Kepta duona is a traditional Lithuanian snack made of sliced rye bread that is quickly fried till crispy. The bread is often split into thin strips before being pan-fried in oil, and it is rubbed with garlic (duona su esnaku), however newer variants are frequently topped with cheese (duona su sriu) or mayonnaise. This snack is frequently served in pubs and is frequently coupled with beer or giraffe (kvass).

Ingredients:

5-6 slices of black bread,4-5 cloves of garlic,Salt, for seasoning,250ml (1 cup) neutral oil, for frying,2 large egg yolks,2 cloves of garlic, grated,15ml (1 tablespoon) lemon juice,1/2 teaspoon salt,120ml (1/2 cup) olive oil

Instructions:

• Cut the tip off of one garlic clove and rub it over each side of the bread slices.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the bread slices into 5cm-long (2 inch) strips.
• Crush and peel the remaining garlic cloves. Add them to a skillet along with the cold oil. Over medium-high heat,bring the oil up to about 180°C (350°F). Keep and eye on the garlic and remove it from the oil as it begins to brown. Set is aside on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
• Once oil comes to temperature, add the bread and fry until darkened and crispy, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the pan using a spider or slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Immediately season with salt.
• Allow the bread to cool for about five minutes before serving along with the fried garlic. It's best when served with a side of garlic aioli!
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice and salt.
• One drop at a time and whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, ensuring that it is fully emulsified before pouring in more. You can increase the speed that you add the oil in as it begins to emulsify.
• Transfer to a dish or container and refrigerate until serving.
  

Despite its resemblance to the famous Italian chocolate salami, this simple, no-bake dessert known as the lazy man is considered a genuine Lithuanian delicacy. It is made using a mixture of crumbled cookies, cocoa, condensed milk, butter, and sugar, then moulded into the proper shape and let to set. According to a commonly believed anecdote, tinginys was accidentally developed but quickly became the nation's favorite.

Ingredients:

14.1 oz (400 grams) of simple cookies or digestive biscuits,a can of condensed milk,1 1/4 sticks of butter (about 150 g),5 tablespoons of cacao powder,any optional add-ins (chocolate chunks, raisins, nuts)

Instructions:

• Take all the cookies and crush them by hand into small pieces.
• Melt the butter. Add the cacao powder and the condensate milk to the melted butter and mix it well.
• Add the butter mixture to the bowl of crushed cookies and combine well.
• Optional: Add any mix-ins. Here we used nut raisin chocolate chunks.
• Now, pour the mixture in the cake pan and cover it with cling film. Alternatively, pour it on cling film and shape it in the desired shape. Here, we shaped one like a chocolate salami and the other as a loaf.
• Cool the shaped mixture in the fridge for at least 2 hours but ideally, overnight.
• Once cooled, slice it up and serve it with tea or coffee.

Koldunai are filled dumplings from Lithuania that are boiled in salted water. This Lithuanian form of ravioli, traditionally filled with minced pork, beef, chicken, curd cheese, or mushrooms, provides a fantastic lunch choice and can be eaten with a range of garnishes, ranging from butter and black pepper to mayonnaise, sour cream, crispy bacon, or spirguiais (a type of pork rind). These dumplings are also popular in Poland and Belarus under the names kalduny or kolduny.

Ingredients:

300-350 g (2 1/3 cup) all purpose flour,1/2 cup water,2 eggs,¼ tsp. salt,400 g (0.9 lb) ground pork (higher in fat),1 small onion,2 tbsp. oil,2/3 tsp. salt,1/3 tbsp. black pepper,¼ tsp. sugar

Instructions:

• Mix the egg with salt and water. Then slowly add flour and mix. When it becomes hard to mix the dough, then knead by hand. Add the flour little by little and knead the dough well (about 5-7 minutes). Add as much flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to the hands, but still is elastic and soft. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave to rest for about 15 minutes at room temperature.
• Filling – peel the onion and dice it. Preheat oil in a pan, add the onion, and fry until soft. Leave to cool. Then mix all the ingredients for the filling in one bowl.
• Take a small piece of the dough, roll out a thin sheet, then squeeze desired size circles using a glass. Placing about half a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Fold the circles in half, squeeze the edges and twist them into a string. In this way prepare all the dumplings.
• Bring water to a boil in a large pot, add the dumplings and boil them for 5 minutes from the time they rise to the surface. Serve dumplings with fried bacon and sour cream.

