato shell tastes wonderful and is very filling !
We also like pork ears, tongue and legs.Don't be afraid to try them! You should order them with a pint of beer (more than 200 sorts of beers are brewed in Lithuania).It you are not a very big fan of pork ears, try ordering boiled peas with greaves.
The oldest and best known Lithianian drink is mead, which is made from honey, water and yest. It's very strong drink , though...:)