We had lots of fish before and now it’s time for a change — say hello to potatoes! The weather is not so hot anymore and a cepelinai or a potato pancake seems like a good idea… You know what a cepelinai is? I didn’t either until I visited Żegary and Sejny in 2009…
a walk in Żegary at 7 a.m. Why se early? Ask Maks!
It was the first time I saw Łukasz’ favourite place for what he calls a “total relax” — a place where he unwinds and forgets about problems connected with his work in Warsaw. The place is located in Suwalszczyzna, a region close to Lithuanian border where (however cliché it sounds) time flows slower and at 9 p.m. you’re pretty sure that everyone and everything is fast asleep.
Żegary is a small village near Sejny — and for a dozen years or so — it’s been oasis of peace for Łukasz. For the last three years we have been going there together, sometimes a few times a year. This time we went with our little one for the first time. Even though he has already been to Mexico, Moscow, Istambul and travelled through most of Europe, it was Żegary that turned out to be most problematic for him. Romek, the host who rents us the room has not improved its conditions for more than ten years and therefore there is no bathroom in the room, the carpet is falling apart (and the little one still likes to eat pieces of fluff sometimes) and I don’t even want to know how many people slept in the linen. But what can you expect for PLN 25 a night? 🙂
Fortunately calmness of the village compensates lack of conveniences to the adults while dogs, cats and cows were a great compensation of a decent bath for Maks. He was training his dog sounds on all these animals, occasionally noticing that he’s also able to sound like a cat or a cow J
Getting to the point… What can you eat in Żegary? My friend asked me before we left if they eat Lithuanian cold soup out there close to the border. She was joking but it turned out that they do. It’s Łukasz’s favourite soup in hot weather.
Lithuanian cold soup close to the Lithuanian border
But above all, they eat potatoes…
potato pancakes
Potatoes aren’t consumed only in the form of pancakes. There’s a whole potato universe in the Lithuanian cuisine. They eat blintz with meat, sweet blintz, cepelinai, soczewiaki, potato kiszka and potato cakes.
We really love blintz with meat which are, contrary to the popular opinion (“What have I eaten? Just two light pancakes”) not light at all. Blintz are fried potato pancakes filled with well spiced meat and covered with a spoonful of thick cream. You can’t fake the taste.
Traditional blinz with meat
I often choose the sweet version, also with thick cream. The sweet ones are not that popular in the area – you can try freshly fried ones in Gościniec which is located next to the road to Suwałki – it’s a great dessert choice after a boletus soup. Sweet blintz are also served in the Skarpa restaurant in Sejny.
Another popular local dish is cepelinai – they look like giant pyzy and are also filled with meat and covered in pork rind. Yet another ‘light’ meal so popular that it’s hard to find it in half of the restaurants. So if you come across them, order a portion right away.
cepelinai (in Polish “kartacze”) — my favourite name of the dish 😉
This time, probably due to hot weather, I chose a Polish dish as well – delicious cabbage rolls…
Polishness close to the Lithuanian border
and something even better – dumplings with blueberries. I have to confess, I ate two portions. Maybe because of our little one who is normally a poor eater but this time was eating my dumplings vigorously…
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a real marvel
What else can you eat in the region of Suwalszczyzna?
— czenaki – a traditional Lithuanian dish prepared from vegetables, meat, mushrooms, etc. in a clay pot. Just stew the ingredients under the lid.
— soczewiaki – potato pancakes filled with lentils. A bit lighter than the ones with meat.
— potato kiszka – found more often in the region of Podlasie. It’s also in the menu of the Lithuanian Consulate in Sejny. It’s potatoes again, this time stuffed in a pork bowel optionally mixed with bacon and onion and then baked well. One of Łukasz’ favorite dishes. After oysters J That’s a broad taste, isn’t it? 🙂
Where do we eat in Suwalszczyzna? Mostly in the restaurant near the Lithuanian Consulate in Sejny. It’s easy to find, just ask anybody in the street.
And our latest discovery – “Gospoda” inn (http://www.suwalszczyzna.com.pl/dusznica31/) close to border crossing point in Ogrodniki. You can eat and sleep there, we haven’t tried the second option though. It’s not too pretty but perfect if you’re heading further east. The interior is quite cosy with a small garden and delicious food — all the pictures you see here were taken at this place.
So next weekend (soooon!!) think about a trip to Suwalszczyzna. You already know what to eat!
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