🔥RUGINĖ DUONA • The Holy Black Bread • One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread was eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies. Traditionally, the centerpiece of Lithuanian cuisine is dark rye bread (ruginė duona) which is used more often than light wheat breads. The archeological finds reveal that bread in the 9th - 14th centuries in Lithuania was very similar to the current rye bread. The dough is usually based on a sourdough starter, and includes some wheat flour to lighten the finished product. Traditionally each home had its own sourdough yeast – raugas, which also had symbolical meaning of the home. Rye bread is often eaten as an open-faced sandwich, buttered or spread with cheese. It is sometimes flavored with caraway, or with some onion. Traditional bread is baked on sweet flag leaves. Bread baking was considered an important ritual. Bread was baked in a special oven for bread - duonkepė krosnis. Lithuanian proverb says - Be aukso apsieis, be duonos ne (One can manage without gold, but not without bread). Some varieties of Lithuanian bread contain whole seeds of rye and wheat; this type of bread is referred to as grūdėtoji, i.e. "seeded" bread. #duona #lithuania #balticculture #bread #rye #ryebread https://www.instagram.com/p/CZvYuduF9lA/?utm_medium=tumblr
