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Lithuanian food test: Kugelis and Cepelinai

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 02:00:00 +0000

What do foreigners think about Lithuanian food - short video and experience of Fabian Sanchez trying Cepelinai and Kugelis:)

How does he feel about Cepelinai:

Let us see what is the Kugelis about:

Baltic Value recommends: Onion Soup with Porcinis

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 23:04:11 +0000

New recipe is coming. Today we share the do it yourself Onion Soup with Porcinis. Let's go.

In Lithuania we call it - Cibulynė su džiovintais baravykais [cibulyne su dziovintais baravykais&91;.

Get: 1-1/2 kilos of onions, 1 stalk of leeks, 1 liter beef stock, few dried porcinis, some thyme, some salt, some black pepper, few allspice bread, choice of cheese!

Chop thin slice onions and leeks.

Take heavy bottom pot and put little butter and little oil. Add onions.

Saute until they become light brown and shiny (be careful not to burn them).

In a mean time make porcinis stock by boiling them until they become soft.

When your onions almost done put little beef stock and scrape bottom bits,

saute few minutes and add rest of stock.

Drain porcinis, chop them add to the soup. Add liquid from mushrooms too. Put spices and few bay leaves.

Take all the soup and put into oven for 30 min. ( goes into preheated oven).

In a mean time prepare bread as you see on picture!

To serve soup put it into oven proof bowl and add yours chosen cheese. Broil it until cheese melted.

Time to serve now!

You can put bread on a side or brake in pieces and put on top of cheese!

Skanaus

Recipe of national dish of Lithuania - Kugelis!

Wed, 04 Feb 2015 02:00:00 +0000

We all have food related memories. My probably biggest one is harvesting potatoes with my family at my aunts! What a celebration it was! All relatives came to help my mamas sisters family to take care of potatoes! Saturday was best time for all of us. Remember working hard in a big potato field

but after all day work was big reward: aunt Elvyra cooked dinner big dinner for all helpers. And i have to tell You all every dish was made using potatoes! Some year she made vedarai (pigs intestines filled with grated potatoes). Sometime she made cepelinai (potato dumplings stuffed with meat , mushrooms or farmers cheese ( my favorite). My choice always was kugelis (potato gratin). So in memory my aunt Elvyra i am going to share kugelis recipe.

You will be baking in an oven so you need dish that can stand heat (glass clay or metal).

Two kilos of potatoes finely grated (as soon as You grate potatoes put couple vit C tablets prevent potatoes from turning dark)!! Grating it with electric potato grater takes you up to 10 min.

Now You will ask me what kind potatoes - starchy is better!

Mix couple good eggs in! Soutee some onion in a skillet with butter dump in? Boil some milk on a stove and pour into grated potatoes. Some salt, some black pepper and thats it. Butter Yours baking dish and dump everything into it!

Bake in preheated oven 425F or 220C until brown crust forms.Take from oven and let it cool.

While Yours kugelis baking cut bacon in little pieces and soutee in a scillet finishing with chopped onion! That's it!

Now cut few pieces of kugelis cover with sour cream, bacon on a top and enjoy!

This is very simple version of Lithuanian national dish Kugelis!

Until next time Happy cooking. Skanaus! Virginia.

If You have questions, please refer to Baltic Value and I would be more than happy to help You!

Share your story on BalticValue.com! Please send your recipes or insights to info@balticvalue.com

Thank you Virginia!

