Okay, Lithuania volunteers, we have a little challenge for you — the next time you're at the grocery store in Lithuania, try this snacks! There's so many yummy treats at the grocery store (in brands you probably don't recognize yet).
I know you’re excited to see some of beautiful castles and the Hill of Crosses, but have you thought about the food in this country? During your semester abroad in Lithuania, you will fall in love with some new favorite foods and picking a favorite will be tough. How do you choose between the Holy Donut shakes or the amazing sauce at Pizza Express?
Want to pick your favorite Lithuanian treat and live in Eastern Europe for a semester?
We think yes — apply right here!
While the restaurants and cafes give you some goodies, don’t forget about your regular grocery stores for some hidden gems. We know it can be a bit overwhelming when you're in the grocery store and don't recognize any of the brands, so we're here to share some of favorites past volunteers have discovered.
This is a great place to be adventurous and discover new treats, but you're on the right track if you start with these suggestions. Pack your bag full of these goodies before your day trips to the cutie beach towns or maybe even a weekend getaway to Latvia.
- Yummy Juices
- Braided Breads
- Paska Chocolate
- This Yogurt Drink
- Take A Sip Of History
- Lietiniai Cakes
Juices
There’s juice in America, but the juices in other countries are just so much better — Lithuania is no exception. Even if you can’t speak a word of the local language, you can still find some favorites in the grocery store because most packages have pictures! Some even have some English like this favorite juice drink.
Braided Breads
You may need to be a little adventurous with these because these pretty breads are often filled with something yummy, like bacon and onions, or dried fruits and nuts. Some are even filled with a soft and salty cheese or something sweet, like a cream cheese and fruit filling.
Warning: Anyone who wants to spend a semester volunteering in Europe will come home with a renewed love for delicious bread.
Paska Chocolate
Chocolate in Europe is life-changing . You have to try all the kinds while living abroad. It’s so much better than the stuff you can get from home so make sure to pack up as much as you can! Seriously, don’t buy Snickers in Europe because the local chocolate is better by a landslide.
You might not be able to read the packaging, but try a bunch of different kinds to find your favorite, like Paska. Our volunteers nickname these Chocolate Cheesecake bars because the inside is the consistency of cheesecake. Oh and they come in lots of different flavors — Chocolate, strawberry, poppy seed, marzipan, vanilla and condensed milk are some of our favorites but you'll find a few other kinds. Imagine a chocolate cheesecake bar smothered in chocolate and you have a pretty good idea at what's waiting for you.
You can find them at most grocery stores in the refrigerator section. Most will be located near the milk or other dairy products. Check grocery stores like Maxima, Prisma and IKI, you're likely to find them there. If you ask any employee at the store about them using their brand name, they will know exactly what you are talking about — popular brands are Magija, Dadu, and Pasaka.
Our volunteers especially love how inexpensive they are! They'll often set you back about $0.30-$0.50 USD each, but you can usually find them on sale for less than $0.20 cents. So don't be afraid to grab 3 or 4 or 20.
We also have a couple more chocolate recommendations right here for you chocolate lovers.
This Yogurt Drink
Drinkable yogurt is really popular in Europe and you might figure out why when you try it for yourself. It makes for a yummy part of breakfast or a quick but filling snack. You’ll find lots of different brands and flavors but you can usually look at the picture on the bottle and figure out if you’re buying cherry or raspberry flavor.
Take A Sip Of History
We know you love Coke, but try to branch out and see if you like a local favorite just as much. Selita is a popular brand, and the flavor Baikalas comes with a little history lesson.
This flavor was very popular in Soviet Era Russia (and other countries) and was sort of an experiment to copy the Pepsi flavor Americans loved. It used to be impossible to find in the 1990s, but you can probably spot it in your local Lithuanian grocery store if you look around.
Lietiniai Cakes
Finding snacks that work great for vacations is key to an awesome semester, so try out the different snack options in the grocery store! These thin little cakes are rolled around different fillings (things like cream, berries, rosemary and others).
Eat them while you can, because you can’t find these at home — You might not even be able to find these in other countries.
Discover life in Lithuania for a semester
Excited to fill up your grocery basket with these goodies? Think about doing a grocery store challenge with your ILP group to help you try even more yummy snacks! Oh and one more thing — some more info on actually volunteering in this country is just one click away: