Buckwheat boba (babka) Buckwheat boba is the dzūkai’ (the inhabitants of south-east Lithuania) ritual pastry.

The sands of Dzūkija (southeastern Lithuania) have been good for growing buckwheat at all times. Dishes from buckwheat are very common in this region. Buckweat boba is baked for celebrations when waiting for guests of honor, and sometimes for commemoration of the dead and the time called ‘pusiaugavėnis’. Even now Grikinė boba is baked in various competitions, where mistresses compete whose Grikinė boba is more beautiful, sweeter and more variegated.

Ingredients: 250 g buckwheat flour; 50 g wheat flour, 200 g butter, 5 eggs, 0,5 cup of buttermilk, 150 g sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, pinch of salt.

Directions: Cream the room temperature butter with egg yolks and sugar. Mix up all the flour with the baking powder and put it into the mass. Sift salt and add the buttermilk. Stir well. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks and gently mix into the batter. Brush the form with butter and put the dough into it. Smooth out the surface. Bake at 170 ° C in a preheated oven for an hour. The top can be decorated with chocolate or icing. Sprinkle with nuts.

Lithuanian homemade bread Black bread is a traditional dish, which until recently was baked in every house.

Preparation of homemade bread: First day mixture is made of: 1 cup prepared (whey) yeast (200 g); 2 glasses of wholegrain rye flour (200 g); 0,5 glass of warm water (100 g). Second day mixture is made of: first day mixture (400 g); 1 glass of wholegrain rye flour (100 g); 1 glass of wheat flour (120 g, 550D); 1 tablespoon of cumin(10 g); 3 tablespoons of sugar (35 g); 1 tablespoon of natural honey (35 g); 2 teaspoons of salt(15 g); 0,5 glass of warm water (100 g).

First day. Preparation of mixture. In a mixing bowl pour 1 cup of prepared yeast, add two glasses of wholegrain rye flour. Mix until you get not too firm, slightly sticky mass. The resulting mass cover with a cloth or a thin edible food wrap and set it in warm spot for 12 hours to ferment. Allow to rise. At the end of fermentation, the dough is slightly watery and full of air bubbles.

Second day. Preparation of mixture and baking. Pour into the prepared mixture wholegrain rye and wheat flour, sugar, salt, cumin, honey, and pour a glass of warm water (you can add a tablespoon of malt rye bread to get a brighter colour). Knead the dough by hand or using a spiral mixer. If a spiral mixer is used, in the beginning mix the dough on speed 1 until there is no dry flour left, and then 3-5 minutes on speed 2 until the dough becomes smooth. Form loaves, put them into baking form lined with baking paper or greased with oil. Then set in a warm spot for 3 hours to rise. Bake in preheated oven at 250°C for about 15 minutes forming bread crust. Then reduce temperature to 200°C and bake for 30 minutes.

Dampen the tops of the baked bread with water Dampen the tops of the baked bread with water. Cover the bread with a cloth and leave to cool.

Grated potato cake

Ingredients: 1,5 kg potatoes, 1 glass of milk, 4-5 boiled potatoes, 2 spoons of flour, 1 spoon of fat (oil or butter),salt, 1 onion and a large cabbage leaf

Directions: Grate peeled potatoes and squeeze gently to remove some of potato juice. Bring milk to a boil and pour over potato gratings. Fry onion and mix into grated potatoes, add boiled mashed potatoes, salt to taste and mix well. Line a peel with a large cabbage leave, pour mixture slowly and flatten to make a layer by a finger breadth. Bake in a hot oven. When the cake is done, break to pieces and serve with fried bacon or curd.

Mushroom buns

Ingredients: For dough:  2 glasses of flour,  100 g of butter or margarine,  0,5 spoon of baking soda,  0,5 spoon of salt,  2 spoons of sour cream or buttermilk,  1 egg (for daub). For filling:  250 g of boiled mushrooms,  1 spoon of butter,  1 onion,   1 spoon of sour cream,  salt, pepper,  dill or parsley.

Directions: Blend flour, baking soda and salt. Then little by little add butter to flour , sour cream and mix well the dough. Keep it cold for about 30 minutes. Then add some ground breadcrumbs. Roll out the dough in 0.5 cm thick layer, cut and roll out rounds Stuff rounds with filling and seal edges. To make filling fry chopped mushrooms, onions, spices in butter. Bake in an oven until golden brown.

Mushroom soup

Ingredients: 500 g of mushrooms, 100 g of bacon, 4 potatoes 2 onions 1 clove of garlic 2 carrots 3 spoons of sour cream salt, black pepper

Directions:   Chop the mushrooms and boil them for about 10 min in salted water, then strain. Cut the bacon and fry it with onions. Pour fried onions, mushrooms, sliced ​​potatoes, grated carrots, minced garlic, salt and pepper to the pot. Pour water to cover the ingredients and stew until the water halves. Before serving add sour cream.

The information was prepared by Goda Bruzgyte, Mileta Navickaite and Dovile Martuseviciute