The SURPRISING Truth About Lithuanian Cuisine

After paying homage to Fania Lewando and visiting Beigelių krautuvėlė (a bagel shop run by the local Jewish community), Chef Rita Keršulytė-Ryčkova of Lokys in Vilnius tells me about the history of Litvak Jewish cuisine and its heavy influence on everyday Lithuanian food.
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[@midnightmusings1456]

Great Interview!

[@BaurJoe]

Thank you! Will be doing more of those on the channel, but with a proper setup and not just with a GoPro at the last minute :)

[@dzintrarowe4272]

I bought a cookbook from Eastern European Jewish Heritage. I noticed many of the dishes were exactly like my mother's Latvian cooking. I think many of the foods are Eastern European and not necessarily just Jewish. I think, food is universal and is made in many variations according to the araciality of the area.

[@BaurJoe]

Definitely a lot of overlap between different food cultures. I think the point is that Jews haven’t received much acknowledgment for their culinary contributions to regional cuisines. Thanks for watching!

[@mollyblanchard6080]

My ancestors were Litvaks…this video makes me want to visit so badly!

[@BaurJoe]

Hope you get the chance!

[@kestutisa3826]

Potato and potato dishes came through Koenigsberg, not jews. Actualy vice versa - many litvaks adopted Lithuanian dishes.

[@ruled_by_pluto]

thanks for mentioning that cookbook. this is very interesting. i didn't know there were vegetarians that long ago in our culture. my family is probably one of very very few jewish vegetarian families, my parents raised us vegetarian and they were quite religious, they believed it was god's will for humanity. i've never met another family like us. nowadays most of us are not religious anymore but that's how it was when i was young. a bit like buddhists i imagine

[@BaurJoe]

Thanks for sharing! I've written about this as well for BBC, if you're interested: www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220221-a-return-to-vegetarian-jewish-cuisine

[@BaurJoe]

Want to read more about Lithuanian cuisine? You can read my story on the chefs reclaiming Lithuanian culinary heritage, with BBC Travel here: www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230118-the-chefs-reclaiming-lithuanias-cuisine

[@dontbeadrone]

She is impressive for her being open-minded to the observation of the American Jewish tourist.

[@BaurJoe]

I’m hardly unique. She treats everyone who walks in like an old friend!

[@Matityahu755]

Only Jews will say that our cuisine is dull and boring. It is...But it's the family and our friends especially at celebrations and festivals and shabbat that makes our cuisine the best in the world.

[@BaurJoe]

I wouldn’t say it’s boring! More like, practical but still dynamic, comforting, satisfying, flavorful, and rich with history and stories.

[@shtetlcholoycd]

It's really nice to see this woman's interest and openness and see some regeneration of what was once there and the intercultural...just basic humanity that is possible. Very interested in exploring all the areas with Jewish heritage in E Europe but have been put off by everything I hear about Vilnius being governed by really right-wing Holocaust deniers and that it's kind of a scorched earth compared to other places to visit, so thank you for going and sharing this

[@BaurJoe]

Yikes, I didn't know that about the government! But yes, happy to share :)

[@ihavegreeneyes14]

Right wing Holocaust deniers?!?! You really need to stop reading nonsense russian propaganda

[@shtetlcholoycd]

@@ihavegreeneyes14 not rightwing propoganda. The consensus of Western historians including Dovid Katz. The Lithuanian govt seized the Yiddish institute from the community and shut it down, alleged that Jewish Holocaust survivors are war criminals, and denies Lithuanian participation in the Holocaust. Makes a moral equivalency between what Soviets did to Lithuanians and what Nazis and Lithuanians did to Jews. Exhibit A: Lithuanians are still there, Jews were almost completely ethnically cleansed, so I do not think these things were equivalent genocides. Learn history.

[@ihavegreeneyes14]

@@shtetlcholoycd Ah Katz, of course. So you're just repeating russian propaganda as I said. Good luck to you and your completely warped world view.

[@shtetlcholoycd]

@@ihavegreeneyes14 Defending History has primary resources. Are you saying they are lies? Or are you saying it is just that the Lithuanian govt pursued 90 year old Jewish Holocaust survivors as “war criminals”? My world view is humanism. Yours seems to be ethnic nationalism. I have made a variety of points. You seem to label everything you disagree with “Russian propaganda.” I think history speaks for itself as does the actions of those who would revise history with ethnic nationalist motives. Good for you with your green eyes. My family didn’t have green eyes and the Nazis killed them. I guess they were “war criminals” too because they weren’t green-eyed Lithuanians. What a positive world view….

[@Oberschutzee]

Lies about potatos jews didnt brought them nobles did... And its not kugelis but bulvių plokštainis.

[@rolandasb7502]

potato dishes came here with jews who settled here in middleages. Regarding the name in most lithiuanian families it is called kugelis, never heard anyone trying to break their tong with telling bulvių plokštainis

[@Oberschutzee]

@@rolandasb7502 Potatoes were brought by nobles, well not my problem u can't leave your district and think everyone call it kugelis

[@l.st.6445]

Beautiful County, comments make me sad that Lithuania is called East European when realistically this country belongs to North Eastern Europe block and geographically is the centre of Europe. Stamped by uneducated people...

[@BaurJoe]

It is in Northern Europe (according to EuroVoc), but I don't think calling it East European is meant pejoratively. Thanks for watching!

[@l.st.6445]

Lithuania geographically nor politically can be defined as an East Europa, deal with it finally. To call Lt East Europe it means to come from soviet block. When people start understand that soviet block was forced by terror which Western countries gave up on and made the military union with nazis Russia. In that way empowering russins terror over more then half European countries with millions killed... When those countries according by you of "East Europe" will get apologies from cowards westerns for making up with most horrible terrorist country (russia) during WW2 and after for 50 years? Remember, Lithuania was the first to break from soviets... This country is definitely not the Eastern Europe!

[@BaurJoe]

@@l.st.6445 Okay. Have a great day!