Lithuanian Christmas trees are, invariably, spruces (even the local name is "Christmas spruce") but man-made "trees" became popular since the 2000s. Yes We Eat That. The head of the family says a thanksgiving prayer and asks God that all present will also be together next Christmas Eve. Children believed that animals could speak human tongues and well water turned to wine. Kitchen Tools The family eats the holiday meal slowly, with no alcohol and a minimum of talk. 2 large eggs, at room temperature. Tradition states that while the family is out at midnight mass, the remains of the feast welcome the visiting souls of dead family members. It shouldn't be part of the meal or any traditional Lithuanian meal ever. Christmas Eve (Kūčios) is a more important day than Christmas Day. Raguolis, also called sakotis, is a traditional Lithuanian cake that is frequently … Lithuanian AppIe Crumb Cake is a dessert made with sticks butter softened, eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla or lemon juice, apples shredded, and sugar. Those other delicious dishes can be had another day. Raguolis or Sakotis. And then when we went to midnight mass we left food on the table for those who had died.... Kucios, Bread. Families spend all day on Christmas Eve getting ready for dinner and the ensuing days of Christmas. 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (3 cups) 3 cups water 1 cinnamon stick 2 whole cloves 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons potato flour 2 teaspoons vanilla I agree with Richard and may add that the 12 dishes symbolises the apostles as I was brought up to believe and am from Australia and still following the tradition after 68 years. Soon everyone is breaking and sharing wafers, taking care not to skip anybody as that is very bad luck. !! These are often an accompaniment to a Christmas Eve Kucios meal; the preparing and frying are often as fun as the eating! Uneaten food is left on the table. Poppy milk (aguonų pienas) is a traditional Lithuanian drink or soup, one of the 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper Kūčios. They told me the recipe … It is in our family anyway, even if we are not zealots. Beneath the white tablecloth, family members spread a small quantity of hay to represent Jesus’ birth in a manger. The name, they said, means lazy man, because the recipe is indeed extremely simple to make. I cant imagine Christmas eve without it. Kūčiukai (Lithuanian Christmas Eve biscuits) are very traditional, but they might not be to everybody’s taste. No meat. Prep time does not include soaking or refrigeration. In other words: no mayo. And we never have "potato salad" or herring with mayo during Christmas Eve. She is the author of "Vegetarian Asia Travel Guide" and has written hundreds of articles for publications online and off. This is not traditional Christmas Eve food - no meat, eggs or dairy products are allowed. a savoury collagenous jelly made with meat and set in a mould. Foods Water and a few boiled peas were the order of the day. Remove from the heat. Could you possibly send me the recipe for the mushroom dumpling you refer to as my mother used to make them in days gone by and I would love to have them once more before I die. The mass for making this tasty bun is made of milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, rum, flour and raisins. Sift the flour with a pinch … Definitely shared the wafers every year. Add butter and stir until melted. Now, 12 dishes make up the Christmas Eve dinner, one for each apostle. On the night of Christmas Eve, you might hear sleigh bells ringing over snowy country roads and frozen lakes. She first arrived in Philadelphia in 1920 and was a member of Saint Casimir’s Church as well as the Lithuanian Music Hall Association. To tell the truth, any dishes with the products of warm-blooded animal origin (as eggs, milk, any meet) are being placed on the Kucios' table. Pie lithuanian recipes added by RiVD on Dec 1, 2008 margarine (2 sticks) 1 cup cold water. 1 egg yolk, at room temperature. I believe that all Lithuanians I know eat meet free on Kūčios. Here is my mother's version of Nana's recipe for Christmas/Easter sweet fried cookies, called "little ears", or ausukai (sometimes called kruscuki). Where the tradition of fasting on Christmas Eve has become largely a thing of the past, other rituals now mark the celebration, including a 12-dish meatless feast. https://www.thespruceeats.com/top-lithuanian-bread-recipes-1136748 The dish that I remember most of all is stewed prunes with orange slices....it was wonderful. Essentially, its sour cream butter. Isn't all the food supposed to be cold? Recipe Notes While Krupnikas is ready to drink just two weeks after you make it (I can personally attest to this), the drink mellows and becomes even better six months to a year later.