Lithuanian traditional foods
Žemaičių blynai
Žemaičių blynai are pan-fried pancakes shaped from boiled mashed potatoes and filled with meat, mushrooms, or curd cheese. They are associated with Samogitia, but today they are widespread throughout Lithuania as a filling home dish.
Food and heritage context
- Category
- Potato dishes
- Type
- filled boiled-potato pancakes
- Heritage status
- regional living tradition
- Context
- Samogitia, boiled potatoes, meat, mushrooms, sour cream, pan-fried filled pancakes
Names and variants
Stuffed potato pancakes, Samogitian pancakes
What are Žemaičių blynai?
Žemaičių blynai are filled pancakes made from boiled potatoes. Their base differs from ordinary potato pancakes: here the potatoes are boiled and mashed, not raw and grated.
Cooked meat with onions is the most common filling, but mushroom, curd-cheese, or vegetable fillings are also found.
The Samogitian name
The name ties the dish to Samogitia, where potatoes, dairy products, and filling fried foods form an important part of regional cooking. This is not accidental: according to the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, the largest amounts of potatoes in Lithuania were grown in the eastern districts and in Samogitia.
The Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia's overview of Lithuanian foods identifies Samogitia as a region where potato dishes, kastinys, soups, and filling foods have a clear place. Žemaičių blynai fit that logic well: boiled potatoes, leftover meat, sour cream, or mushroom sauce are joined into a practical hot meal.
Today Žemaičių blynai are made throughout Lithuania, so they are both a regional sign and a general home-kitchen dish.
Dough and filling
Good potato dough should be soft but hold its shape. Too much flour makes it hard; too little makes the pancake tear.
The filling should be dry and concentrated in flavor, because once in the pan it no longer has time to stew.
Sauces
Žemaičių blynai are most often eaten with sour cream. For a richer serving, mushroom sauce, crackling sauce, or sour cream with onions works well.
Pickled cucumbers or sauerkraut help balance the richer fried dish.
Recipe
How are Žemaičių blynai made?
Classic Žemaičių blynai turn out best with cooled boiled potatoes. The filling should be dry and already cooked, because the pancake is only browned and heated through in the pan.
Ingredients
Method
- Cool the boiled potatoes and mash or grind them. Mix in the egg, salt, and flour.
- Fry the onion, mix with the cooked meat, and season with salt and pepper. The filling should not be watery.
- Shape a patty from the potato mass, add filling, seal the edges, and flatten into an oval pancake.
- Fry in a hot pan with oil until both sides are nicely browned.
- Serve hot with sour cream, cracklings, or mushroom sauce.
Notes
If the potatoes are freshly boiled and warm, the dough is more likely to stick. Cooled potatoes hold their shape better.
Mushroom filling suits a fasting or vegetarian version if fried without animal fat.
Žemaičių blynai: frequently asked questions
How are Žemaičių blynai different from potato pancakes?
Žemaičių blynai are made from boiled mashed potatoes and usually have a filling. Potato pancakes are fried from raw grated potato mass.
What is the most traditional filling for Žemaičių blynai?
Cooked meat with onions is the most widespread, but mushroom and curd-cheese versions are also common.
Why do the pancakes tear?
Most often the potato mass is too wet, there is too little flour or starch, or the filling is too wet.
Can yesterday's potatoes be used?
Yes, they are very suitable because cooled boiled potatoes hold their shape better.
Can Žemaičių blynai be frozen?
They can be frozen shaped but uncooked, or already fried. After thawing, it is best to reheat them in a pan or oven.
What should Žemaičių blynai be served with?
Classic accompaniments are sour cream, mushroom sauce, cracklings, pickled cucumbers, or sauerkraut.
Is egg needed?
Egg helps the mass hold together, but very starchy potatoes sometimes allow the recipe to use less of it.