Sudovia (Suvalkija). The food

Sudovians have always had bountiful tables. Even if they are called stingy, if they have a guest, they will always pull out the white tablecloth and load the table with goodies. First they treat you to home-made skilandis. Made according to an ancient recipe that is handed down from generation to generation, this matured sausage is cold-smoked and tastes best with black bread fresh from the oven. Even potatoes can become a source of inspiration for Sudovians, who love to make didžkukuliai – dumplings from grated potatoes and stuffed with curd cheese, ground meat or mushrooms. To make the kids happy, they might also boil up some šaltanosiai (“cold noses”), which are little dumplings with blueberry filling, or švilpikai (“whistlers”), which are small potato dumplings, and serve them with butter and cream sauce. During the potato harvest, Sudovians can’t imagine a table without kugelis, a grated potato casserole, or vėdarai, which is pig intestine stuffed with grated potatoes. “Unexpected” is putting it mildly, right? But experiencing the taste and then telling everyone about your courage is worth it.