Glossary of Lithuanian Food

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 micro-breweries.

Balandėliai - 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.

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.

Cepakai - see Cepelinai.

Cepelinai - potato zeppelins. Known as THE national dish of Lithuania. Likely came to Lithuanian cooking through the influence of German cuisine. 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".

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, and thus thereby nicknamed "Lithuanian nachos". It is a popular snack to have with beer. 

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. 

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. The term likely originated from the Middle Eastern kefir, though the connection is unclear. Kefyras is 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. Often served warm, and is a favorite in winter.

Koldūnai - dumplings. Usually stuffed with meat, but curd cheese, mushroom and other stuffings are popular too. Unique to Lithuania is stuffing with bilberries (see Šaltanosiai).

Kotletai - fried ground meat patties, commonly served with gravy and mashed potatoes.

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. Another name for Kūčiukai is Šližikai, though this name now is rarely used.

Kugelis - see Plokštainis.

Kumpis - ham. Smoked ham is the most popular variety.

Lašiniai - country bacon or high-fat ham. Often used to prepare gravy for potato dishes.

Lietiniai su varške - crepes with curd cheese filling. Often flavored with cinnamon, berries or fruits.

Mieliniai blynai - yeast pancakes. Pancake dough is raised by bakers yeast and fried in a pan as pancakes. Served with sour cream or jam.

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.

Pyragas - pie. A variety of pies can be found in Lithuanian cuisine, the apple pie probably being the most common.

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 (sauer kraut). 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. 

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.

Šaltanosiai - literally translated as "cold noses", šaltanosiai are dumplings stuffed with bilberries.

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.

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.

Šašlykai - skewers of grilled meat. The most popular form of Lithuanian outdoor grilling. 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 - 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.

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 (sauer kraut). 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 deep-fried balls.

Vėdarai - pig intestines stuffed with either potato filling (Bulviniai vėdarai) or blood and barley grain filling (Kraujiniai vėdarai). Served fried.

Žagarėliai - literally translated as "twigs", žagarėliai are crispy deep-fried 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.

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.

This glossary translates and explains Lithuanian food names. You may find it helpful in navigating restaurant menus and grocery store aisles in Lithuania.

For these and other authentic Lithuanian recipes try:

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