A smoked, dried sausage stuffed into a pig’s stomach and sliced thin. It was cured for months in farmhouse chimneys, is mentioned in records of the Grand Duchy, and Lietuviškas skilandis won EU protected status in 2010.
It is a raw-meat cure over months in a large, slow-drying casing, where safety depends on measured nitrite and on the salt reaching the centre before anything else does — and a fault deep inside is invisible until it is cut.
What goes into it
- coarsely chopped pork, with a good proportion of fat
- salt and curing salt
- garlic
- black pepper and caraway
- a pig’s stomach as casing
How it is made
Coarsely chopped pork and fat are mixed with salt, garlic and pepper and packed hard into a cleaned pig’s stomach, which is sewn shut, bound and pressed flat. It is cold-smoked over alder or birch for a week or more, then hung in a cold airy loft for two to six months while it dries and a mould coat develops.
How long it takes: three to six months
How it is eaten
Sliced very thin with dark rye bread, horseradish and beer.
History
Cured for months in farmhouse chimneys and mentioned in records of the Grand Duchy; Lietuviškas skilandis won EU protected status in 2010.
Frequently asked questions
What is Skilandis?
Skilandis is a charcuterie & cured from Lithuania: smoked, dried sausage stuffed into a pig’s stomach, sliced thin. Cured for months in farmhouse chimneys and mentioned in records of the Grand Duchy; Lietuviškas skilandis won EU protected status in 2010.
How is Skilandis made?
Coarsely chopped pork and fat are mixed with salt, garlic and pepper and packed hard into a cleaned pig’s stomach, which is sewn shut, bound and pressed flat. It is cold-smoked over alder or birch for a week or more, then hung in a cold airy loft for two to six months while it dries and a mould coat develops. It takes three to six months.
Can I make Skilandis at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a raw-meat cure over months in a large, slow-drying casing, where safety depends on measured nitrite and on the salt reaching the centre before anything else does — and a fault deep inside is invisible until it is cut.
What goes into Skilandis?
Coarsely chopped pork, with a good proportion of fat, salt and curing salt, garlic, black pepper and caraway, a pig’s stomach as casing.
How is Skilandis eaten?
Sliced very thin with dark rye bread, horseradish and beer.
