Trixie Navarre

When traveling, eating a country’s traditional cuisine has always been a focus for me, along with visiting its most important sites. My visit to Lithuania was not any different, and found its cuisine to be as interesting and delightful as the country itself. In fact, the Historic Centre of Vilnius was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was an remarkable place to visit.

The traditional cuisine of Lithuania had a sense of the country itself, and featured foods that are suited to its northern climate- potatoes, mushrooms, game meat, barley, beets, greens, and barley. The country also does a lot of pickling in order to preserve food for the winter.

Soup dishes are also quite popular in Lithuania, and having a bowl of Šaltibarščiai (beet soup) or mushroom soup is a great introduction into this country’s natural cuisine.

One tradition that I respect is their foraging culture and natural agriculture, which are long running values in Lithuania, and heavily influence the history of its cuisine. Many of the dishes that I tried in Lithuania were simple, hearty and had a sense of the country side. It was as flavorful as the country itself.

There are several excellent restaurants in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and Restoranas Lokys was one I paid special attention to. This well respected dining establishment is Vilnius’s oldest family run restaurant. It is also noted as the Forrest Food House, with many of its dishes revolving around berries, nuts, mushrooms, and game.

Lokys menu combines old traditional Lithuanian recipes with modern cuisine, thanks to Rita, the restaurant’s chef and sommelier.

From the moment I walked in, took my first sip of olden spiced wine and to my final sip of krupnikas, I felt the hospitality of Vilnius. The restaurant is charming with an old world feel, with seating both inside and outside. If it is a lovely day, I recommend taking a seat outside and dining al fresco. There is nothing like good food, good wine, and a beautiful day.

Lokys is one of Vilnius’s most special and long running restaurants, and was a favorite of mine for tasting a bit of Lithuania’s culinary heritage.

For restaurant information and location, please visit their website – Restoranas Lokys

— On the Table —

Olden Spiced Restaurant Wine

This traditional Lithuanian Sweet Wine is made with cinnamon, cloves and ginger. According to Lokys menu, “In the olden times it was believed that this drink had remedial qualities.”

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Bread Service

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Šaltibarščiai

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Potato Dumplings with Game Meat

Served with fried boletus and sour cream

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Krupnikas

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Espresso

For restaurant information and location, please visit their website – Restoranas Lokys

My Lithuania food blog ➡ What I ate in Lithuania – A Food Journal

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