Something that tastes so good you’d be willing to travel halfway around the world? That’s what Lithuania’s tourism development agency is counting on this summer.
Lithuania Travel is pushing a wide variety of interesting ice cream flavors that the nation’s chefs have developed. Forget chocolate, vanilla, and all the standards. In Lithuania, it’s unconventional flavors that make the treat.
“Contemporary Lithuanian chefs have taken this experimental culinary heritage to new heights and, inspired by local ingredients, play around with unique seasonal recipes of the frozen treat,” the agency said in a release.
But before you get your taste buds ready for something special, be prepared. These are, shall we say, different. Whether it’s dill, quince, or even mackerel — if you can imagine — these are flavors aimed at exciting tourists’ senses.
Here are 10 flavors the agency says are worth the trip.
1. Cricket Ice Cream With Black Sesame Or Vanilla
Let’s get the really weird one out of the way right off the bat. Insects have become a part of Lithuanian meals of late, so the Central Grill & Lounge in Marijampole has added a crunchy protein to this dessert.
2. Mackerel Ice Cream With Bread Crumbs
Yes, this really is a combination of seafood and dessert, but the chefs at Apvalaus Stalo Clubs in Trakai claim that the subtle smokiness of the fish, combined with mulberry and lime, make for a sweet and savory treat.
3. Seaweed Ice Cream With Lobster Caramel Crunch
Another seafood-dessert combo found at Vila Komoda in the seaside town of Palanga, this treat also includes hazelnut oil and black sturgeon roe. It is aimed at travelers who want to see, touch, and taste the sea in an adventurous treat.
4. Linden Blossom Tea Ice Cream
Linden blossom tea is a staple in the country, both as a folk medicine and as a floral and herbal flavor. Jurgis ir Drakonas and Brooklyn Brothers have put the flavor in play on the restaurant dessert menus, selling it as a health-boosting ingredient to an after-dinner treat.
5. Buckwheat Ice Cream
Owners of Vista Puode in Kaunas thought: why not put a few grains in your ice cream? The result is a treat with a nutty flavor and berries mixed in for a tangy addition.
6. Sakotis Ice Cream
Sakotis is Lithuanian spit cake and the centerpiece of any holiday table. The sweet, soft, and buttery cake is added to ice cream to give it a light taste. It can be found at Ertlio Namas in the capital city of Vilnius.
7. Nettle Ice Cream
Nettle is a plant with sharp leaves that is used for diabetes medications. As a flavor in an ice cream, found at Velvetti in Druskininkai, it adds a grassy and earthy taste to dessert along with an extremely fragrant smell.
8. Black Ice Cream With Activated Charcoal
You read that right: Charcoal is the key ingredient in this treat at AJ Sokoladas cafe. But that’s not even the half of it. The charcoal disguises the coconut and vanilla in the ice cream, giving you a flavor you would never expect when served a black dish.
9. Dill Ice Cream
Yes, dill. Found in addition to fish and other dishes as a decoration with its strong flavor, Dziaugsmas in Vilnius is putting it in ice cream. It tastes about how you would expect, with its grassy, herbal flavor.
10. Quince Ice Cream
Taste Map in Vilnius takes the fruit and adds it to a smooth cream, creating a fragrant and powerful flavor that is both sweet and tart.
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