Dzūkiška grikinė boba – Ritual buckwheat pastry of south-east Lithuania‏

Dzūkiška grikinė boba

Ritual buckwheat pastry of south-east Lithuania

• Buckwheat boba (babka) Buckwheat boba is the dzūkai (the inhabitants of south- east Lithuania) ritual pastry. The sands of Dzūkija (southeastern Lithuania) have been good for growing buckwheat at all times. Dishes from buckwheat are very common in this region.

• The five ethnographic regions of Lithuania based on cultural diferences:

Large parts of Dzūkija have light sandy soil, unsuited for agriculture. Therefore the region is densely covered with pine forests, one of which is Dainava Forest, the largest in Lithuania. The Čepkeliai Marsh, the largest swamp in Lithuania, is situated in the region, near the border with Belarus. Dzūkija is also the most sparsely populated region in Lithuania, with average population density dropping below 15 people per square kilometer in Varėna district municipality. Due to lower harvests in infertile soil, the region was relatively poorer than the rest of Lithuania. Farmers had to supplement their yields with edible mushrooms and berries collected in the forests. Mushroom hunting remains an important part of the local economy.

Dzūkija is situated in southeastern Lithuania, and consists of Alytus County and southern Vilnius County. Historically, it extended into northeastern Poland (Podlaskie Voivodeship) and western Belarus.

Two of the five national parks in Lithuania are to be found in Dzūkija: Dzūkija National Park east of Varėna (established there in 1991), and Trakai National Historic Park near Trakai (1992).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dz%C5%ABkija

• Buckweat boba is baked for celebrations when waiting for guests of honor, and sometimes for commemoration of the dead and the time called pusiaugavėnis. Even now Grikinė boba is baked in various competitions, where mistresses compete whose Grikinė boba is more beautiful, sweeter and more variegated.
• Ingredients: 250 g buckwheat flour; 50 g wheat flour, 200 g butter, 5 eggs, 0,5 cup of buttermilk, 150 g sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, pinch of salt.
• Preparation: Cream the room temperature butter with egg yolks and sugar. Mix up all the flour with the baking powder and put it into the mass. Sift salt and add the buttermilk. Stir well. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks and gently mix into the batter. Brush the form with butter and put the dough into it. Smooth out the surface. Bake at 170 ° C in a preheated oven for an hour. The top can be decorated with chocolate or icing. Sprinkle with nuts. http://docslide.us/documents/buckwheat-boba-babka-buckwheat-boba-is-the-dzukai-the-inhabitants-of-south-east-lithuania-ritual-pastry.html
• Goda Bruzgyte, Mileta Navickaite and Dovile Martuseviciute.