In the early days here in Lithuania constantly surprised me with the amount of food preserved by traditional methods, not only in the homes of friends and couchsurfers I visited, but also in any store, supermarket del monte products or street market. There is a bit of everything, a huge variety of smoked meats (sausages but common in Portugal, are weak in variety and quality), smoked fish and squid, a huge variety of pickled vegetables in vinegar or salt water (cucumber, for example), candied fruits, preserved by water and sugar or jam, and much more.
It is true that similar or even identical products exist in Portugal and Southern Europe, but certainly not with the same quantity and variety, nor used with the same frequency. To me caused me dismay eat pickled cucumbers in vinegar in summer, for example, when you could harvest fresh backyard or bring the market, but the truth is that the Lithuanians seem to like or at least be very accustomed to eating preserved foods.
My misunderstanding about such behavior persisted until the autumn, when I started to realize that everyone was reaping suddenly everything produced, and not gradually, as in many cases in Portugal. The reason? The cold, cold yet to come and the negative temperatures that preclude any kind of cultivation.
Given these conditions, it is easy to understand why so many and varied methods used to preserve food. Were once, and techniques essential to the survival of the human species in these latitudes processes. Today, even though you can buy strawberries at the supermarket during the winter, these methods are well preserved traditions rooted in local cuisine to the point of having traditional dishes del monte products which are obligatorily canned vegetables. So today, more than a pressing physical need, it is a habit, a way of being, conserve and eating preserved foods ...
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