| For Gourmets Roasted crow in lily leaves - a delicacy
for the party
Story by Konstantinas Kovas
Klaipeda businesswoman Eugenija Odebrecht thinks that
in life we should choose the doors that are easy to open. During more than a decade of
independent Lithuania we have tasted various exotic foods, drunk many cocktails copied
from the West forgetting that we also had things to be proud about.
"We will have crows tomorrow"
A small restaurant Anikes Kursiai opened on the Theatre
Square in Klaipeda offers to taste crows rolled in lily leaves, fish baked in clay and to
drink a bear cocktail. Such excursus to the past of some five thousand years when our
lands were inhabited by the Curonians, was created by Eugenija Odebrecht involved in
restaurant business for more than a decade.
Of course, you will not find the meat of this absolutely unromantic and non-exotic bird on
the everyday dinner menu. The motto of the cafe "we will have crows tomorrow"
means that this dish is prepared on special occasions, when the client wants to organize a
really non-traditional feast.
"Preparing to open a restaurant of Lithuanian food based on Curonian traditions, I
had to read a lot of material about the life of the Curonians", - says Eugenija
Odebrecht. The Curonians used to catch and eat crows because of poverty and starvation.
They caught them with the help of nets, then the oldest person bit the bird's neck, shed
its blood and prepared for roasting. Summertime was easier, they caught fish in the
Curonian Lagoon and baked it in clay. But in winter when the lagoon froze, the poor people
looked up to the sky waiting for crows.
Crows belong to the most intelligent and clever birds and they did not forgive such
behaviour. They left the Curonian territory and chose safer places, where there was no
danger to end up in the stomachs of hungry people. So probably it is possible to assume
that extinction of Curonians was related to disappearance of the crows.
Crows at the mayor's ball
The idea to open a Curonian restaurant offering authentic
historical dishes was born when Eugenija Odebrecht won the competition to organize the
traditional mayor's ball during the Sea festival last year.
Competing with other restaurants, she racked her brains how to give an unforgettable
feast.
"It occurred to me to go back to the past and arrange a typical feast of Klaipeda
region with dominating Curonian dishes. In the Fisherman's farmstead in Smiltyne we
organised a real Curonian feast. The greatest attraction for the guests were crows roasted
according to original recipe. Although at first most of the guests glanced timidly at this
dish, after an hour all the pots were empty. No other dish attracted so much attention.
Although when the crows were eaten, the huge sheatfish served on a wooden board carried in
by for men was also consumed very fast…
"Crow meat reminds of rabbit or perhaps chicken meat. There is not much of it, you
really can't pack your stomach with it", - says Ms. Eugenija.
Preparing for to the mayor's ball, Eugenija Odebrecht and her employees travelled all over
the districts of Klaipeda, Palanga, and Neringa, spoke to dozens of people trying to find
out something about the Curonian way of life. The collected information served as a
valuable material for preparing the menu of the new cafe Anikes Kursiai.
Curonian food traditions preserved in Germany
The cafe has two halls reflecting the East-Prussian tradition
and the Curonian spirit. In one of the halls the guests feel like on a Curonian ship, and
in the other they can enjoy the warmth and comfort of a Curonian home.
"Even today in some German localities the food of Klaipeda district is still on the
menus. One of the most favourite German dishes is stewed sauerkraut with sausages. They
also like smoked ham and bacon that are also stewed with sauerkraut and potatoes. The
tradition of such food is already forgotten in Lithuania, today we tend to choose a plate
of seafood or other 'European' dish", - said Eugenija Odebrecht.
Bear hunting
The cafe Anikes Kursiai offers dishes reminding of the past.
If stewed sauerkraut with sausages is not a novelty in Lithuania, kukoriai arouse the
curiosity of many guests. Ms. Eugenija states that kukoriai was a Curonian dish. Near
Pagegiai there is still a village named Kukoriai. The dish is made of mashed potatoes with
a stuffing of stewed cabbage with pieces of smoked bacon in it. It is eaten hot with sour
cream or cold - then it tastes more like a pie.
In Anikes Kursiai you can also taste many other delicacies. For example, you can order a
dish called Mayor's Ball. On a large wooden board you will get various delicacies
reflecting the whole philosophy of Anikes Kursiai. The dish is big enough for four
persons. Having tasted the Mayor's Ball you will feel as if returned to the times when
Klaipeda region was inhabited by Curonians, or attending the mayor's ball in the summer of
2003…
Those who will be tempted to taste a Nobleman's Dinner will feel happy and full. Because
this dish is made of sauerkraut with various tastefully smoked meats. After such dinner
one can have a genuine Lithuanian dessert or simply lick honey straight from a honeycomb.
"We offer to rinse down the nourishing food with the Curonian coffee or Bear Hunting.
The Curonian coffee is a drink made of vodka flavoured with some coffee, honey and other
components. Bear Hunting also contains vodka and honey, because these components hit the
head best of all, and the feet even more. The brain relaxes, spaces open up, and then…
let's go bear hunting. But before that it is necessary to sit in the Curonian ship or hut,
because without the feeling of the Curonian spirit neither Nobleman's Dinner nor Bear
Hunting will have any meaning", - assures Ms. Eugenija.
Restaurant "Taravos Anike"
Teatro square, LT-9147 Klaipeda
Tel.: (+370 46) 314469, 314470
http://www.taravos.anike.delfi.lt/ |
