Žuvienė: recipe, tradition, and history

Fisherman's soup

Žuvienė is practical fisherman's cooking: soup is made from parts of the catch, with fillet added at the end. Coastal and lake fishing in Lithuania is old: the Curonian Lagoon and numerous lakes supplied perch, bream, zander, pike, and smelt, from which fish soup is cooked.

In the coastal region and lake districts it may be cooked outdoors, in a large pot, from several fish species. Descriptions of Dreverna žuvienė emphasize that flavor grows stronger with fish variety, and that the fish should be local lagoon fish, not just any accidental sea fish.

This is a dish in which the fisherman's practice becomes a culinary rule: smaller fish, heads, and tails give the broth, while larger pieces go into the pot only when the vegetables are almost cooked.

Broth is the base

Good žuvienė does not begin with fillet. First a broth is cooked with bones, heads, onion, bay leaf, or dill stems, then strained.

Fillet and attractive fish pieces are added at the end because if overcooked they fall apart and the soup loses clear texture. For that reason the fish-soup pot is better not stirred vigorously.

Which fish to choose

Good žuvienė is often cooked from several species: some give strength to the broth, others provide neat pieces in the bowl.

It is important not to overcook the fillet because it falls apart quickly.