The Most Delicious Stories of Vilnius

Get to know Vilnius from a different angle – by tasting local dishes and learning about their origin stories. After all, food culture goes hand in hand with legends, interesting details and events passed through generations by word of mouth.

Vilnius was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, historically making it the Lithuanian city whose dwellers were the first to become acquainted with the flavours and fashions of world cuisine. In addition to traditional Lithuanian dishes, recipe books in Vilnius also included typical manor cuisine as well as meals enjoyed by nobles. Merchant roads led to Vilnius, and nobles often invited chefs from abroad, so the city’s cuisine quickly became multicultural, and its gastronomic history is an integral part of its current identity.

Imagine being able to travel through different periods of Vilnius’ cuisine. After all, you must be curious which aromas would greet you and whether the flavours of those times would surprise you. Today you can find out – your companion will be The Most Delicious Stories of Vilnius. By reading them, you will learn which aspects of Vilnius’ culinary traditions the entire world enjoys to this day.

You’ll also discover what dishes have changed the most over the centuries. Or maybe you’ll even host a feast worthy of nobles, using authentic recipes that have been pieced back together and adapted to today’s cuisine and lifestyle. If you would rather leave the cooking to professionals, then you can taste the unique dishes of Vilnius that local cafés and restaurants will be making to mark the city’s 700th anniversary.

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The delicious history of Vilnius

Throw down the gauntlet to Vilnius’ chefs of the past! Will you manage to make zrazy or Tyszkiewicz dumplings? Bake a festive cake or prepare ice cream with hepatica? From the 40 authentic recipes of Vilnius’ cuisine, choose the one you like best and follow the instructions to make it in your own kitchen. The clear descriptions of the dishes – or even detailed video lessons in some cases – will help you do this. So, roll up your sleeves and get cooking!

Hot dishes

Nelson’s Zrazy
Jesuit Bigos
Northern Pike in Yellow Saffron Sauce
Tyszkiewicz Dumplings
Jerusalem Kugel

Soups and starters

Litvak Forshmak
Bread Soup
Botwinka Fish Soup
Lithuanian Salceson
Litvak Kishke
Bagels

Desserts and drinks

Mazagran
Yeast Baba
Seven Sisters Cake
Gingerbread Biscuits
Coffee Ice Cream

Set out on a culinary journey through seven centuries of Vilnius’ existence!

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