Cepelinai, or didžkukuliai, are potato dumplings made with grated potatoes and stuffed with minced meat or fresh cheese (like Varškės sūris) or mushrooms.
After boiling they are often served with sour cream sauce and bacon bits (spirgučiai) with onion or pork rind.
A national dish of Lithuania, it is part of the cuisine of northeastern Poland; the name derives from their shape, which resembles a Zeppelin airship.
Generally about 4-8 inches long, the size depends on where they are made: in the western counties of Lithuania, cepelinai are made larger than in the eastern ones.
In Samogitia, one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania, they are called cepelinā.
In the regions of Suwałki, Podlachia, Warmia, and Masuria they are known as kartacz.
Similar dishes include Polish pyzy, Swedish kroppkaka, Acadian poutine râpée, Norwegian raspeball, German Kartoffelklöße, and Italian dumplings also called:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Russian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 44 oz potatoes
- 12 oz ground pork
- to taste grated cheese
- 14 oz onion
- 5.3 oz bacon (diced)
- 8 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- to taste salt
Steps
Grate 26 oz of raw potatoes, squeeze out the water they release with the help of a dish towel.
Grate 18 oz of boiled potatoes, combine them with the other potatoes, add salt and potato starch.
For the filling: combine the meat with the cheese, season with salt and add a few tablespoons of water.
Shape (with your hands) the dough into a large dumpling (4-8 inches) and stuff it. Shape into an elongated form.
Boil in salted water for 45 minutes.
For the spirgučiai: fry the sliced onion in the bacon fat in a pan.
Serve the cepelinai with spirgučiai and sour cream.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is Varškės sūris?
Similar to ricotta, it was produced on Lithuanian estates as early as in the Middle Ages.
According to an ancient recipe, the cheese is made with fermented cow’s milk, sometimes mixed with sweet milk and heated until it curdles.
The resulting curd can be seasoned with sour cream, spices, cumin, with added salt to keep the cheese fresh longer, it is placed in bags and then pressed.
Varškės sūris has a slightly tangy flavor.
