Lithuanian Food: Traditional Dishes and Recipes
Start with a dish you want to try in Lithuania, or choose a recipe to make at home. This guide covers potato dishes, soups, snacks, fish, curd cheese and baking, with Lithuanian names to help you read a menu.
All recipesMy recipesMain dishes and light meals
Cepelinai
The national dish: torpedo-shaped potato dumplings stuffed with seasoned pork
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Kugelis
The baked potato pudding of Aukštaitija and Sunday family lunches
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Bulviniai blynai
Crispy potato pancakes - the everyday workhorse of Lithuanian home cooking
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Žemaičių blynai
These filled potato pancakes have a smooth cooked-potato shell. They are different from pancakes made with raw grated potatoes.
Recipe and guide
Balandėliai
Cabbage leaves hold a pork-and-rice filling, then simmer with vegetables and potatoes in a light tomato sauce.
Recipe and guide
Koldūnai
Koldūnai wrap a small filling in thin dough. This version is filled with pork and onion, then boiled.
Recipe and guide
Vėdarai
Samogitian potato sausages - grated potato baked in pork casings
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Varškėčiai
These small, thick pancakes are made with curd cheese. They brown in the pan while staying soft inside.
Recipe and guideSoups
Snacks, bread and accompaniments
Kibinai
Karaim meat pastries from Trakai - 600 years of community heritage
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Kepta duona
Kepta duona is rye bread fried until crisp, then seasoned with garlic. Eat it plain or add a warm cheese sauce.
Recipe and guide
Kastinys
Kastinys is a thick dairy preparation served with hot potatoes. Caraway and garlic give this version its flavour.
Recipe and guide
Skilandis
Smoked and dried meat: look for the protected name Lietuviškas skilandis (TSG)
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Naminė ruginė duona
Sourdough rye bread - the foundational staple of every traditional Lithuanian table
Read the full guideFish and cold dishes
Desserts and baking
Šakotis
Branched tree cake with horizontal spikes - the wedding and Christmas centrepiece
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Spurgos
The pre-Lent doughnuts of Užgavėnės - one of Lithuania's liveliest food days
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Tinginys
Broken biscuits run through a firm chocolate mixture in this no-bake cake. A small slice goes well with tea or coffee.
Recipe and guide
Obuolių sūris
Apples are reduced to a thick paste, shaped and dried until they can be sliced. Despite the name, there is no dairy cheese in this recipe.
Recipe and guide
Kūčiukai
Kūčiukai are small poppy-seed dough bites. On Christmas Eve they are often served with aguonpienis, a milk-like drink made from ground poppy seeds.
Recipe and guideIngredients and traditions
Potatoes and rye bread are a starting point, but leave room for curd cheese, herring, mushrooms and baking. Regional and community traditions also matter, from Trakai’s Karaim pastries to Samogitian kastinys.
Many dishes have relatives across neighbouring countries. The Lithuanian name helps you order; the filling, sauce and preparation tell you what will actually arrive.
Choosing your first dishes
For a filling meal, try cepelinai or cabbage rolls. For something smaller, share fried rye bread or order curd pancakes. Add cold beet soup in warm weather, and try herring if you want a fish dish.
For sweets, try the branched shape of šakotis, a small slice of tinginys or the concentrated apple flavour of obuolių sūris.
Match the food to your route
Trakai is closely associated with Karaim kibinai. Telšiai is a useful stop for Samogitian tastings, including kastinys. Joniškis offers another dumpling tradition.
Read the filling and the sauce
A potato dish may still contain bacon, meat stock or pork casing. Curd fillings contain dairy, and a plain-looking sauce may contain sour cream. Use the dish name as a starting point, then ask about the ingredients that matter to you.
Restaurant and allergy phrasesPlan a food stop
Read about fishing communities, museums and fish dishes around the lakes and the Curonian Lagoon. Fishing heritage and fish dishes.