Tasty Lithuania: the ultimate food guide

When you come to Lithuania for the first time, it will charm you with its incredibly beautiful nature, old cities, smiling people and tasty heavenly food that can dizzy your head easily. As much walking in the Vilnius Old Town without a map can be a challenge, that much trying various Lithuanian dishes without a guide can be a mistake. So, for that reason, here is ultimate Lithuania's food guide on what you definitely have to try.

Lesson number 1 - The soups can be pink and it is OK

I will start from the top, from the queen of our cuisine - the pink soup or in Lithuanian - šaltibarsčiai. There is no other soup in Lithuania that is so loved and so popular. During the summer, sometimes it seems that the Lithuanians are alive just because of this soup. I think I could not stop telling for hours how this soup is amazing, but the only one important thing is that you definitely have to try it. During the winter time, it can be harder to get this soup in the restaurant because, originally, it is a cold soup, but you will definitely find it the local food restaurants. If you are curious why is it so good and popular, there are a few things you need to know:

1. The Lithuanians grow up eating this food, so it is impossible not to like it.

2. The Pink soup is made of buttermilk, marinated beetroots, spring onions, boiled eggs, fresh cucumber, dills and a small spoon of sugar.

3. It’s literally pink, so it is perfect for the pictures.

Lesson number 2 - Cucumber and honey - it’s a match

Of course, we have a lot of desserts - tasty and beautiful birthday cakes, a famous tree cake Šakotis, “lazy cake” (cookies mixed with sweetened condensed milk and butter) and many other kitchen’s masterpieces, but there are two very simple and old desserts, probably created by our ancestry - a cucumber with honey and a curd cheese with honey. The cucumber with honey is the top-ranked summer dessert. As simple as it sounds, it is just a fresh cucumber together with a fresh, natural Lithuanian honey. The curd cheese is a more authentic product with a protected recipe. Also, the curd cheese is added to the European Commision protected product list, and now it is labeled with a special mark to recognize that it as made with an authentic recipe. The most convenient way to get the freshest and the tastiest curd cheese is to visit the Tymo market, where the farmers from all Lithuania are bringing their products. And also, the curd cheese perfectly suits the natural Lithuanian honey or authentic black bread.

Lesson number 3 - Potatoes are everywhere

Yes, the Lithuanians eat a lot of potatoes. We have the cepelinai (stuffed potato dumplings), kūgelis (potato pie), pancakes with potatoes, and many other dishes. Even, there are several types of different cepelinai - with curd, meat, mushrooms, baked or boiled. And also, we have a traditional Lithuanian live beer which perfectly accompanies the potato dishes. The beer in Lithuania also has long traditions and is the most popular drink here. During the beer making process, a special non-alcoholic drink - kvass is made from rye bread, so it has black color, it is sweet and refreshing but has a specific taste.

As there is a lot of different and tasty food in Lithuania, this ultimate guide will help you to identify the most famous dishes and feel the real taste of Lithuania.

Vilnius Old Town

Tymo market