Glossary of Lithuanian Food

Sun, 12 Oct 2014 06:19:33 +0000

Please send us your inputs at: info@balticvalue.com

Alus - beer. Lithuania has quite a few award-winning brewery brands (Švyturys, Utenos Alus, Kalnapilis, Volfas Engelman). The Northern part of Lithuania is also famous for its boutique famous for its boutique micro-breweries.
Balandėliai – stuffed cabbage rolls. literally translated as "little pigeons". Balandėliai is ground meat filling wrapped in cabbage leaves. It is a well known and liked dish in Lithuanian cooking.
Balta mišrainė - "white salad". Likely the most known salad in Lithuania. It is made from potatoes, carrots, peas, eggs and mayonnaise. See also Raudona mišrainė.
Bandelės - buns. A variety of buns are baked at homes and in bakeries, the most popular being with cinnamon, poppy seed, curd cheese, jam fillings. Also see Lasineciai.
Baravykai - porcini (or Boletus) mushrooms (latin Boletus Edulis). Lithuanian cuisine is rich in mushroom dishes, and Boletus is often referred to as "the king of mushrooms". It is often used for flavouring gravy, as well as in mushroom soups (see Grybienė).
Batonas - an elongated loaf of white bread. The term has likely originated from French "baton", which means a "stick". The term has been used in Lithuania for decades as a synonym for white bread.
Blynai - pancakes. There is a variety of pancake recipes in Lithuanian cooking, such as pancakes with curd cheese, yeast, apples, zucchini, as well as potato pancakes (Bulviniai blynai). They are often served with sour cream or jam. See also Lietiniai su varške, Mieliniai blynai.
Bulviniai blynai - grated potato pancakes. Made from finely grated potatoes and fried in a pan. Commonly served with a sour cream. Grated potato pancakes with ground meat filling are called Kėdainių blynai.
Čenakai - a stew of meat, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. Made by baking in the oven. Served in small clay pots as individual servings.
Cepelinai - potato zeppelins. Known as THE national dish of Lithuania. Potato zeppelins are large dumplings made from grated potato dough, filled with meat (though cheese or mushroom fillings are also common), and served with rich bacon-sour cream gravy. A common slang name for cepelinai is "cepakai". Also known as didžkukuliai. While cooking cepelinai get a nice T-shirt: Cepelinai T-shirt
Dešra – Lithuanian sausage. Usually made from pork shoulder, but can be beef, lamb, chicken or veal. Well trimmed meat is often double grind, flavored with sauteed onion, allspice, salt and pepper. Usually served boiled and/or baked fresh but can also be smoked.
Duona (bread)- see Juoda duona.
Duona su česnaku - garlic bread. It is the dark rye bread deep-fried in oil and tossed with crushed garlic. Nowadays it is also commonly topped with melted cheese and mayonnaise. It is a popular snack to have with beer.
Gira - (Kvas) Gira is a fermented drink made from black rye bread. It is considered a soft drink but contains some alcohol (0.05 -1.5%) due to natural fermentation process. Gira has a unique flavor, contains a lot of vitamin B and is a great drink for a hot day.
Grietinė - sour cream. It is the most popular condiment in Lithuanian cooking, used both with savory and sweet dishes.
Grybienė - mushroom soup. Usually made with porcini (boletus) mushrooms (see Baravykai), and flavored with bacon bits and sour cream.
Juoda duona - "black bread". Traditional Lithuanian dense dark rye bread, often flavored with caraway seeds.
Kaimiški sausainiai – rustic cookies shaped like little bars with ridging on top, traditionally forming the dough through a meat mincer with the cookie attachment. Similar to crispy butter cookies, not too sweet.
Kastinys - delicate blend of sour cream and butter with herbs, caraway seeds, garlic or other flavors. It is often served as a topping for baked potatoes. Kastinys originated in the region of Samogitia in Western Lithuania.
Kėdainių blynai - grated potato pancakes with ground meat filling. Also see Bulviniai blynai.
