He pointed out where you can find the most interesting and delicious cold borscht in Lithuania.

Cold beets with sour cream, beet ice cream or cucumber sorbet, seasoned with raspberry beer, meat, cheese or even cake and cold beet salad. On the map, over 30 interpretations of cold borscht, supplemented by recommendations, where you can also find the most delicious traditional cold borscht.

“It is a fact that Lithuanians are not lagging behind world trends and each time they make trips to try something new and interesting. This was revealed by our GASTRO guide to Lithuania, which was very popular last year. Both J. Laukaitis’s film on cold beets, which has been heard worldwide, and the variety of interpretations of cold beets collected with the help of tourist information centers show that there is a true cult of cold beets in Lithuania. “says Gerda Butkuvienė, Manager of travel content projects in Lithuania.

In each house, this cold soup is prepared in its own way, some cannot imagine without kefir, others without sour cream, some people constantly pour a slice of vinegar on them, and there are some who do it without beets. After all, the history of this soup is no less vivid than its color. It turns out that the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania greeted the guests with a plate of cold beets after a long journey. It was first mentioned more than 300 years ago, called the favorite Lithuanian soup, which must be tried when cold beets were ever spiced with crayfish, game or fish tails. Incidentally, such cold borscht, with crayfish tails, and can now be tasted in the Šakiai district or Panevėžys, with meat, in the Klaipėda district. A map of unusual cold beets can be found on the official tourism website of Lithuania.

“The Cold Borscht map is part of the larger” Travel in Lithuania “campaign, says G. Butkuvienė.” We are currently paying special attention to gastronomic tourism and the development of various projects aimed at local and foreign tourists. “

Food tourism, which is rapidly gaining popularity in the world, is also of great importance in Lithuania. Foreign tourists who come to our country increasingly seek not only places of interest, but also experiences to familiarize themselves with the local culture.

Investigating Lithuanian cuisine is currently the most popular tourist activity, up to 84 percent. Travelers arriving in Lithuania say they try local dishes and drinks during their stay. Cold Borscht also breaks records for popularity: On the TripAdvisor travel platform, one of the highest-rated traditional cafes in the capital sells around 7,500 servings of this soup per year, at least 20 every day.

According to G. Butkuvienė, the trends themselves dictate the need to develop gastronomic tourism, therefore, the “Travel in Lithuania” team is currently preparing an image campaign for foreign travelers, whose focus is cold beets. In addition, thematic gastronomic tourism routes are being developed in all regions of Lithuania.