Janina Dapkienė, an active member of the folklore ensemble “Kvėitys” of the wheat section of the Gargžda cultural center, a former longtime teacher, is famous not only for her beautiful voice and knowledge of Žemati traditions, but also for her hospitality.
Her hand-rolled box literally melts in the mouth, its special taste has been experienced by many lovers of ethno-cultural events.
Kastinys is a unique distinguishing mark of Žemaitija cuisine. Experts say that Žemaitija is the only region in the world where this exceptional dish is produced. The Žemaitian chestnut was included in the European Commission’s list of protected products a few years ago and became the fifth Lithuanian protected product in the European Union. In the past in Žemaitija, kastinys was usually eaten on special occasions – on Sundays, at the end of the taluk or at the end of the rye harvest, when guests were treated to kastinys.
“Recently, at the anniversary, I fed the guests with my box and vedars. I received so many nice thanks!” said Janina, noting that, unfortunately, young people now eat different foods, many don’t even know the taste of vedari anymore, so they don’t like them. However, the Žemaitian caste makes an impression on everyone. “I would advise you to make it for the festive table. After all, you remove the box from the evening, put it in the refrigerator, and while waiting for the guests, you only boil the potatoes with their skins. So the hostess has time to beautify herself,” smiled the connoisseur of culinary heritage.
A piece of butter and a certain fermented milk product – buttermilk, sour cream or kefir – is added spoon by spoon, and it is also seasoned with various greens, garlic or cumin – to everyone’s taste. Janina reveals that if you use leaner dairy products to twist the box, it will be more sour, fresher. If they are fatter, they are sweeter. For inexperienced caste makers, the wheat expert advises first to roll the caste from fattier products, because it is easier that way, and there are no lumps. The most important nuance in the production of this product is knowing when to heat it and when to freeze it, because this is where the line between melting and solidification lies. “I don’t have a recipe with specific quantities of products, I rely on my experience and understanding when turning the box,” summed up J. Dapkienė, a member of the folklore ensemble “Kvėitys”.
Vilija BUTKUVIENĖ
