Lithuanian Food – The Surprise

Beet soup.

While I went on a food tour in Riga, in Vilnius, I was lucky enough to have a local show me the food. We even had some of the classics like beet soup, stuffed cabbage, and crepes. But, I also tried a surprise.

Stuffed cabbage.
Crepes.

The surprise was deep fried rye bread smothered in garlic, bacon, and cheese. Like Baltic nachos. They were equally delicious.

Fried rye bread.

When I visited, there was a street fair so I was able to see many of the other foods of the area from smoked fish to sausage.

Rye bread.
Smoked eel.
Mushroom confectionary.

Another surprise was a popular confectionary shaped like a mushroom. Mushrooms are a popular staple in Baltic food but these sweets were a sad knockoff.

But, the beet soup was yummy and such an arresting color!

Homesick for Sri Lankan Egg Hopper

Egg hopper for breakfast.
Egg hopper for breakfast.

The moment I put the first bite of the Sri Lankan egg hopper in my mouth, I understood with my heart why this was a dish that would make me severely homesick. The “hopper” is a simple crepe served with chutney and pickle… the egg hopper is made by cooking an egg in the base of the mini-wok hopper pan. The pickle or sauce is more like a salsa, chopped up coconut and herbs…

Typical "pickle" or sauce to go with any dish.
Typical “pickle” or sauce to go with any dish.