Kefyras – buttermilk, kefir. The term likely originated from the Middle Eastern kefir, though the connection is unclear. Kefyrasis the key ingredient of cold soup (Šaltibarščiai). It is sometimes served as a drink with fried potatoes (Keptos bulvės).
Keptos bulvės - fried potatoes. A common and simple food that is fast to prepare. The potatoes are thinly sliced and fried in a pan. Various toppings (meat, egg, cheese, vegetables) may be added. Often served with a pickle and sometimes with a drink of buttermilk (see Kefyras).
Kiaušinienė - omelette. Often fried with bacon and served with dark rye bread.
Kibinai - rolled dough meat pies. Originated from the Karaite ethnic minority of the Lithuanian region of Trakai. The best kibinai are thought to be served there.
Kisielius - a boiled drink flavored with fruits or berries (cranberries being the most popular flavor) and thickened with starch. Served warm or cold, and is a favorite in winter.
Koldūnai - dumplings. Usually stuffed with meat, but curd cheese, mushroom and other stuffings are popular too. Also called virtiniai. Unique to Lithuania is stuffing with bilberries or blueberries. (see Šaltanosiai).
Kotletai - fried ground meat patties, commonly served with gravy and mashed potatoes. Translated as cutlets, but they really are more like hamburger texture.
Krupnikas - a traditional sweet alcoholic drink similar to a liqueur, based on grain spirits and clover honey,as well as up to 50 different herbs. It may be served hot, at room temperature or chilled.
Kūčiukai - a traditional dish served during the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Lithuania. They are crouton-sized pastries made from plain dough and poppy seeds. Other name for Kūčiukai are Šližikai or Preskučiai.
Kugelis - sometimes we call it Plokštainis. A dish made of grated potatoes and baked in the oven. It looks somewhat like a potato pie or casserole. Both the dish and the former name are believed to have their roots in Germany. Baltic Value T-shirt for cooking kugelis, have fun: Kugelis T-shirt (Photo by Amber Reunion)
Kumpis - ham. Smoked ham is the most popular variety.
Lašinėčiai – bacon buns. Slightly sweet yeast dough filled with cooked chopped bacon with onion. Very popular.
Lašiniai - country bacon or highfat ham. Often used to prepare gravy for potato dishes.
Lietiniai su varške - crepes with curd cheese filling. Often flavored with cinnamon, berries or fruits. Also called Naliesnikai, though this word is of Slavic origin.
Mieliniai blynai - yeast pancakes. Pancake dough is raised by bakers yeast and fried in a pan as pancakes. Served with sour cream or jam.
Napoleon Torte – a mille-feuille pastry made of multiple thin layers of wafer filled with a custard and perhaps an occasional jam layer such as apricot. It was introduced during Napoleon's passage through Lithuania in the 19th century.
Plokštainis - one of Lithuanian favorites, plokštainis is a dish made of grated potatoes and baked in the oven. It looks somewhat like a potato pie or casserole. Originally it was called Kugelis, though Plokštainis is the term more commonly used nowadays. Both the dish and the former name are believed to have their roots in Germany. (Photo by Amber Reunion)
Pyragas – pie or cake. A variety of cakes can be found in Lithuanian cuisine, from sweetened breads, coffee cakes, fruit breads, and tortes. Usually not overly sweet.
Raudona mišrainė - "red salad". In addition to Balta mišrainė (white salad), it is one of the most popular salads in Lithuanian cooking. Red salad is made of beets (hence the characteristic red color), beans, pickles and dressing (mayonnaise or vinaigrette).
Rauginti kopūstai - pickled cabbage (sauerkraut). Often served as a crunchy side or stewed with pork ribs (see Troškinti kopūstai).
Ruginė duona - see Juoda duona.
Rūgpienis - fermented, sour milk. Similar to yogurt. Also called raugintas pienas.
Šakotis - tree cake. Originated from German Baumkuchen. Due to the complexity of its baking process, it is almost never made at home, but rather baked in specialized large or boutique bakeries. Used to be a traditional cake for weddings, though this trend is disappearing. Also called raguolis.
