Eyes, ears, and taste buds are equally important when experiencing new places and cultures. Trying new foods is one of the best parts of travelling, so gastronomic discoveries have become a key component of any trip. Lithuanian cuisine is known for its natural flavours, seasonality, and the use of local produce and kid-friendly recipes. The spiked buttery šakotis, Lithuania’s best-loved cake, has its own museum. You can also please your taste buds by visiting honey and chocolate museums.
Beekeeping Museum
Ignalina district
Age of visitors: Suitable for everyone
A museum dedicated to bees and honey should undoubtedly be your first stop on the hunt for sweet moments in Lithuania. There, you’ll find out why Lithuanian bees are the happiest in the world and why fresh cucumber and honey is considered the oldest Lithuanian dessert. At the museum’s display of beehives and beekeeping tools, discover how bees were protected from honey-loving bears, learn about ancient bee deities, and see the nectar-rich plants that are the primary source of honey. You can also try different kinds of local honey, make your own beeswax candle, or enjoy a honey aromatherapy session.
Chocolate museums
Šiauliai, Trakai
Age of visitors: Suitable for everyone
Among the most fascinating exhibits at Lithuania’s oldest chocolate factory Rūta is a hot chocolate mug for men, featuring a special support plate for moustache – so that the tips don’t end up dipping into the tasty liquid. The factory’s museum invites to discover the history of chocolate, from the secrets of chocolate making pioneers – the Maya and the Aztecs – to the first chocolate factories in Lithuania. You are welcome to observe the process of making chocolates and try to create some tasty treats yourself at the factory’s chocolate-making workshop.
A true chocolate fairy-tale awaits in the charming Trakai chocolate café, where you can see a life-size chocolate jaguar, a pirate, scenes from the movie Chocolate and more than a hundred other tasty sculptures.
Šakotis Museum
Druskininkai district
Age of visitors: Suitable for everyone
Šakotis, the tall and spiky Lithuanian cake, is very hard to make at home since it’s baked by adding batter to a spit rotating over an open fire. But don’t worry: you can try your hand at this process at the world’s only Šakotis Museum near Druskininkai. The museum is home to the Guinness record-holding šakotis that stands at 3.7 metres tall and weighs a whopping 86 kilograms. Šakočiai from Hungary, Sweden, Japan, and Poland are also among the exhibits. Compare them to the Lithuanian šakotis while observing the antique tools that were once used to make this delicacy.
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