Potato and meat dishes
potato or blood vėdarai stuffed into intestines and baked
living tradition
Pig intestines, grated potatoes, blood vėdarai, onions, bacon, sour cream, Aukštaitija
Potato vėdarai, Blood vėdarai
What are vėdarai?
Vėdarai are a dish stuffed into intestines and baked. In Lithuania the word most often refers to potato vėdarai, although blood vėdarai with groats are also known.
It is a filling rural dish, close to potato casseroles and the tradition of processing pork.
Potato and blood vėdarai
Potato vėdarai are made from grated potatoes, onions, and fatty pork additions. They are baked until a crisp crust forms.
In the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia's overview of Lithuanian foods, vėdarai are mentioned among potato and pork-tradition dishes. This matters because vėdarai join two household realities: an abundance of potatoes and the use of intestines and fat during slaughter. According to the encyclopedia, potato vėdarai include cracklings, onions fried with them, and spices; grated potatoes are sometimes scalded with hot milk. Groat vėdarai, made from barley, buckwheat, or pearl barley groats, cracklings, and pig's blood, are most widespread in Samogitia.
Blood vėdarai rely on blood, groats, and spices. This is another traditional type and requires even greater attention to food safety.
Preparing the intestines
The cleanliness and quality of the intestines are essential. Today already prepared intestines are often used, but they still need to be rinsed and checked.
A poorly prepared casing can spoil the taste and raise safety problems.
How to bake so they do not burst
Vėdarai expand as they bake, so the intestines are not filled tightly. A few small holes let steam escape.
Too high a temperature and dry baking also increase the risk of bursting.
Recipe
How are vėdarai made?
Potato vėdarai require careful intestine preparation and loose filling. Overfilled vėdarai burst during baking because the potato mass expands.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg potatoes
- Prepared pig intestines
- 2 onions
- 200 g bacon or pork belly
- 1 egg, optional
- Salt, pepper, marjoram
- Oil or lard for the baking dish
- Sour cream for serving
Method
- Rinse the intestines thoroughly, check them, and keep them in cold water while preparing the filling.
- Fry the pork belly or bacon with the onions.
- Grate the potatoes, pour off part of the liquid, and mix in the cracklings with onions, egg, salt, and spices.
- Fill the intestines loosely, leaving room for the mass to expand. Tie the ends.
- Place in a greased baking dish, prick carefully in several places, and bake at 190 °C for about an hour.
- Serve with sour cream, cracklings, and pickled cucumbers.
Notes
The most important thing is not to overfill them. That is the most common reason they burst.
Intestines should be bought only from a reliable source and handled hygienically.
