Lithuanian Cuisine - Soups

Soups

Soups are extremely popular, and are widely regarded as the key to good health.

• Barščiai - hot borscht (beet soup); it is served uncreamed or blended with sour cream or buttermilk; sometimes chopped Boletus mushrooms are added.
• Bulvinių kukulių sriuba - minced potatoes formed into small balls, and boiled in milk. These are usually made from the same potato mixture used in cepelinai.
• Cabbage soup flavored with carrots, ham, onions, or all of these.
• Cucumber soup - broth is pureed with cucumbers and sweet or sour cream, often garnished with dill.
• Juka - blood soup from the southern region of Lithuania.
• Lapienė - greens such as sorrel or spinach are braised and added to a creamy broth.
• Sauerkraut soup - often seasoned with pork, carrots, onions, and bay leaves.
• Šaltibarščiai - cold borscht is a summer soup based on beets and soured milk, colored a shocking pink. It is made with cooked or pickled shredded beets and various other chopped vegetables, such as cucumber, dill, or green onions. Hot boiled potatoes, cold sour cream, and diced hard-boiled eggs are often served alongside to add color, texture, and thermal contrast. Lithuanian-Americans call this soup "Lithuanian Gatorade", since it combines liquid, sugars, potassium, and salt, along with protein and vitamins, and it revives athletes, hikers, and farm workers.
• Vištos sultinys - chicken broth is always popular, especially for the elderly and ill.