page_title: Lithuanian cuisine
section_title: Bread
hierarchical_section_title: Lithuanian cuisine / Bread
caption_attribution_description: Lietuvių: Lietuviška juoda duona su kmynais English: Lithuanian black bread with cumin
context_page_description: Lithuanian cuisine features products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Various ways of pickling were used to preserve food for winter. Soups are extremely popular, and are widely regarded as the key to good health. Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has much in common with its Baltic neighbors and, in general, northern countries.
  Longlasting agricultural and foraging traditions along with a variety of influences during the country's history formed Lithuanian cuisine.
  German traditions have had an influence on Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding and intestines stuffed with mashed potato, as well as the baroque tree cake known as Šakotis. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs - French cuisine influence came to Lithuania in this way. The most exotic influence is Eastern cuisine, and the dish kibinai which became popular in Lithuania.
context_section_description: One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies.
  Traditionally, the centerpiece of Lithuanian cuisine is dark rye bread (ruginė duona) which is used more often than light wheat breads. The archeological finds reveal that bread in the 9th - 14th centuries in Lithuania was very similar to the current rye bread. The dough is usually based on a sourdough starter, and includes some wheat flour to lighten the finished product. Traditionally each home had its own sourdough yeast – raugas, which also had symbolical meaning of the home.  Rye bread is often eaten as an open-faced sandwich, buttered or spread with cheese. It is sometimes flavored with caraway, or with some onion. Traditional bread is baked on sweet flag leaves. Bread baking was considered an important ritual. Bread was baked in a special oven for bread - duonkepė krosnis.
  Lithuanian proverb says - Be aukso apsieis, be duonos ne (One can manage without gold, but not without bread).
  Some varieties of Lithuanian bread contain whole seeds of rye and wheat; this type of bread is referred to as grūdėtoji, i.e. "seeded" bread.
caption: Ruginė duona, dark rye bread
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