Šaltanosiai - literally translated as "cold noses", šaltanosiai are dumplings stuffed with bilberries or blueberries. See koldunai, virtiniai.
Šaltibarščiai - cold beet soup. Made with buttermilk, cucumber, eggs, dills and boiled grated beets, which give the soup its characteristic pink appearance. Usually eaten in early summer served with boiled potatoes. Sometimes tourists coming to Lithuania call it "pink soup".:)
Šaltiena - a dish made from pig parts with high cartilage and collagen content (ears, feet) by boiling them, shredding and letting set in a refrigerator. Usually served cold & dressed with vinegar or mayonnaise. Jellied pigs feet. Also called Košeliena.
Šašlykai - skewers of grilled meat. The term and the recipe have originated from Georgia (a country in the Caucasus mountains), made its way to Lithuania during the Soviet era and has been popular since. Though traditional Georgian grill uses mutton, the Lithuanian version of šašlykai is usually made of pork. Often served with rice, dark rye bread, green onions, cucumbers and tomato ketchup.
Silkė - herring. Likely the most popular fish in the Lithuanian kitchen, usually consumed pickled or salted. Various herring salads are common as appetizets in festive meals and family gatherings.
Skilandis - smoked and dried sausage made of ground meat and pork belly. The meat used to be traditionally stuffed into a pig's stomach, though now artificial casings are often used.
Šližikai - see Kūčiukai.
Spurgos - see Varškės spurgos.
Sumuštiniai - sandwiches. Traditionally, Lithuanian sandwiches are made with dark rye bread and are open-faced. Common toppings include cured meats, sausages, cheese, preserved fish. Sandwiches are regarded as appetizers or snacks, and not the main course.
Sūris (baltas sūris) - cheese. Lithuanian cuisine boasts a variety of cheeses, varying from hard cheeses to soft ones, as well as curd cheeses, smoked cheeses, and dessert cheeses. Especially farmers cheese.
Švilpikai - literally translated as "whistlers", švilpikai are fried or oven-baked potato dough dumplings, often served with rich boletus mushroom or bacon gravy.
Tinginys - literally translated as "lazy man", tinginys is a refrigerated dessert made from broken hard cookies, condensed milk, cocoa and butter.
Troškinti kopūstai - stewed pickled cabbage (sauerkraut). Usually boiled together with pork ribs, garnished with bacon bits and served with boiled potatoes.
Varškė - curd cheese. One of the most popular dairy products in the Lithuanian kitchen, which boast a large variety of recipes using curd cheese - see Lietiniai su varške, Varškėčiai, Varškės apkepas, Varškės spurgos.
Varškėčiai - curd cheese patties, either boiled or fried.
Varškės apkepas - curd cheese cake. Though it may be reminiscent of the American cheese cake, the curd cheese cake is softer, not sweet and is often served for breakfast or supper. It is not regarded as a dessert.
Varškės spurgos - curd cheese doughnuts. As the name implies, curd cheese (Varškė) is the main ingredient in the dough of these pastries. Curd cheese doughnuts are usually shaped as small deepfried balls.
Vėdarai - pig intestines stuffed with either potato filling (Bulviniai vėdarai) or blood and barley grain filling (Kraujiniai vėdarai). Served fried.
Voveruškos – chanterelles. Used fresh, dried, salted, ground into flour, frozen. Best when cooked. A young chanterelle has much thiamine (vitamin B). Also called voveraitės.
Žagarėliai - literally translated as "twigs", žagar÷liai are crispy deepfried pastries. They are commonly shaped by rolling the dough flat and cutting it into elongated diamond shapes. The shapes are then slit in the middle, and one corner is threaded through the slit, which gives žagarėliai their characteristic look. Also called krustai.
Žemaičių blynai - Samogitian pancakes. Originated in the Western Lithuanian region of Samogitia, these fried patties are made from mashed potato dough and filled with ground meat. Usually served with melted butter and sour cream.
Žemaičių košė - Samogitian porridge. A mashed potato dish with fried bacon bits and onion topping served with kefir or buttermilk. Some also like to spoon over some kastinys.