Traditional Lithuanian cuisine includes this delicious, chilly beetroot soup. A creamy mixture of pickled or boiled beets and sour kefir or buttermilk is poured over grated cucumbers and hard-boiled eggs. The entire soup is liberally seasoned with dill and is typically permitted to set until all of the tastes are well blended. It's typically made in the summer and is best served chilled, especially with potatoes on the side. It is suitable as an appetizer or a light main meal.

Ingredients:

200 g | 7 oz boiled & cooled beetroot (about 2 medium beets),100 g | 3.5 oz cucumber (about 2 large pickling cucumbers, either fresh or pickled,6 spring onions or 10 green onion leaves,2 hard-boiled eggs,1.5 liters | 3 pints kefir (or 500 ml | 1-pint thick natural yogurt and 1 liter | 2 pints buttermilk),Bunch fresh dill,Juice of ½ a lemon (optional),Salt to taste,200 g | 7 oz potatoes

Instructions:

• Peel the potatoes and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Place in a saucepan of boiling water, add a good pinch of salt, and boil until a knife can easily pierce the flesh.
• While the potatoes are boiling, assemble the soup.
• Slice the beetroot & gherkins into fine julienne.
• Chop the eggs into small dice.
• Chop the scallions or onions leaves into 1 cm (½ inch) pieces.
• Finely chop the dill.
• Pour the kefir into a large bowl or saucepan and add the chopped ingredients and half of the lemon juice, holding back some of the dills for garnish.
• Taste and season salt and additional lemon juice as required.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining dill.
• Serve the potatoes on a side plate so that they do not heat the soup.
  

Balandeliai, or small pigeons, are Lithuanian cabbage rolls. Balandeliai are boiling cabbage leaves packed with a mixture of minced pig or beef, cooked rice, raw eggs, garlic, onions, and bell peppers. They were probably brought to Lithuania by the Tatars in the 14th or 15th century. The Balandeliai are brought to boil on the stove until soft, seasoned with salt and pepper and flavored with tomato juice. They're a great alternative for a heavy meal, especially when combined with sour cream.

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, about 4 pounds,1 cup finely chopped onion,1 cup finely chopped celery,1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper,2 tablespoons unsalted butter,1 cup cooked white rice,1 1/2 pounds ground beef, lamb, or pork, or a combination,1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic,1 large egg, beaten,1 pinch marjoram,Salt, to taste,Freshly ground black pepper, to taste,1 cup tomato puree,1 cup beef stock,3 tablespoons sour cream

Instructions:

• Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head in a large pot filled with boiling salted water. Cover and cook 3 minutes, or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves. You will need about 18 leaves.
• When leaves are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to cut away the thick center stem from each leaf, without cutting all the way through. Chop the remaining cabbage and place it in the bottom of a Dutch oven or large saucepan.
• Sauté chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper in butter in a large skillet until tender, and let cool.
• In a large bowl, mix cooked rice, cooled onion mixture, meat, garlic, egg, marjoram, and salt and pepper until well combined. Don't overmix or the meat will become tough.
• Place about 1/2 cup of meat on each cabbage leaf.
• Roll away from you to encase the meat.
• Flip the right side of the leaf to the middle, then flip the left side. You will have something that looks like an envelope.
  Once again, roll away from you to create a neat little roll.
• Place the cabbage rolls on top of the chopped cabbage in the Dutch oven, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.
• Combine tomato puree with beef stock and pour over rolls. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer on the stovetop for 1 hour.
• Serve with pan juices and a drizzle of sour cream, or mix the pan juices with sour cream and ladle it over the cabbage rolls.