Lithuanian

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Šaltibarščiai (Cold Beetroot and Kefir Soup)

The Lithuanian summer soup of boiled, cooled beetroot loosened in kefir and served cold. Kefir is milk soured by fermentation, its casein set as a fine gel, and heat is what would squeeze it into curds and whey. Nothing here is heated, so the acidic beetroot does not split it; the potatoes come hot on the side.

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Cepelinai (Stuffed Potato Dumplings)

Lithuania's national dish: raw potato grated fine and wrung dry, bound with the starch recovered from its own squeezed liquid, stuffed with pork and boiled into torpedo-shaped dumplings, served under a bacon and sour cream sauce. Recovering that starch is what makes or breaks them.