Kugelis - the traditional recipe

Tue, 12 Aug 2014 02:00:00 +0000

We've been looking at various posts around on the traditional recipe for Lithuanian potato pudding, known as kugelis or bulviu plokštainis (literally "flat potato"). And let us share the steps of Jurate Krokys Stirbys from Philadelphia region.

Kugelis By Krokys

5 lbs. Pennsylvania Butter Potatoes (Yukon Gold will do)
2 cups scalded milk (scalding the milk helps to distribute the potato starch)
3 brown eggs (I like to use cage-free I think it adds color and flavor and I feel less guilty)
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely grated
1 lb. bacon, finely chopped and fried, do not drain fat
1 cup minced ham
Salt to taste
Butter for the casserole dish
Cheesecloth to squeeze out excess moisture from the potatoes

Although I believe that the grated onion quickly applied to the grated potatoes helps to keep the potatoes white, it is important to prepare all of your ingredients in advance and to work quickly so that the potato batter does not darken.

1. Butter the 10” x 16” (thereabouts) casserole dish (I like to use a glass dish) and set aside.

2. Set up your potato grater. I am lucky, I have the electric kind, otherwise, find a couple of people to help you grate, speed is of the essence.

3. Peel your potatoes and submerge them in cold water. Peel your onion, set aside.

4. Measure out the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan and turn on very low. You will know the milk is scalded when tiny bubbles begin to form along the edges. You can keep an eye on the milk while you are doing other preparation, just don’t forget. Turn off the milk once the bubbles appear. By the way, I used 4% milk.

5. Whisk the eggs and set aside.

6. After you have crisped the bacon, add the ham and mix, and turn off the heat.

7. Set up your cheesecloth so that it sits over a colander which sits over a bowl. You will also need another large bowl in which you will put the squeezed potato mass and into which you will add the other ingredients.

8. Drain the water off of the potatoes. Grate the potatoes. If by hand it must be through the small openings, the potatoes must come out like a fine batter. I suggest that you alternate grating potatoes with grating the raw onion. Same if you are doing it through the electronic grater.

9. Take about ¾ cup of this potato-onion mass and place on the cheesecloth which you then use to squeeze out the excess liquid by hand. I actually squeezed out a lot of the liquid; not all of it but enough to be able to peel off the wet potato-onion mass and place it in the larger bowl. Work quickly.

10. Once you are done with squeezing off the liquid, take the scalded milk and pour over the potatoes and mix with a wooden spoon.

11. Add the whisked eggs, mix.

12. Add the bacon-ham mixture, mix.

13. Add one teaspoon salt, mix.

14. Pour into the buttered casserole dish, and say a prayer as you put it into a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven, the middle of the oven.

15. Plan for 1hr and 30 minutes of baking. If after 1hr. 15min. it looks browned on the top, check with a toothpick in the center. The toothpick should come out completely dry. If not, give it another 10-15 minutes.

We eat Kugelis with sour cream, lots of it. I found that Russet potatoes worked OK but the color was bland. Also, if you don’t have ham that’s ok, but I thought it gave it nice texture. I tried one version with frying the Vidalia onions but I really liked the taste raw onions gave to the kugelis. Good luck!

In the end of the day there are plenty of ways to cook it and probably every person finds out the own way of preparing it.

Source: http://lithuanianmha.org/lithuanian-recipes/kugelis-krokys/

How to peel a bag of potatoes in 50 seconds!

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 02:00:00 +0000

You love making your tasty potato dishes? Potato pancakes, Cepelinai, Kugelis (or thanks to our customers we know in some countries you call it Rappie Pie), Potato Dumplings...

But you agree peeling the potatoes always takes so much time, isn't it?

Make it fun - we share with you the video: how to peel 2-3 kilos of potatoes in 50 seconds! An innovative way to save your time, isn't it?

Well it's maybe a joke, but...

