Ice cream map: discover where is the most delicious ice cream in Lithuania

According to Professor Rimvydas Laužikas, researcher of the Lithuanian culinary heritage, ice cream invaded Lithuanian cuisine in the 18th century. – a few hundred years later than the first known Lithuanian dessert – fresh cucumbers with honey, which were enjoyed in the mansion of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila. One of the most famous ice cream lovers in the Republic of the Two Nations was Duchess Aleksandra Oginskienė, the wife of Mykolas Kazimieras Oginskis. It has even served ice cream to the King of Poland, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Stanislaus August Poniatowski.

The first ice creams used by Lithuanians were cherry, currant, strawberry, raspberry, and sea buckthorn, as well as orange blossom, violets, roses, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, saffron, coffee, caramel, cloves. Some ice creams, such as sea buckthorn or coffee, can still be tasted in Lithuania.

According to Indrė Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė, head of the product and marketing department of “Keliauk Lietuva”, gastronomic tourism creates great added value: more than a fifth of the travel basket is spent on food not only for foreign tourists, but also for local travelers. And the GASTRO guide for the country, started by Keliauk Lietuva, not only contributes to the promotion of the local tourist flow, but also increases the turnover of catering establishments in the regions, which is especially relevant for the restaurant sector. hospitality that tries to recover after quarantine. I. Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė also emphasizes that offering interesting gastronomic experiences does not require large investments, just a little ingenuity, therefore such routes encourage the discovery of cafes and restaurants located in different regions, using quality local seasonal products.

Inga Pažereckaitė-Kalėdienė, head of the tourism department of Kaunas IN, deserving of the title of ice cream capital, is seconded to her, who has proposed to include the Kaunas ice cream of burnt cumin, pink pepper, Jerusalem artichokes, mint, thyme, seeds poppy and black bread. He also noted the growing interest in gastronomic experiences: “Gastronomy is an integral part of modern travel, and cafes, restaurants, culinary studios are becoming places of new experiences and sensations. Food tourism is an area that attracts more and more travelers, and having strong and exclusive products makes it easier to talk about yourself and strengthen the awareness of the city of Kaunas and attract more travelers and tasters to catering establishments. Each of these exclusive themed dishes not only evokes travelers’ appetite but curiosity, encourages travelers to try, discover unusual combinations, or recall long-forgotten tastes. “

This ice cream map is part of the gastronomic tourism product developed by “Travel in Lithuania”. Last year, Lithuanian tourists were presented to the GASTRO broadcast guide this summer: 32 restaurants offering non-traditional cold borscht, and the results of the vote for Lithuanian dishes, which are best to be on the national menu, will appear soon.

A communication campaign is currently underway in foreign countries, the epicenter of which is the cold pink color of cold beets, representing Lithuanian gastronomy, and travelers are greeted at the Vilnius airport by a gigantic bowl of cold beets. New gastronomic routes will soon be unveiled: 10 themed experience guides will invite foreign tourists to discover Lithuanian cuisine from a different angle.