It is World Cepelinai Day, a celebration of the hearty Lithuanian cuisine.
The holiday was first suggested by American-Lithuanian Jonas Vaičiūnas and has been celebrated on the first Sunday of February since 2014.
The ultimate staple of the Lithuanian cuisine, cepelinai spread in the country at the turn of the last century, probably from Lithuania Minor, the ethnically Lithuanian region that was at the time part of Germany.
To say that you must try cepelinai before you die would be a stretch – but if you're up for it, today is the best time.
Here is how to make cepelinai.
Ingredients:
- 20 raw potatoes
- 10 boiled potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 500g minced meat
Grate the raw potatoes, then strain off the liquid. Mash the boiled potatoes and mix well together.
Filling: mix the meat, egg, salt and pepper.
Take about 15–20g of meat and encase it in the potato dough in oblong Zeppelin-shaped dumplings. You should have about 25–30 cepelinai.
Boil in a big pot, making sure they don't stick together, for 30–40 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and bacon bits. Skanaus.
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