And now you are ready to grate your potatoes with an electric potato grater!

Everything you should know about Lithuania - Guide to Lithuania

Mon, 02 Jun 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Whenever our customers ask about Baltic countries we always are happy to share more about Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.

We've just noticed new, user friendly info graphic about Lithuania answering the questions about: getting to Lithuania, tasting Lithuanian cuisine, visiting heritage places.

Enjoy the story!

Aerosmith in Lithuania invited two local girls on stage to perform together

Thu, 22 May 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Do you like rock songs? We do. This is way yesterday we visited the "Aerosmith" live concert here in Vilnius.

We truly enjoyed it!

And let us share the small story about two Lithuanian girls joining "Aerosmith" on stage to perform the song "Crazy".

The group came to Lithuania few days before the concert and walking through the streets of Vilnius apparently came across two women performing a violin-and-accordion rendition of his 1994 hit, "Crazy," and decided to jump in.

And could you imagine - what a chance appeared to these ladies - they've been invited to perform this song live on the stage with Tyler on 21st of May! We saw it!

Enjoy the original song "Crazy"

Here is a snapshot of fans saying goodbye! Foto by D. Umbrasas.

Scent of Lithuania - enjoy the amber, tree moss, cedar, sandalwood, bergamot, note of wild flower bouquet, ginger, raspberry, note of red berries, grapefruit

Sun, 11 May 2014 02:00:00 +0000

The Spring is a time of awaken nature, the trees, grass and shrubbery are getting green with blooming flowers all around. While walking around in the parks, forests, lanes we smile and enjoy the smell of fresh land. Inspired by the scent of nature we'd like to share with you the sensation of the perfume "Scent of Lithuania": http://stores.balticvalue.com/lt-identity/scent-of-lithuania-perfume/

"Scent is a strong emotional factor which invokes memories and associations. Therefore, there are no bad or good scents until the moment we grant them a meaning and relate them to our experiences. Our memory can preserve separate scents or their combinations and sequences. Most people can recall the scent of their childhood, homeland, heroic adventures or first love. Scents can remind us of the countries we have visited, the people we have met and the experiences we have had." - say the creators of "Scent of Lithuania"

We'd love to share with you the composition of this incredible product:

Top note: Bergamot, note of wild flower bouquet, ginger, raspberry, note of red berries, grapefruit

Middle note: Lily of the valley, lilac, rose

Base note: Amber, tree moss, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, musk, note of tree smoke

Bergamot (hybrid of sour orange and citron or lemon)	Ginger
Raspberry	Grapefruit
Lily of the valley	Lilac
Rose	Amber
Sandalwood	Patchouli
Tree moss	Cedar

The Scent of Lithuania available on Baltic Value: http://stores.balticvalue.com/lt-identity/scent-of-lithuania-perfume/

Kaziuko muge, March 7, 8 and 9 in Vilnius - festival of handmade crafts and natural food

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Next weekend, March 7, 8 and 9, Kaziuko Mugė will take place here in Vilnius. We already have a list of items people have asked us to try to find for them. If there is anything that you would like us to try to find for you at Kaziuko Mugė just contact us at

info@balticvalue.com
and we will do our best to find it for you!

A bit more about Kaziuko mugė!

Every year in every town throughout Lithuania, March starts off with the Kaziukas Fair, a ritual that marks the coming of spring, dedicated to St. Casimir, the patron saint of Lithuania.

The festival originated in the 17th century, and by the 19th century it had developed into the fair and festival that is now known internationally.

During more ancient times many pilgrims came to Vilnius from various places for the celebration of St. Casimir's Day on the 4th of March which was the day of his passing. After services in the cathedral, the people lingered for a while. And it was this that gave rise to the Kaziukas Fair. Thousands of sellers, buyers and visitors came to these fairs which were held outdoors as they still are today.

Please enjoy the video of last year’s Kaziuko Mugė: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0eKbb9TUVU